The BIG picture

The BIG picture





The Health and Wellbeing

Project

Health and Wellbeing Project -

‘Working with school teams to enhance the health and wellbeing of

students and those who work with them’







Who?

What? Curriculum

School climate:

Trained Facilitators:

4 Commonwealth Health

Ethos &

Environment •Education Department

Strategies: •Catholic Education

•National School Drug •Independent Schools

Education Strategy Partnerships

•Health Providers:

•National Mental Health -DEN

Strategy -Family Planning

•National Youth Suicide Health Promoting Schools: A whole -Drug & Alcohol

Prevention Strategy school approach to mental health Services

•National Sexual Health -Sexual Health Branch

Strategy -Others?





Mind Matters: Why

What To build and enhance resilience and connectedness

How

Health Promoting

Schools Framework

School climate Curriculum

 Caring relationships  Broad & inclusive

 Welfare/pastoral care  Interactive & cooperative

classroom work based on

 Discipline policy & high expectations

practice  Teachers supported by

 Support during transition professional

 Opportunities for development

participation  Personal & social values

development

Partnerships  Comprehensive health

 With families, community education

& services  Support for literacy &

numeracy

Mental Health

a holistic sense of wellbeing







Enjoy life

Cope with change and challenge

Survive pain, disappointment and sadness

Believe in one’s own worth

Believe in others’ dignity and worth

Why mental health

promotion should be a part

of core school business

Social & emotional well-being affects

 Schooling outcomes

 Social development

 Capacity to contribute to workforce/community

 Reduction in rate of youth suicide

Mental health problems are associated with

higher rates of truancy, suspension,

exclusion, school alienation

Why mental health

promotion should be a part

of core school business

A sense of connectedness or attachment to

school is a protective factor for young people

Schools can engage in deliberate strategies

to develop & maintain a supportive

environment

Child & adolescent mental health problems

are frequently first identified at school

Families are likely to consult teachers & other

student services as their first step in seeking

help

Core aims of Mental

Health

To develop Resilience: the capacity to cope

and bounce back during difficult times

To be able to Cope: the thoughts, feelings &

actions one takes to deal with change or

challenge

To be able to Connect or Belong: to interact

and involve yourself with others

(Mind Matters, 2000)

Connectedness.

Schools/families/communities enhance

connectedness when they …

Build caring relationships with young people,

offering support, compassion, understanding,

trust

Have high and achievable expectations,

offering respect, guidance, affirmation and

acknowledgment, building on strengths

Provide opportunities for participation and

contribution



Benard (1997) A Framework for Practice: Tapping Innate Resilience, Resiliency in Action

Risk factors – school

curriculum

Unstimulating content Passive teaching-

 Unrelated to the student learning strategies

 Small range of choice  Minimal interaction with

Lack of student teacher & peers

participation in  Lack of cooperative

activity based &

decisions about independent learning

curriculum content,

Competitive exam

process & assessment

dominated assessment

 One off rather than

progressive assessment

Risk factors – school

climate

Unsupportive school Negative peer

culture relationships

 unchallenging  Bullying, isolation

 Sexist or racist

 Uncaring, violent

harassment

Negative  Presence of antisocial

teacher/student peer groups or gangs

relationships Absence of school

 Lack of respect, fairness counsellors

or acceptance  Difficulty in accessing

 Lack of interaction support of school

counsellors

Risk factors – school

climate

Lack of student Inadequate

participation provision of

 In decision making

structures or school

professional

organisation development

 Students not seen as  Inability of staff to

capable of productive adapt to societal &

involvement

educational change

Poor school/home or to changing needs

relationships & behaviours of

students

Youth in good health –

what do you think?

Two-thirds of young people rate their health

as excellent or very good

Death rates down

Teenage pregnancy up

Syphilis down

HIV infection rate down

Mental disorders up

School retention rates to year 12 down



Australia‟s Young People – Their Health & Wellbeing 1999. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Young People & Mental

Illness

Over 20% of 12-16 year olds have a mental health

problem (23% of males, 18% of females)

27% of 18-24 year olds have a mental health disorder

Depression is one of the commonest conditions

24% of young people will experience depression by

18

Females are more likely to experience depression &

eating disorders

Males are more likely to experience substance abuse

disorders



Australia‟s Young People – Their Health & Wellbeing 1999. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Drug Use

Smoking

 25% of 14-19 year olds smoke



Substance use disorders in 18-24 year

olds

 20% males (12% alcohol, 9% cannabis)

 10% females



Australia‟s Young People – Their Health & Wellbeing 1999. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Non-participation in

sport/exercise

32% of 12-14 year olds

44% of 15-19 year olds

59% of 20-24 year olds

do NOT actively participate in sport or

physical activity

So what are they doing to interact, contribute,

participate, have fun?

