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beyondblue to lead redevelopment of schools mental health program Supplied by Julie Foster 27 July 2013
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eyondblue is pleased to announce it has been appointed by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to lead the redevelopment and delivery of MindMatters through to mid-2016. MindMatters is the national mental health initiative for secondary schools. The initiative, which was first implemented in 2000, will be updated to meet the changing mental health needs of Australian school communities beyondblue CEO Ms Kate Carnell AO said being appointed to the MindMatters leadership role is a strong endorsement of beyondblue’s excellent work in managing the Australian primary schools mental health initiative KidsMatter and coordinating the work of the KidsMatter project partners - Principals Australia Institute and the Australian Psychological Society. “KidsMatter Primary has already been rolled out to over 1300 schools and has been an outstanding success. Evaluation of the KidsMatter initiative shows that in primary schools where it was
implemented, children had fewer mental health difficulties and their coping skills for managing stress also improved. Parents and teachers said they were also better able to support children experiencing difficulties. “Now we plan to extend what we have learnt with KidsMatter into the MindMatters initiative. We know that student mental health difficulties are common during the teenage years, with one in seven secondary students experiencing mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety. And secondary school staff members are increasingly recognising that good mental health is an important factor in determining student success,” she said. beyondblue General Manager of Research, Child and Youth programs, Dr Brian Graetz has been involved with KidsMatter since 2005 and played a key role in developing this program led by beyondblue. Dr Graetz said he is looking forward to leading the redevelopment of the MindMatters initiative which will focus on giving Australian secondary school communities access to the best available
Kate Carnell AO. Image: rainbowreporter
evidence-based training, programs and resources to strengthen student health and wellbeing. “Students who experience mental health difficulties often struggle with the demands of school. They’re not able to focus in class, complete assignments, study for exams or maintain friendships. If the difficulties continue over time, they have poorer long-term prospects, including fewer employment opportunities. “Teachers notice when a student is distressed or having ongoing emotional problems, but often they don’t know how best to support that young person or where help is available,” he said. The redeveloped MindMatters initiative will be free to all Australian secondary school communities and will commence in 2014,
with the ambitious target of reaching 1500 schools by 2016. The initiative will include training and programs for teachers, students and parents: - Teachers: How to recognise and support students with mental health difficulties - Students: How to manage stress and become resilient, how to recognise the signs of mental health difficulties and where to get help - Parents: Information on current and emerging youth mental health issues and where to access support. beyondblue will work closely with the Principals Australia Institute in the redevelopment and delivery of MindMatters to ensure it meets the needs of school communities. beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636 www.beyondblue.org. au Page 1