KidsMatter Primary Overview

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KidsMatter Primary Overview
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Acknowledgement of Country

• I would like to acknowledge the traditional
  custodians of this land and pay my respects to
  Elders past, present and future, for they hold
  the memories, the traditions, the culture and
  hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  Australians.

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Warm up activity

• Choose a card that
• introduces yourself and your role
• represents your role in or with schools.

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Session goals

• To develop a deeper understanding of
• the KidsMatter Primary framework
• the mental health concepts
• the implementation process
• the target areas and four components
• your role and KidsMatter Primary.

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The KidsMatter Primary framework
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Why it matters

• Does it matter that
• my school believes in me?
• I feel I belong at school?
• I have friends and can share my feelings?
• I have people who support and understand me?
• I have someone I can turn to?

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Why it matters
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Childrens mental health and wellbeing

• Mental health across the lifespan has been
  identified as a national priority.
• Estimates suggest mental health difficulties
  affect 1 in 7 Australian primary school
  children.

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A national priority

• Only 1 in 4 children with a mental
  healthdifficulty receives help.

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KidsMatter Primary aims to contribute to...
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Benefits to students

• KidsMatter Primary can help
• increase positive mental health(eg optimism and
  coping)
• reduce mental health difficulties(eg emotional
  symptoms, hyperactivity, conduct problems and
  peer difficulties)
• improve the behaviour and motivation of students
  already experiencing mental health challenges.

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Benefits to schools and community

• KidsMatter Primary provides
• an umbrella for bringing together existing
  wellbeing policies and practices
• processes for building a school mental healthand
  wellbeing strategic plan
• a common language for the whole community
• stronger parent engagement and parenting capacity
• more effective partnerships with community
• improved student educational outcomes.

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The mental health concepts
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Discussion

• What is mental health?

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What is mental health?

• A state of wellbeing in which an individual
• realises his or her own abilities, can cope
• with the normal stresses of life, can work
• productively and is able to make a contribution
• to his or her community.
• There is no health without mental health.
• World Health Organization

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Why is a focus on mental health and wellbeing
important to schools?
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Why is mental health and wellbeing important to
schools?

• Children who are mentally healthy
• learn better and achieve more
• are motivated and committed
• have positive relationships
• are better able to meet lifes challenges
• can contribute to their families, friends and
  society in ways that are appropriate for their
  age
• manage the transition to adolescence and
  adulthood more successfully.

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Risk and protective factorsfor childrens mental
health

• Risk factors increase the likelihood of a
  child experiencing mental health difficulties or
  a disorder.
• Protective factors act to strengthen a childs
  mental health and wellbeing and improve
  resistance to risk factors, making it less
  likely that they will develop mental health
  difficulties.

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Risk and protective factors
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Socio-ecological model
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KidsMatter model for promotion, prevention and
early intervention (PPEI) in schools
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More about KidsMatter Primary
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The implementation process
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The KidsMatter Primary framework
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What is an Action Team?

• An Action Team
• plans and leads the implementation, coordinating
  and driving of KidsMatter Primary in their school
• represents the whole-school community ie
  school leadership, teachers, families and student
  wellbeing staff.

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Benefits linked to quality

• The KidsMatter Primary pilot evaluation showed
  that schools with the best outcomes
• adhered to the prescribed KidsMatterPrimary
  steps
• actively involved the school leadership team and
  all staff in planning
• encouraged parental involvement.

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External support

• External support and critical friends can
• assist the Action Team with the implementationof
  KidsMatter Primary
• help Action Teams stay focused and motivated
• bring alternative perspectives and resources
• assist schools in delivering professional
  learning
• include personnel from the education or health
  and community sectors.

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Implementation success factors

• KidsMatter Primary is successful because it
• requires school leaders to commit to resourcing
  whole-school change
• is supported by KidsMatter Primary staff
• is led by the Action Team
• is evidence-based
• provides all school staff with professional
  learning
• equips schools with high quality resources
• has a step-by-step planning process
• assists schools to connect with external support.

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Educational policy and curriculum links

• KidsMatter Primary links with
• Melbourne Declaration - Educational Goals for
  Young Australians (MCEETYA, 2008).
• Australian Curriculum - General Capabilities
  Personal and Social Capability (ACARA, 2012).
• National Safe Schools Framework (2010).
• National Mental Health Strategy (Department of
  Health and Ageing, 2009).
• School vision, learning goals and other
  whole-school initiatives.

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The target areas and four components
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The four components
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Positive school community

• A positive school community encourages
• a shared understanding of mental health and
  wellbeing for the whole-school community
• respectful relationships that promote
• a sense of belonging and inclusion
• a welcoming school environment that reflects
  diversity in the community
• active involvement of students, staff, families
  and community.

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Whole-school celebrations

• All students and staff at one school wore a red
  shirt on the last day of term to celebrate their
  work with Component 1.

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Activity

• Positive school memories

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How might Component 1 relate to your role?
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Social and emotional learning (SEL)

• Social and emotional learning in the classroom
• promotes the five core social and emotional
  competencies for childrens social and emotional
  development
• encourages schools to embed these in the
  curriculum, while providing opportunities for
  students to practice and transfer their skills
  beyond the classroom.

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Activity

• Name of activity to go here

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SEL competencies
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Engaging with families

• One school prepared these bags on a range of
  topics and made them available in the school
  library for parents and carers to borrow. They
  included picture books to read with children, and
  KidsMatter information sheets.

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How might Component 2 relate to your role?
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Working with parents and carers

• Connecting with the school community
• promotes collaborative working relationships
  between school staff and parents and carers
• encourages schools to facilitate access to
  information and services that support parenting
• provides opportunities for families to extend
  their social and support networks.

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Discussion

• What opens the school doors to parentsand
  carers?
• In what ways can schools supportparents and
  carers?
• Consider
• Who is participating?
• Who gets a say?
• Who comes to events? Who doesnt?
• Who are we missing? Not noticing?
• Who feels threatened? Overlooked?

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Welcoming and resourcing families

• Some schools provide a family space where
  information is shared and parents and carers feel
  welcome.

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How might Component 3 relate to your role?
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Helping children experiencing mental health
difficulties

• Within the boundaries of their role, teachers and
  schools can help by
• recognising signs of difficulties
• supporting these students by referring them for
  assistance
• working closely with families and support
  services
• helping them to remain engaged in education.

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Activity

• Name of activity to go here

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School story

• Add details of school story here
• Bullet one
• Bullet two
• Bullet three

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How might Component 4 relate to your role?
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KidsMatter brings people together
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Your role and KidsMatter Primary
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Discussion
Your role and KidsMatter Primary
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Support, guidance and networks
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Support, guidance and networks

• KidsMatter Primary provides free, ongoing support
  to schools throughout their journeywww.kidsmatte
  r.edu.au

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Questions
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Further information

• Contact
• Email
• Telephone
• www.kidsmatter.edu.au

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