Australia‟s Young People – Their Health & Wellbeing 1999. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Sexual Activity

Before 15 years of age only 11% of

males & 9% of females have initiated

sex

At age 17 its approximately 40%

By age 18 around 50%



Australia‟s Young People – Their Health & Wellbeing 1999. Australian Institute of Health & Welfare.

Sexual Health

Alcohol and other drug use are major predictors

of unsafe sexual practices

18% of sexually active year 12 girls rely on

withdrawal for contraception

Ignorance of safe sex practices other than

condoms

13% of sexually active year 10 and 12 students

 Binge drink weekly

 Have intercourse with casual partners

 Use condoms inconsistently or not at all



Talking Sexual Health 1999 C/W Dept Health & Aged Care

Homophobia

8-11% of senior secondary students do not

identify as exclusively heterosexual

46% of same-sex attracted y/p have been

abused – 70% of that abuse occurred at

school, 3% by teachers

Teachers find it difficult to challenge

homophobic attitudes

Talking Sexual Health 1999 C/W Dept Health & Aged Care

Bullying

Around 1 in 7 children are bullied

Bullying affects learning outcomes

Bullying peaks in lower secondary

years

Boys are more often perpetrators and

victims

Bullies can appear to be popular (high

status), but are often disliked

Loneliness

40% of year 8 students believe no-

one knows them well

Nearly a quarter of students have

 No-one to talk to if they’re upset

 No-one to trust

 No-one to depend on







Glover et al 1998

SEWB = LO`s

A lot of research now recognises that

there exists a direct and critical link

between social and emotional well-

being, and learning outcomes

The implications for schools and

teachers is obvious: teaching and

learning must be student focused, not

content driven

So what can the school do?

Assist students to develop

protective factors

Caring & supportive Positive reinforcement

for participation

teachers

Belief in values of

High expectations school

on learning process Connectedness (feeling

part of the school &

Clearly stated rules close to people there)

Opportunities to Availability of

participate & be counselling from

responsible teachers & student

welfare staff

YOU CAN DO IT!

Program Achieve



A curriculum of lessons for teaching

students how to achieve success &

develop social-emotional well-being

6 volumes (grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-

10, & 11-12)

Program Achieve

Based around 5 units:

 Getting started (5 lessons)

 Confidence (6 lessons)

 Persistence (6 lessons)

 Organisation (6 lessons)

 Getting along (6 lessons)



Requires approximately 50 minutes per

lesson

ACTIVITIES

Grade 1-2:

Successful students are…..

It‟s in the bag

Introducing the 4 keys of success

Mind Matters

A mental health promotion resource for

secondary schools

This resource is best used as part of a

whole school approach to the promotion

of mental health

http://online.curriculum.edu.au/mindmatt

ers/index.htm

Mind Matters:

3 overarching booklets

School Matters

Educating for Life

Community Matters

School Matters:

Mapping and Managing Mental Health

in Schools

This document provides schools with a

framework and planning tools to assist

them with possible structures,

strategies, partnerships and curriculum

programs to promote and protect the

mental health of all members of the

school community

School Matters:

Audit Activity

Fill out the sheet related to “curriculum

teaching & learning”

Educating for Life:

A Guide for School-based Responses

to Preventing Self-harm and Suicide

This guide outlines the policies,

processes and practices that contribute

to a comprehensive approach to suicide

Educating for Life:

Answer questions in a

small group

What if a teacher is considering teaching about

suicide as part of the H or personal development

curriculum?

What if the issue of suicide comes up in the context

of another study, eg. a film or book?

What if a student selects suicide as the focus of a

research question?

What if the topic of suicide arises spontaneously

during class discussion?

