Health & Wellbeing
Healthy Body ~ Healthy Brain
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL)
In 2024, South-Eastern regional government schools will receive funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community.
My name is Sally Baker and my role as MHWL is to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
I will be working in collaboration with our Wellbeing team to promote awareness and understanding of mental health and wellbeing in the school community, and to build the capacity of staff to support student mental health by:
· Building the capability of the whole school regarding mental health and wellbeing
· Supporting the whole school to better identify and support students with mental health needs
· Establishing referral pathways for students requiring assessment and intervention, and monitor and evaluate student progress.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader role is not a clinical role and is not designed for direct intervention. Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders are provided training in mental health literacy, supporting emerging needs, and building school capacity.
What is Wellbeing?
The World Health Organisation defines wellbeing as:
"... a positive state experienced by individuals and societies. Similar to health, it is a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic, and environmental conditions.
Well-being encompasses quality of life and the ability of people and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose."
It is usually understood as a multidimensional concept involving a student's emotional, mental, physical and social health, and includes how the student thinks and feels about themselves and their life generally.
Recent research collected the perspectives of over 600 primary and secondary school students across Australia to elicit their views on the meaning of 'wellbeing' and how it is best facilitated (Powell et al., 2018).
Students conceptualised well-being across three interconnected domains of 'being', 'having', and 'doing':
- 'Being' - Students identified well-being as a state of 'being' that existed when their needs were met and when they experienced a sense of satisfaction. For example, being happy, loved, cared for, connected, wanted, safe and healthy
- 'Having' - Students conceptualised well-being in relation to 'having' support, rights, and social justice. For example, students described the importance of having a voice, justice, fairness, help with schoolwork, good friendships, communication and respect
- 'Doing' - Students also understood well-being in relation to their own actions. For example, the actions students most referred to included looking after oneself, accepting yourself and others, making good decisions, and performing acts of generosity and kindness.
Promoting mental health and wellbeing at home
https://www.vic.gov.au/promoting-mental-health-and-wellbeing-home
As parents and carers, you’re already doing lots of things to support your child’s mental health and wellbeing. You can continue to protect your child’s mental health and well-being by developing and promoting:
- healthy sleeping habits
- healthy eating habits
- physical activity
- strong and nurturing relationships
- positive self-talk and providing praise, encouragement
- mindfulness, kindness, and gratitude
- social and emotional skills
- help-seeking.
For a range of videos and articles backed by Australian experts on how to support your child’s mental health, visit Raising Children Network.
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