Primary Welfare Officer Initiative

The Primary Welfare Officer Initiative provides eligible schools with primary students with additional resources to improve whole school approaches to promoting health and wellbeing within the school community.

Purpose

The purpose of the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative is to enhance the capacity of schools to develop positive and engaging school cultures and to support students who are at risk of disengagement and not achieving their educational potential. The initiative complements and extends existing programs that enhance student health and wellbeing, engagement, retention, academic achievement and the acquisition of life skills.

Objectives

The objectives of initiative are to:

• contribute to identified school and network priorities, particularly in tackling bullying and supporting students with behavioural, mental health or welfare issues
• work in partnership with schools and community to develop and promote a comprehensive student engagement policy that recognises a positive and engaging school culture contributes towards academic outcomes
• work in collaboration with schools, community-based services and networks to develop programs that promote the health and wellbeing of all students, ensure smooth transitions and provide additional support to students who are at risk
• identify, document and respond to emerging school and student wellbeing needs through evidence-based strategies and evaluation techniques
• support a case management approach to student interventions, including participating in student support groups and conducting follow ups
• strengthen partnerships between schools, student support services, health and community organisations to provide responsive, diverse and coordinated services for young people and their families.

Outcomes

Broadly, the desired outcomes for the initiative are focused on supporting schools and students to create a positive and engaging school environment that promotes the health, wellbeing and learning outcomes of students through improving resilience, coping skills, personal engagement, a sense of belonging and life skills.

Specifically, the initiative aims to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Positive school cultures and enhanced capacity of schools to support students who are at-risk of disengagement and not achieving their educational potential through:
   • positive whole school approach to the promotion of wellbeing
   • engagement of the school community, including students, parents/carers, families, teachers, student support services officers and other support staff
   • coordination of support for students and families
   • development of community partnerships, including with other schools and community service providers.
2. Improved likelihood of students remaining in school and achieving their educational potential, with students:
   • learning more effectively
   • demonstrating improvement in engagement and attendance
   • feeling healthy, safe and happy
   • developing positive attitudes and behaviours.

Schools should also develop tailored outcomes that are specific to the needs of the school community.

Officer role

Broadly, primary welfare officers undertake the following roles, depending on the needs of the school and identified target areas of need:

• promoting the development and implementation of wellbeing strategies in schools
• developing whole school approaches to student attendance, engagement and participation to support learning outcomes
• supporting case coordination strategies for student support
• facilitating the delivery of intervention programs for students and families
• coordinating access and timely service delivery to students and families
• participating in student wellbeing professional networks
• fostering relationships with community based service providers.

These roles span the four identified service delivery domains, with a focus on primary prevention and early intervention.

Schools can tailor the implementation of the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative to local needs, including service model, priorities and tailored outcomes, within the context of the initiative's purpose and government priorities.

Service delivery models

Schools choose a model for deploying a primary welfare officer which best suits the needs of the school community and takes into consideration the amount of funding provided. In many instances, funding for the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative will only be for a time fraction, not a fulltime staff member. Schools may choose to supplement the funding for the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative to increase the time fraction available.

Options for service delivery include:

Alignment with the school strategic plan

The role of the officer should be aligned with the school strategic plan and they may be responsible for leading school efforts related to student wellbeing and engagement.

Recruitment

Schools receive funding for the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative as part of the Student Resource Package. This funding must be used to secure a dedicated person, or time fraction of a dedicated person, to undertake the role and will generally adopt the job title ‘primary welfare officer'. The successful applicant must be responsible for undertaking the role in addition to any other existing duties and for achieving the school and initiative priorities and outcomes.

Line management will vary between schools. Schools should ensure there are clear arrangements and delegations in place to provide a supportive and collaborative working environment.

New or existing staff member

Schools can either employ a new staff member to the position or allocate the time of an existing staff member.

Schools also have the option to advertise internally, externally, or both, depending on local needs. Some schools utilise the funding as an opportunity to secure a new staff member and introduce new skills, knowledge and impartial perspective to the school and its health and wellbeing frameworks.