What if a visiting theatre group offers a suicide

awareness program for students?

Community Matters:

Working with Diversity for Wellbeing



This document explores identity, culture

and community and suggests strategies

for managing the wellbeing needs of

diverse groups of students, particularly

those who may feel marginalised for

social reasons, within the contexts of

school and broader communities

Community Matters:

Hypotheticals activity

With a partner (matched pairs) choose 1

hypothetical to answer the following:



Brainstorm the structures & strategies your

school has in place that would help these

students make connections



What else could your school do to strengthen

connections for all students?

Mind Matters:

5 curriculum units

Enhancing Resilience 1

Enhancing Resilience 2

Dealing with Bullying & Harassment

Understanding Mental Illnesses

Loss & Grief

Enhancing Resilience 1:

Communication, Changes &

Challenges

There are 4 sections to this booklet

which aim to enhance resilience via the

promotion of communication,

participation, positive self-regard,

teamwork and a sense of belonging and

connectedness to school

These sections are particularly useful

with new groups

Enhancing Resilience 1

The 4 sections are: Games collection

Creating connections - a collection of interactive

- activities for the home games designed to

group, pastoral care or promote communication,

core curriculum teacher, cooperation and

focusing on issues of teambuilding

communication, codes of People, identity & culture

behaviour & teamwork - activities for the SOSE

Friendship & belonging class exploring personal &

- activities for the English social identity, and

class exploring the addressing issues of

challenge of making and belonging and culture

maintaining friendships

Enhancing Resilience 1

Activities

Creating connections – Matched Pairs

(used in Community Matters activity)



Games collection – Human Bingo

Enhancing Resilience 2:

Stress & Coping

This booklet, in 2 sections, guides schools in

their focus on enhancing the resilience and

connectedness of their students

It deals with the importance of providing

ongoing opportunities for participation and

communication, creating a positive school

culture, friendly relationships, and valuing

school & community

Enhancing Resilience 2

The 2 sections are:

Coping – activities in which students identify

some of the stresses and challenges young

people have to deal with, and explore the

range of emotions commonly associated with

feelings of stress

Stressbusters - activities in which students

explore the role and effect of support groups,

the role of trust & courage in help-seeking

behaviour, and explore conflict resolution and

stress management techniques

Enhancing Resilience 2

activity

Coping - „What if‟ scenarios

In your group (use playing cards to

choose 4 groups) sit in a circle with

cards face down, spin the pen, person

selected chooses a card & attempts to

answer the question

Dealing with Bullying

and Harassment

This booklet, in 3 sections, guides

schools in their attempts to take a whole

school approach to dealing with bullying

and harassment

Dealing with Bullying

and Harassment

The 3 sections are:

Facing Facts – for use in Health classes by

defining and giving examples of different

types of B & H

Giving Voice – for use in the English class by

exploring the language of B

Defining Moments – for use in the Drama

class by exploring the body language of

status & power

Understanding Mental

Illnesses

This document provides an overview of

the issues a school may face in relation

to mental illnesses among students,

staff and families

Understanding Mental

Illnesses activity

5 groups allocated to:

 Sue

 Natalie

 Sharon & Tina

 Mark, Martin & Alysia

 Angela & Angelo

Read the questions, concentrate on your

character but be aware of all of the others too

Watch Video Section 1 & answer ALL the

questions, then we will discuss them

Answers to Understanding

Mental Illnesses activity

5 groups allocated to:

 Sue (schizophrenia)

 Natalie (obsessive compulsive disorder)



 Sharon & Tina (anorexia)



 Mark, Martin & Alysia (depression)



 Angela & Angelo (bipolar disorder)

Loss & Grief

This document provides an overview of

school practices relevant to dealing with

death and loss within the school

Loss & Grief activity

„Helping a friend‟ –Answer the following

question:

What could each of the following do to

support someone whose father had just died?

 The class

 Best friends

 The school

MESH

Mental, emotional,

social & spiritual health

This program aims to provide comprehensive

primary prevention and early intervention for

all students K-adult

This program includes a systematic effort to

educate, identify, assess, refer & support

students to optimise education, psycho-social

protective factors, health, well-being & life

development

(Contact Nairn Walker – nairn@socialsolutions.com.au)