Mental Health Practitioners (MHPs)

Program description

The Mental Health Practitioners (MHP) initiative provides mental health and wellbeing support in Victorian government secondary schools and specialist schools with secondary enrolments.

Under the initiative, schools receive funding to recruit a school-based MHP (social worker, psychologist, occupational therapist, mental health nurse or counsellor of a prescribed class).

Intended outcomes

MHPs provide support to schools by:

• enhancing mental health promotion and prevention activities in the school by:
  • embedding mental health promotion and prevention strategies and programs
  • building the capability of teaching and school leadership staff to manage student health and wellbeing
  • contributing to whole school health and wellbeing plans
• providing early intervention and supports for students with mild to moderate mental health needs, including counselling support for individual students and/or small groups
• coordinating supports for students with complex needs by proactively working with regional staff and other health professionals where required.

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: Secondary school students, secondary-aged specialist school students and their school staff.
• Staffing: MHPs must be fully qualified psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists, mental health nurses or counsellors of a prescribed class. MHPs must also meet the relevant criteria below:
  • Qualified psychologist, occupational therapist and mental health nurse applicants must be fully registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA).
  • Qualified social work applicants must be eligible for registration with the Australian Association of Social Workers.
  • Qualified counsellor applicants must have completed a Bachelor of Counselling or a Master of Counselling, and be a practicing/fully qualified member of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) or the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA).

Cost

Minimum cost

$5,000+

Detailed cost

All secondary school campuses receive ongoing SRP funding allocations between 0.2 and 1.0 FTE, based on student enrolments.

All specialist schools with secondary-aged enrolments receive ongoing SRP funding allocations between 0.4 and 0.8 FTE, based on student enrolments.

How the Fund can be used

Secondary schools and specialist schools with secondary-aged enrolments can use part or all of their Schools Mental Health Fund allocation to increase the time fraction of their MHP.

MHPs funded in this way must have appropriate qualifications, as outlined in the Skills Checklist (DOCX, 245KB) (staff login required).

Schools are encouraged to discuss this arrangement with their Regional Mental Health team.