Some schools may determine that it is of greatest benefit to fill the role with an existing staff member, as they already have knowledge of the school and its wellbeing strategies, a professional relationship with school staff and rapport with students and parents/carers.

Professional pool

The professional pool from which schools can recruit officers includes (but is not limited to) teachers, principal class, social workers, psychologists, counsellors, youth workers, welfare agency workers, disability workers, family support workers, community liaison workers etc.

Schools can tailor the key selection criteria and position description for the officer to assist in recruiting the most appropriate person for the role, with the most appropriate qualifications, to address the particular health and wellbeing needs of the school community.

Professional development and learning

Professional development, supervision and support are critical to maintaining the service standards and expertise of the education workforce. These processes are supported through the provision of appropriate training, supervision, support materials such as guidelines and toolboxes, leadership structures and collegiate affiliation.

All primary welfare officers should have a performance plan which defines their role and accountabilities.

Professional learning opportunities

High quality professional learning (formal or informal) is one of the cornerstones of an effective school. It enables staff to develop the skills and knowledge they need to improve their practice and is central to improving student outcomes. All school staff, including primary welfare officers, need to be continuous learners who see their own learning as being fundamental to membership of their profession. High quality professional learning is:

• focused on improving student outcomes
• embedded in the everyday practice of educators
• informed by the best available research
• collaborative, involving reflection and feedback
• informed by data and evidence
• ongoing, supported and enabled by leaders
• an individual and collective responsibility.

Individual professional learning for officers should be planned and implemented as part of the performance and development cycle. Planning for professional learning should take into consideration school, network and government priorities, so that staff are supported in their efforts to achieve these priorities.

Support, supervision and networking

Professional supervision is an important component of officers' professional development. Supervision provides a collaborative forum in which supervisors and staff members can reflect on the content, process and progress of their work, creating a context in which collegiate professional learning can take place.

As part of the strategic planning process, schools may need to consider allocating resources for formal professional supervision for primary welfare officers. This will depend on the officer's professional background as well as the role they play in the school.

Range of supervision

Primary welfare officers benefit from a range of supervisory arrangements that may be provided on a formal one-on-one basis, or more informal group basis that encourages team learning and collaboration:

• Day-to-day supervision by a line manager, including general advice and guidance, administrative support and facilitating participation in professional development and learning activities
• Peer supervision or mentoring by a senior staff member, such as an assistant principal or leadership staff, or other specialised health and wellbeing staff such as student support services officers. Peer supervision and mentoring provides valuable informal support including professional conversations, feedback, reflective practice and advocacy.

The three core functions of supervision are:

• Administrative: planning, distributing, monitoring and evaluating staff work tasks and performance planning.
• Educative: ensuring staff members develop the knowledge and skills required for the role. This aspect of supervision is referred to as professional or clinical supervision, depending upon the work setting.
• Supportive: assisting staff to maintain positive working relationships and develop the skills to respond to challenges in the work environment.

There are four commonly recognised domains of service delivery that provide a staged response to addressing the needs of students within the school environment:

• primary prevention
• early intervention
• interventions requiring complex responses
• restoring wellbeing (postvention).

These levels of service delivery span the continuum of care provision and to some extent overlap, from the support needed by all children and young people, to the additional support needed in crisis situations.

For example, strategies to improve student attendance may function as both an early intervention initiative, to address a student's recent, unexplained absence from school, and as an initiative to address one of the multiple risk factors presented by a student requiring a complex response.

Primary welfare officers should work in partnership with school professionals, community based services and early childhood providers to ensure holistic and seamless service provision across and through these domains as required.

The escalation of students through these service domains should follow a staged response that is informed by a comprehensive assessment of need conducted by all available and relevant professionals, such as:

• teachers
• leadership staff
• student support services
• primary welfare officers
• community based services.

Primary prevention and health promotion

Build belonging and promote wellbeing

Primary prevention strategies are the most effective way to promote health and wellbeing in children, and constitute the vast majority of programs delivered by schools. They build belonging and promote wellbeing in children and young people by enhancing the emotional and social health of all students. This is achieved through raising awareness about what makes students resilient, developing strategies to reduce vulnerabilities and increasing coping skills.

