Structure of the Guide
The Guide presents information on school mental health programs in two sections – Categorisation Tables and Program Summaries.
Categorisation Tables
This section provides tables that categorise all the school mental health and wellbeing programs that have been reviewed to date (according to a number of criteria) to assist schools in program comparison and selection. Programs are grouped according to their relevance to the four components of KidsMatter:
1. A positive school community
2. Social and emotional learning (SEL) for students
3. Parenting support and education
4. Early intervention for students experiencing mental health difficulties.
Each of these four components has a separate Categorisation Table and Key. Relevant programs are classified within each table. Criteria used for categorising programs include factors such as whether programs:
• target the skills that will enhance children’s social and emotional learning
• have been shown to be effective through research
• have been specifically designed for special student groups
The Categorisation Tables can be used by schools to select new mental health and wellbeing programs, to increase the likelihood that a program will meet their needs and effectively bring about the desired change. They can also be used to review the ratings of mental health and wellbeing programs that are currently being used in schools.
Program Summaries
This section provides more detailed information about each mental health and wellbeing program that has been reviewed for the Guide in a summarised format. Program Summaries include:
• an overview of the program
• information on the research evaluation of the program
• details of how the program is implemented
• contact details for obtaining programs and approximate costs
• an indication on which KidsMatter Component the program is relevant to
The Program Summaries are best used to find out further information about a program once it has been selected from the categorisation tables.
