Enhancing Mental Health Support in Secondary Schools

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Young secondary school boy experiencing mental ill health

A Victorian Department of Education and Training funded program.

The Enhancing Mental Health Support in Schools (EMHSS) program provides mental health services to all 327 government secondary schools across Victoria. The program provides support school communities to effectively respond to their students’ mental health concerns and recognises that early identification and response will increase their chances of more positive educational, developmental and wellbeing outcomes.

Statewide project lead
Marie-Louise Neary
Ph. 03 9347 1188

The EMHSS program comprises of three components:

Provision of face-to-face counselling services through headspace centres (commissioned by PHNs).
Provision of a Regional Telephone Service for students of rural and regional schools that are located too far away from a headspace centre (this service component is commissioned by DET through eheadspace).
Provision of education and training, namely SAFEMinds training (until June 2020) and suicide risk continuum training (until December 2019) to build the capacity of school staff (commissioned by DET through headspace National.)

All components of the program intertwine closely to deliver the objectives of the EMHSS program.

Objectives

The objectives of the program are:

To provide additional mental health supports for students in need by increasing capacity of headspace centres
To improve mental health and wellbeing for students at secondary school
To promote safe and supportive learning environments
To improve referrals to other services for more serious mental health issues
To improve linkages between secondary schools and the health sector, and in particular the mental health sector

The Department of Education and Training, Victorian PHNs, headspace centres and schools are working closely together over the next three and a half years to deliver a service that meets the needs of young people in Victoria.

The program is targeted towards supporting Victorian school students to have earlier access for mild to moderate mental health issues. headspace clinicians will provide face-to-face counselling to students, within a safe space at their closest headspace centre or school.

Schools more than 80km from their closest headspace centre can access telephone counselling via the Regional Telephone Service. Students at schools between 60km and 80km from their closest headspace centre can choose to access either service.

School staff can refer students into the service, or students/parents can self-refer.

This EMHSS is currently funded until June 2022.

The Enhancing Mental Health Support in Schools program is supported by the Victorian Government.