A strength of primary prevention is an inclusive approach that engages with children and young people and acknowledges their rights and responsibilities in influencing their social, emotional and educational environment.

Primary welfare officers work collaboratively with other health and wellbeing services to support whole school and group activities that improve students' capacity and skills to make good choices, resulting in strong health and wellbeing outcomes.

Strategies build belonging and promote wellbeing can include:

• building mutual respect and safety at school through clear student engagement policies and procedures
• implementing a comprehensive curriculum to engage all students
• differentiating curriculum and programs to accommodate different approaches based on gender, social, cultural and linguistic considerations
• enhancing student attendance, through whole school policies, approaches, programs, responses and follow up care
• enhancing student safety, including individual safety such as being sun smart, relationship safety such as anti-bullying promotion, and collective safety within the school grounds, at the start and end of the day, during journeys to school such as stranger danger and safe road crossing skills
• practicing inclusive teaching and learning that respect and accommodate students from all backgrounds and abilities, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexuality, culture, language or disability
• encouraging supportive relationships between students and teachers, amongst the student cohort, and with community members and groups, by promoting respectful behaviour and adopting a collaborative approach to learning, accountability and responsibility
• involving parents/carers and communities to be a part of the school community through meaningful consultation and information dissemination
• easing transitions through bridging programs, orientation and peer mentoring such as the ‘big friends, little friends' initiative.

Early intervention

Strengthen coping skills and reduce risk factors

Despite a strong focus on preventative activities, some students face barriers to learning or have additional needs that are not adequately addressed through the general curriculum and primary prevention approach. Research shows that early identification and intervention to address risk, vulnerability or need, results in the best outcomes for children, young people and their families.

The aim of early intervention strategies is to protect the wellbeing of students and facilitate their learning by strengthening coping skills and reducing risk for students who have been identified as possessing ongoing social, emotional, and/or physical risks or needs. Early intervention strategies target these students so that the intensity, severity and duration of the risk or need are reduced.

Students who have a number of risk factors operating in their lives are a particular focus of early intervention programs. Their multiple needs mean these individuals are especially vulnerable when service systems are poorly integrated and uncoordinated. It is essential that early intervention service provision is both holistic and integrated, to ensure comprehensive service delivery, smooth transitions, and culturally, linguistically, gender and stage of life appropriate approaches that recognise the importance of both family and community in students' lives.

The success of early intervention strategies lies in early identification of students at risk, comprehensive assessment procedures and the provision of appropriate, targeted services. Ongoing monitoring and management is required to remain responsive to the changing needs of at risk students, and ensure that the programs or services provided are achieving the desired results.

A commitment to service excellence and implementing evidence-based programs assists in achieving better outcomes by constantly improving identification, assessment and management of students at risk, through evaluation and reflective practices.

Early intervention strategies that attempt to address both the cause of the need at school, and any underlying factors as far as possible, will be more successful than those just focussed on school based causation. For example, a school with poor attendance records may need to address both student engagement, and parental engagement with the school, through the adoption of more inclusive policies and procedures that encourage parental participation and collaboration, while setting clear expectations.

Role of primary welfare officers in early intervention

Primary welfare officers work with the school health and wellbeing team to coordinate integrated support for students and families, aiming to identify risk, vulnerability and need early, before significant problems arise. Provision of support as soon as possible assists to positively shift the student's developmental pathway and maximise outcomes that will impact on their future.

Primary welfare officers typically undertake a coordination role within schools, which will generally involve developing whole school strategies that target groups of children based on need, barriers to learning, age, gender, cultural, social and other considerations as appropriate.

Strategies to strengthen coping skills and reduce risk factors can include:

• reviewing existing school policy and procedures to identify strengths and weaknesses in the existing health and welfare approach, including any gaps and convergences with student need
• assessing risks and identifying student needs, including consideration of underlying factors that can be appropriately addressed by the school
• researching, developing and implementing evidence-based programs to improve student, parent/carer and teacher knowledge, skills and engagement
• provision of support and information at school, which is delivered in multiple languages if required, and is sourced from a wide variety of sources such as other government departments and community-based services, as appropriate
• fostering stronger partnerships with community-based services, local government services and other government agencies to promote holistic, integrated service provision and clear referral pathways.

