KidsMatter framework
KidsMatter aims
The KidsMatter initiative aims to:
- improve the mental health and wellbeing of primary school students,
- reduce mental health problems amongst students, and
- achieve greater support for students experiencing mental health problems.
To achieve these aims, KidsMatter promotes collaborative involvement across the health and education sectors. It provides a framework for mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention (PPEI) that is specifically oriented to primary schools, rather than presenting schools with a single defined program. Through the KidsMatter framework, schools are provided with the resources to implement a comprehensive approach to addressing students’ mental health tailored to the needs of each individual school’s particular students and community. In this way KidsMatter builds on the work schools are already doing to address the mental health of their students through National, State, Territory and sector-based mental health initiatives and policies
The four components of KidsMatter
KidsMatter has identified four areas where schools can help to strengthen their students’ mental health and wellbeing. These make up the core content of KidsMatter. Dividing KidsMatter into the four components is a way of making the task of improving students’ mental health and wellbeing in schools more manageable. It also ensures that the efforts that schools put into this initiative are being focused most effectively across all the contributing/necessary contexts in children’s lives and involving all the significant people impacting on children’s mental health.
The four components are:
Component 1: A positive school community
Component 2: Social and emotional learning (SEL) for students
Component 3: Parenting support and education
Component 4: Early intervention for students experiencing mental health difficulties
For information about the specific target areas and objectives that have been identified for each of the four KidsMatter components, download the KidsMatter Overview booklet here.
A range of resources to support each of the four KidsMatter components have also been specifically designed for parents, carers and school staff. These can be downloaded here.
