The Department of Education has developed a range of resources to help teachers, parents and carers to support the mental health and wellbeing of every student.
A new Quick Guide to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing resources (PDF, 609KB) consolidates expert guidance and resources including:
- access to further information
- classroom resources
- training on mental health for both teachers and students.
Mindfulness activities for senior secondary students
One of the exciting new initiatives referred to in the guide is the Department's partnership with Smiling Mind, which is producing mindfulness activities for senior secondary school students.
This initiative will provide students with short videos, online tip sheets and mindfulness meditations that they can use to support their mental wellbeing.
Raising Learners podcasts for parents and carers
For families, the Department has also partnered with the Raising Children Network to develop a podcast series for parents and carers on supporting children's learning and development, called Raising Learners.
The series features parenting experts from organisations including the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Career Education Association Victoria, as well as the Australian eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant.
Raising Learners gives parents and carers practical advice for supporting children's health, wellbeing and engagement at school and at home. The series explores topics including:
- how to connect with their child's school and community
- how to best support their child's learning
- what to expect for Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students
- how to keep children safe online.
These topics were drawn from common questions that parents have raised in calls to the Department's coronavirus (COVID-19) hotline and confidential support service Parentline.
The first five episodes are available now and can be accessed from podcast apps and the Raising Children Network website. Additional episodes will be released throughout Term 4.
Find out more
For more information on the supports available for student mental health, contact Emma Gilbert, Wellbeing, Health and Engagement Division, via:
- email emma.gilbert@education.vic.gov.au
- phone 03 8688 7786
For more information about the Raising Learners podcast series, contact Jeremy Cussen, Wellbeing, Health and Engagement Division, via:
- email jeremy.cussen@education.vic.gov.au
- phone 03 7022 1871
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