With a growing concern for young people with mental health issues, school-based prevention and intervention strategies have become paramount in reducing mental health issues that may interfere with student learning and social development.

In 2015, whilst half of the Australian teachers surveyed believed that they had no time to focus on the mental health of students (according to the nationwide Beyondblue survey – previously discussed in our School Governance article), today, some of the nation’s non-government schools are addressing, prioritising and aiming to combat student mental health concerns by taking significant preventative measures. For example, schools such as Sydney’s Kambala and Knox Grammar School are engaging directors or deans of wellbeing, whilst others, such as Perth’s Presbyterian Ladies’ College and Victoria’s Geelong Grammar, are developing multi-million dollar wellness centres that promote student wellbeing.

The aim of these wellness centres is to teach students coping and resilience skills by offering a variety of facilities such as meditation and contemplative rooms, Pilates and yoga studios, consulting rooms for visiting specialists, swimming pools and dedicated areas for positive nutrition. Other schools, such as Wenona School in North Sydney, are supporting student wellbeing and providing leading-edge learning experiences by introducing “world-class, ecologically driven” facilities that offer a variety of spaces for reflection, study and collaboration.

Perth’s Presbyterian Ladies’ College Director of Wellbeing, Laura Allison, said the School aimed to create a world-class, evidence-based institute that provided girls with a range of programmes and resources to nurture pathways to wellbeing.

“Being in good shape is proven to increase your ability to learn. No matter where the student is on the academic achievement spectrum, we need to ensure they achieve their potential. The Centre’s wellbeing plans will be comprehensive and holistic, focusing on personal development, education and wellbeing. Programmes will be designed to develop the psychological, social, academic, physical and spiritual health of our students. We anticipate that all students will attend the Wellbeing Centre for their health classes to utilise the services and supplementary programmes before and after school.”

Beth Blackwood, Chief Executive of Australian Heads of Independent Schools Association, told The Australian that “schools are responding to specific concern that there seems to be a growing number of young people with mental health issues… There’s an increase in anxiety levels, a decrease in reliance and generally those attributes that you want young people to have to enable them to thrive in life have been eroded in the past decades.”

BeyondBlue statistics and facts confirm the legitimacy of student mental health concerns, with evidence suggesting that one in four young Australians have a mental health condition; three in four adult mental health conditions emerge by the age 24 (and half by the age of 14); and suicide is rated the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents.

Student wellbeing and registration requirements

Currently, most state and territory registration standards for non-government schools in Australia include a requirement for, or reference to, protecting the safety and wellbeing of students. However, interestingly, some state registration standards, such as those in the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, do not make mention of the term “wellbeing” in their respective registration standards. Other registration standards, such as the new South Australian Board Consultation on Requirements for Registration, Review of Registration and Endorsement of Registration of Schools in South Australia, more clearly stipulate the need for schools to provide “a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment that protects the well-being of students.”

Student wellbeing and child protection requirements

In addition to registration standards imposing obligations on schools to ensure the wellbeing of students, recently introduced child protection legal reforms are imposing similar obligations.

For example, in Victoria, the Child Safe Standards (Standard 7) require organisations to have a culture of child empowerment and participation – it is not enough to merely have a “one off event” to attempt to address this requirement. Additionally, Standard 7 specifies that organisations must “ensure that children feel safe and comfortable in reporting concerns or allegations of abuse” – processes must be simple and accessible for all children so they understand how to report abuse, inappropriate behaviour or concerns for their safety.

Similarly, South Australia has introduced the Child Safe Environments – Principles of Good Practice (Principles of Good Practice), pursuant to section 8A of the Children’s Protection Act 1993 (SA), to ensure that child safe environments are established and maintained by every organisation that provides services for children. The Principles of Good Practice stipulate that "the focus of a child safe organisation is not simply to create an environment that minimises risk or danger. Rather, it is about building an environment which is both child-safe and child-friendly, where children feel respected, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential.”

Victoria’s Child Safe Standards and South Australia’s Principles of Good Practice clearly require child safe environments to be proactive and participatory in their approach to promoting the safety and wellbeing of children. As the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 simply states, “Australia needs to move from seeing ‘protecting children’ merely as a response to abuse and neglect to one of promoting the safety and wellbeing of children”.

However, in the absence of a legal reason requiring schools to address student wellbeing, some schools might query whether they should they be motivated to do so.  Not every non-government school has the financial resources to expand its staff, campuses or buildings to accommodate wellness experts or facilities.

Of interest, psychologist Michael Carr-Greg said “there is a key connection between wellbeing and learning" and the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development believes young people with good wellbeing are more engaged and successful learners.

Perhaps, rather than being motivated to implement facilities to address student mental health concerns purely from a legal compliance perspective, schools should do their best to be proactive with the resources that they have. Some of Australia’s non-government schools are already proving to take the lead in promoting the social and emotional development and wellbeing of their students, to improve overall confidence, resilience and emotional intelligence, which, in turn, will lead to students not only performing better academically but who will forge stronger bonds and lead healthier lifestyles.