At Tier 3, schools play an important role in supporting students with emerging or diagnosed mental health needs by:
- adopting a team around the learner approach and implementing school-based supports for individuals or small group of students
- referring students to appropriate mental health providers
- responding to emergency and reportable incident responses.
Tier 3: Targeted support
To best support a student with emerging or diagnosed mental health needs it is important for schools to work in partnership with the student, family, area-based department Health and Wellbeing Workforces and any other professionals as appropriate.
Team around the learner
Adopting the team around the learner framework to support students with emerging or diagnosed mental health needs can help to ensure:
- students are provided with effective and enhanced support
- the staff supporting the student work as a team and coordinate a plan to meet the needs of the student.
Establishing a Student Support Group for students with emerging or diagnosed mental health needs can also help ensure people work together to support the needs of the student. For more information, refer to the Student Support Groups Policy.
Multi-disciplinary area teams
At Tier 3, multi-disciplinary area teams are a key source of support and advice for schools and students.
Student Support Services
Student Support Services (SSS) comprise a broad range of professionals including psychologists, speech pathologists and social workers. They support schools in assisting children and young people facing barriers to learning to achieve their educational and developmental potential. They work as part of an integrated health and wellbeing team within networks of schools, focusing on providing:
- group-based and individual support
- workforce capacity building
- provision of specialised services.
Health and Wellbeing Key Contact (HWKC)
The Health and Wellbeing Key Contact works with the school’s nominated student wellbeing contact (for example, Student Wellbeing Coordinator, Primary Welfare Officer etc.) to support the school to plan and respond to the needs of:
- students with mental health and wellbeing concerns
- students deemed to be at risk
- students who require additional supports and adjustments.
Tailored interventions by schools
School-based wellbeing teams
Interventions by the school-based wellbeing team can include:
- short term school-based counselling for students with emerging mental health concerns or mild to moderate mental illness
- developing a plan to manage mental health concerns at school with a student and/or family
- skills focused programs with small groups of students.
Some students will require a level of specialised support and treatment that school based mental health and wellbeing staff and the Department’s Student Support Services (SSS) cannot provide.
In these instances, the student must be referred to the appropriate specialist or health service.
In some instances, students with emerging mental health concerns or mild to moderate mental illness may also be displaying challenging behaviours. Find guidance on promoting positive behaviour, responding to challenging behaviours and professional learning opportunities for school staff.
Teacher supports and actions
There are a range of ways teachers can support a student with emerging or diagnosed mental health needs.
Teachers need to work in partnership with the wellbeing team, student, parent or carer and any relevant specialists.
Supports from the teacher can include:
- collaborating in a team around the leader approach and participating in SSGs as required
- sensitively monitoring the student and promptly communicating concerns as appropriate
- ensuring continuity of education by making reasonable adjustments to the student’s learning program as required
- implementing actions, usually as part of a plan developed to support the student
- monitoring, supporting and connecting the student’s friends with support as needed
- building their understanding about the student’s needs through professional learning.
For information about reasonable classroom adjustments, refer to:
Referring to a mental health provider
Students are likely to need specialised support and treatments if they are demonstrating signs of:
- complex mental health needs that require specialist support and that is significantly impacting day-to-day functioning
- recurrent self-harm or suicidal ideation or attempts
- extreme behaviour (e.g., severely withdrawn or isolated, school refusal, highly aggressive, obsessive or antisocial behaviour)
- drug or alcohol concerns.
Usually, a member of the wellbeing team will refer a student for mental health and wellbeing support or recommend a service for parents/carers to engage with. This process may differ from school to school, depending on the school’s size, structure and location.
Before making a referral, it is important to first discuss it with the student and their family and gain their consent. In some instances, a student may request to decide on their own behalf regarding an allied health professional.
For guidance on when and how to assess a student as a mature minor, refer to the Mature minors and decision making policy.
Advice on who can provide consent in decision making, including major medical or health decisions can be found in the Decision making responsibilities for students policy.
When contacting mental health services to make a referral you are likely to be asked a range of questions about the student, their situation and your concerns.
It can be helpful to prepare for this phone call by gathering relevant information and writing some notes.
Where students can be referred to
As well as the support provided by privately engaged psychologists and psychiatrists, and services like headspace, young people with mental health concerns can access government funded mental health services.
Child and youth mental health services and Adult mental health services provide specialist clinical mental health treatment and care to children and young people with the most serious mental health problems and disorders (0 to 18 years and 16 years and over respectively).
More information about youth mental health services - DFFH Services.
Overview of mental health supports in schools Map of key mental health and wellbeing support.
Schools ongoing role
While the student is engaged with external specialists and services, the wellbeing team may continue to support the student in various ways.
This could include:
- informal check-ins
- identifying a ‘safe’ place and person the student may access as needed
- developing a school-based safety plan
- supporting teachers to make reasonable classroom adjustments
- support at a point of crisis, if required.
If a student is returning to school following an incident of self-harm or after being hospitalised, it is appropriate to collaborate with the student, the family and any services that been supporting the student to develop a Return to School Plan and/or a Safety Plan.
Get advice on developing a safety or return to school plan at Self-harm and attempted suicide response guidelines.
Staff wellbeing and self-care
Supporting students experiencing significant emotional distress can be stressful and leave staff feeling emotionally fatigued. It is important that school staff seek their own support from colleagues, school leaders and/or professional services.
School staff wellbeing
Everyone working in a school has a right to be safe and well in their workplace.
Resources and policies
Department resources and policies
- Navigator – a service for severely disengaged students
- Doctors in secondary schools
- Privacy and information sharing and child and family violence information sharing schemes policies
- Protecting children – reporting and other legal obligations policy
- Child Safe Standards
- Managing and reporting school incidents (including emergencies)
- Enhancing Mental Health Support in Schools
Other resources and services
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