It is essential that early intervention programs are monitored and evaluated to determine effectiveness, measure outcomes, ensure fidelity of implementation of evidence-based interventions and to inform improved future approaches.

Interventions requiring complex responses

Provide access to support information and treatment

Interventions requiring complex responses aim to provide effective treatment and support to students in crisis, many of whom are experiencing multiple barriers to learning that are affecting their health, wellbeing and educational outcomes. Concerted efforts by schools, in partnership with their communities, are needed to intervene when initial action to prevent or divert the development of these serious difficulties is not successful.

Risk factors that can contribute to students being in crisis can include mental health issues, family difficulties and breakdown including placement in out-of-home care, abuse and neglect, sexual identity, drug and alcohol misuse, and eating disorders. These factors can result in students disengaging from school, significant behavioural issues including truancy, bullying, and violence, the likelihood of teenage pregnancy, and poor health, wellbeing and educational outcomes. Collaborative intervention to improve such behaviour is a crucial area of work for schools, primary welfare officers and community services.

Responding effectively to students in crisis requires a focus on:

• documented procedures for identifying students at risk so that no students ‘fall through the gap', promoting comprehensive assessment of barriers to learning, recording the primary prevention and early intervention activities to date and resulting outcomes, and reviewing the services available from community agencies
• clear referral procedures
• easy access to counselling and treatment
• strong partnerships with students and families, relevant community groups and external service providers to ensure a tailored, culturally appropriate, holistic intervention is developed
• strong support frameworks for the intervention, that may include a case management plan, student support group, and individual student learning plan, which are agreed to by the student, parents and relevant school professionals and external providers
• continuity of care, including a stable advocate or mentor
• continual monitoring of student outcomes and the appropriateness of the intervention, including celebrating the successes
• targeted professional development for teachers and primary welfare officers.

Role of primary welfare officers in interventions requiring complex responses

For those students requiring complex responses, primary welfare officers work within an integrated approach to coordinate the effective support, intervention and monitoring that is required, which may include participation on a student support group and in developing an individual education plan. An important part of this response is to make sure that there are strong and well-understood links to specialists and relevant community services.

Officers can assist in coordinating complex interventions for groups of students, particularly if the school has a high proportion of students presenting similar and multiple barriers to learning, behavioural issues, and/or have below average indicators for attendance, academic attainment and wellbeing.

These below average indicators may be the result of student cohort or population wide factors that are affecting school engagement and wellbeing, such as low socio-economic/disadvantaged background, a large proportion of students are supported by the Education Maintenance Allowance or come from a refugee background.

Restoring wellbeing (postvention)

Manage trauma and limit impact

Restoring wellbeing involves providing appropriate support to students, their families and the school community who are affected by an emergency situation, natural disaster or traumatic incident such as suicide, accident or illness.

Preparedness, appropriate response and recovery activities following a potentially traumatic event can mitigate the impact of trauma related symptoms and facilitate the ongoing development of resilience, including appropriate coping skills. The impact of a traumatic event may be felt to varying degrees by different students, their families or other members of the school community, depending on their exposure to or connectedness with the incident, existing support networks and level of resilience or coping skills.

Programs and responses designed to restore wellbeing after a critical incident should closely monitor and manage the emotional and psychological effects on the school community.

Role of primary welfare officers in restoring wellbeing

In situations such as in an emergency, natural disasters or potentially traumatic incidents, officers may coordinate support to restore the wellbeing of students affected in consultation with other health and wellbeing staff, and regional and central offices, if required.

Examples may include coordinating the participation of secondary school nurses, student support services and school chaplains to ensure support is targeted, appropriate and responsive to the needs of individuals and the wider school communities.

Officers may also assist schools to implement strategies that focus on re-connecting students who are disengaged from the school system.

