KidsMatter Primary Evaluation
A comprehensive evaluation of KidsMatter Primary was conducted by Flinders University of South Australia. The findings show KidsMatter Primary had a positive impact on schools, children, parents and carers. The Executive Summary provides an overview of the findings, and the Full Report provides the full details.
Key findings include:
- Improved student mental health and wellbeing such as optimism and coping skills
- Reduced mental health difficulties such as emotional symptoms, hyperactivity, conduct and peer problems
- Improvements in students’ school-work
- Improved teacher capacity to identify students experiencing mental health difficulties
- Improved teacher knowledge on how to improve students’ social and emotional skills
- Increased parent capacity to help children with social and emotional issues
- Facilitated the placement of mental health as an issue on schools’ agenda and provided a common language to address mental health and well-being issues
KidsMatter Primary and Students with Disabilities
The following report on the mental health of children and students with a disability was commissioned by the South Australian Ministerial Advisory Committee: Students with Disabilities. This report arose from a request from the SA Minister for Education that the Ministerial Advisory Committee: Students with Disabilities collaborate with the KidsMatter Primary Evaluation team to determine the effect of KidsMatter Primary on South Australian students with a disability, in particular. This extension of the evaluation also had approval from the KidsMatter Primary partners.
Upon completion of the Australia wide KidsMatter Evaluation, the data was examined to utilise information relating to students with a disability from South Australian primary schools. The analysis confirmed the previous findings of the Ministerial Advisory Committee that students with a disability are at significantly greater risk of developing mental health problems than students without a disability. The findings also suggest that KidsMatter Primary has had a positive effect on students with a disability by strengthening their wellbeing and reducing mental health difficulties.
