KidsMatter - Australian Primary Schools Health Initiative

KidsMatter Primary is excited to announce the development of two new Resource Packs. The new Packs provide information on the mental health and wellbeing of children from culturally diverse backgrounds and children with additional needs. They complement the About KidsMatter Primary pack already developed for Component 1. Both packs are now available online! Click here to access these new resources.

Representatives from the School Action Teams of nine schools in North-West Tasmania attended the first KidsMatter Primary Action Team Briefing for 2009 on Monday 24th August. Participants reported that overall the day was informative and particularly enjoyed the chance to explore and take home the KidsMatter Primary resources. Thanks to everyone that was involved in making this day a success!

KidsMatter Primary is excited to announce that School Action Teams from nine schools in North West Tasmania will be participating in the first Action Team Briefing for 2009. The 1-day Briefing will provide School Action Teams with all the information needed to get the KidsMatter Primary Initiative started in their schools and will be lead by Tasmania Project Officer Helen Barrett and South Australia Project Officer Lana Jankowiak. Good luck to everyone involved in this fantastic next step!

KidsMatter Early Childhood will be piloted in over 100 preschools and long day care centres in 2010 and 2011. You can now register your interest in participating in the pilot at enquiries@kidsmatter.edu.au  Information on how to apply will be available on this site in August 2009. Click here for more information about the KidsMatter Early Childhood Initiative.

Many children are aware of the threat of the swine flu outbreak due to overhearing discussions of parents, media updates, and conversations with peers in the school ground. Some children may even be facing school closure. It is typical for children to develop fears or worries about threats such as swine flu and these can become difficult for children of all ages to deal with. To find out how to support your child in managing his or her worries about the recent outbreak of swine flu, read the article by Professor Bob Montgomery, available at http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152989.php.  Visit your state or territory’s Department of Education website to find out how an outbreak will be managed in your child’s school.

KidsMatter has published two articles in the International Journal of Mental Health Promotion. Read these along with KidsMatter conference presentations and evaluation progress reports on the new Publications webpage.

Check out the new KidsMatter brochure on the Resources page! Schools are permitted to copy the brochure freely for communication with teachers, students, parents and carers and community members.

The Positive Schools 2009 Mental Health and Wellbeing Conference will be held at the Western Australian University, Perth, on the 22nd of May . It offers principals, teachers, psychologists and other educational professionals the opportunity to better understand mental health issues with a clear focus on finding solutions and achieving sustainable positive outcomes. Key speakers include Professor Fiona Wood, Adjunct Professor Dr Ken Rigby and Professor Helen Wildy. To find out more information or to register for the Conference go to: www.positiveschools.com.au.   

The Positive Schools 2009 Conference is endorsed by The Australian Psychological Society and attendance contributes seven activity points for members of the College of Community Psychologists, the College of Organisation Psychologists and the College of Educational and Development Psychologists.

All schools now have access to the KidsMatter Programs Guide on the KidsMatter website. The Guide was developed to assist schools in making informed choices when selecting programs that target children’s mental health and wellbeing. The Guide provides evaluative information for over 70 school-based mental health programs that can be used to support KidsMatter components. It provides extended information for each program, including its target audience, evidence base, and contact details for how to obtain the program. Schools can consult the Guide when selecting new or additional programs to implement in their school or to assess programs which are currently being used. Go to: www.kidsmatter.edu.au/resources/programs-guide

The KidsMatter Program’s Guide complements the full range of KidsMatter information resources, the KidsMatter Overview booklet and the KidsMatter eNewsletter, available to all school staff, parents and carers, and members of the community on the KidsMatter website.

The KidsMatter Team would like to welcome aboard their newest member, Heidi Erickson. Heidi will be the KidsMatter Project Officer for NSW. Heidi is a registered psychologist who spent last year working with headspace as the Clinical Service Integration Manager for the Riverina region. We are thrilled to have Heidi on board and look forward to working with her throughout the year!

KidsMatter was well represented at the annual Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) conference, held recently in Brisbane from the 30th November to the 4th of December. The KidsMatter symposium was designed to introduce the KidsMatter initiative in terms of its rationale, approach and implementation. Our large cast of presenters included Brenda Dobia (National Resources Coordinator based at the APS), Belinda Roberts (Project Officer based at the APS), Carol Buchanan (Principal from The Willows Primary School), Kaye Johnson (National Coordinator at PA), Michael Hardie (State Project Officer, Queensland), Lee Heydon and Cathie Lawson (Labrador State School), as well as Helen Askell-Williams from the evaluation team at Flinders University.

Read the abstracts for our KidsMatter symposium here.