Strategies to manage trauma and limit the impact can include:

• increasing the awareness of trauma impact amongst school staff and students through the coordinated provision of appropriate curriculum, information sources and contact
• assisting with the planning for emergency responses, in collaboration with the principal, health and wellbeing team and teachers
• providing counselling support, depending on the qualifications of the primary welfare officer
• coordinating the development and implementation of whole school critical incident and emergency response strategies, policies and programs, that are tailored to the needs of the school community
• providing a central point of contact during a crisis and recovery, in addition to school leadership staff
• monitoring recovery and evaluating emergency response plans and strategies.

Schools are in the best position to understand the needs of the school community. Schools can utilise this knowledge and understanding to tailor the provision of the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative in accordance with school needs, ensuring the school receives the most effective service that promotes and achieves positive health and wellbeing outcomes, in the context of government priorities and desired outcomes for the initiative.

Needs analysis

In order to achieve the greatest benefit from the initiative, schools should consider undertaking a comprehensive needs analysis that provides a baseline of health and wellbeing within the school community, and identifies prioritised needs to be addressed.

A needs analysis could involve:

1. a review of the existing school health and wellbeing framework (the framework), consisting of policies, programs, strategies and resources, to determine:
   • quality: is the framework comprehensive, evidence-based, consistent with government policy and been developed in consultation with the whole school community?
   • relevance: does the framework reflect the profile of the school community and utilise strategies that promote engagement and acceptance of the current approach
   • currency: has the framework been recently updated and is there a schedule in place to ensure this occurs on a regular (minimum annual) basis?
   • status: are these policies/strategies communicated effectively to the school community, in multiple languages if appropriate, and in a consistent manner so there is a high level of awareness and knowledge? internal consistency – do the framework and all associated materials create a clear and consistent picture about the school's approach to health and wellbeing?
2. identification of any policy or service gaps based on the current health and wellbeing framework implemented in the school
3. consultation with students, teachers, wellbeing staff, parents/carers and local community service providers about their views of health and wellbeing within the school community, including level of satisfaction, options for improvement, and unmet needs.

The information and knowledge gathered during needs analysis process should then inform decision making about the most appropriate model of implementation for the school, and to assist in developing a tailored position description for the primary welfare officer.

Tailored outcomes

Schools, in collaboration with the primary welfare officer and student wellbeing team are required to tailor the objectives and expected outcomes of the Primary Welfare Officer Initiative based on local needs.

Depending on the socio-economic, geographic, cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the student cohort in each school, as well as gender and stage of life considerations, desired outcomes for the initiative may vary. For example, some schools may focus on improving student attendance rates and engagement in response to poor attendance records, whereas other schools may not have attendance issues but have identified a bullying problem.

Schools should set very clear expectations and outcomes for the initiative before it is implemented and revise these expectations each year in response to improved and changing issues. At the end of each year, strong correlations should be able to be drawn between the initiative and improved outcomes in the health and wellbeing focus areas identified by the school.

Developing and evaluating measurable outcomes relies on:

• establishing a clear approach to health and wellbeing in the school
• identifying the gaps or service needs the primary welfare officer is being engaged to address
• developing a work plan and concrete strategies that are going to be utilised to address the identified gaps or service needs
• identifying indicators of success, including performance measures for the primary welfare officer and impact measures of the strategies utilised. These could be both quantitative and qualitative
• reviewing the work plan regularly throughout the year to ensure the strategies and initiatives are on track, realistic, and continue to be relevant
• evaluating the effectiveness of the strategies and initiatives and their relationship to the overall state of health and wellbeing within the school
• modifying the objectives and outcomes for succeeding years based on a needs analysis, review and evaluation of previous year's results, lessons learned and revised government and school focus areas.

Data sources

Existing accountability and reporting processes undertaken by schools as part of the accountability and improvement framework and development of a student engagement policy can be utilised to streamline planning and priority identification for the initiative.

This includes the development of a school strategic plan, annual implementation plan and during the associated formal school self evaluation and review.

Similarly, existing data sources and surveys already used by schools can be used to identify priorities for the initiative and track positive changes in the school as a result of the initiative:

• attitudes to school survey
• staff opinion survey
• parent opinion survey
• school attendance data (CASES21)
• NAPLAN data
• school level report.

Partnerships are collaborative relationships with a clear and shared sense of purpose involving key stakeholders focused on an agreed outcome. Effective partnerships are based on mutual trust and respect, and are mutually beneficial relationships that can achieve outcomes beyond those each organisation can achieve in isolation.

In the context of education, skills and early childhood development, an effective partnership provides opportunities to achieve improved learning and development for all Victorians and can enhance engagement and wellbeing.

The provision of support for children and young people is a shared responsibility that requires input from many different stakeholders, including schools, student support and wellbeing staff, families, other Departmental programs and external services and organisations.

With so many stakeholders, it is essential that strong relationships and partnerships exist that support:

• high quality, coordinated, consistent and appropriate service provision
• information flow between services, schools and families
• successful transitions and pathways (e.g. between early childhood and school)
• effective referral pathways
• easy access to required services.

Strong relationships are formed through:

• regular communication and case management updates
• provision of support and advice as required, or requested
• mutual respect and understanding of the roles of all team members and service providers
• joint leadership for the partnership, including agenda setting and evaluation
• celebration of successes and achievements, and a commitment to review and refine practice.

Service relationships may be either:

• informal: based on consultative arrangements, personal and professional networks, organisational commitment and shared goals
• formal: based on a written agreement, such as a service protocol or memorandum of understanding.

Integrated team approach

Primary welfare officers are active members of a school's student wellbeing team, working in collaboration with a wide range of school-based and external professionals to develop and implement strategies that are integrated, holistic, culturally and linguistically appropriate, and which are focused on achieving student outcomes in the context of family and community background.

The programs and interventions planned and delivered by this integrated team aims to support families' capacity to promote and improve young people's health, wellbeing, learning and development.

School based relationships

Health and wellbeing is an essential component if students are to achieve positive outcomes at school, including academic achievement, successful transitions between levels of learning, and positive engagement with the school community as a whole. Student wellbeing is considered to be a sustainable state of positive mood and attitude, health, resilience and satisfaction with self, relationships and experiences at schools.

Primary welfare officers are an integral part of a school's health and wellbeing team, providing coordination of programs, development of whole school approaches to promoting health and wellbeing, and facilitating strong partnerships between all stakeholders concerned with the health and wellbeing of students.

Officers maintain strong relationships in collaboration with:

• Parents and students: to ensure students and families are engaged with the school and understand the importance of health and wellbeing in achieving positive learning outcomes and life skills. Families have a major influence on a child's success in school and life. When schools and families work in partnership, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and like school more.
• Teachers and principals: to ensure student needs and school priorities are being met through the provision of appropriate whole school health and wellbeing initiatives; the availability of programs, and that positive progress is reported to the school community through available channels such as the school newsletter, printed materials at the front office and student reports; and workforce capacity is increasing through targeted training and collaboration activities.
• Health and wellbeing teams: to ensure integrated, holistic service delivery, through communication with health and wellbeing coordinators, student support services, welfare officers, visiting teachers, nurses, chaplains, guidance officers, Koorie engagement and youth services.

Early childhood and community partnerships

Primary welfare officers take a leading role in assisting schools to form and maintain relationships with other departmental and government programs, as well as external service providers such as community groups, local governments and private practices.

Strong partnerships with these services can help streamline service delivery during student transitions, such as between services or schools, and raise awareness about the variety of services available to address the additional needs of children and young people throughout their development.

Working with other service providers helps officers to expand their knowledge base and expertise, while contributing to positive outcomes for children, young people and their families. Where a child or young person has multiple additional needs, a range of services may need to be involved to provide holistic support both in school and in the community.

These services and programs may include:

• Early childhood services: such as pre-school field officers, early childhood intervention services, kindergarten inclusion support services, maternal child health services
• Disability services: such as the Program for Students with Disabilities, Language Support Program, Royal Children's Hospital School Care Program
• Mental health services: such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), CAMHS and Schools Early Action (CASEA) Program, Headspace (age group 12-25)
• External services: such as specialised professional support across any allied health discipline, including those not available through student support services, or other health and wellbeing services, in both the community service sector and private practice.