Keeping Kids Connected: Embedding Social-Emotional Learning and Child-Safety Education into Australian Schools

What is the problem/issue that requires action?
Children's mental health and wellbeing are under increasing pressure, with schools often being the first point of contact for early intervention. However, school systems may lack structured, age-appropriate frameworks for teaching protective factors and emotional literacy. In response, CatholicCare Diocese of Wollongong identified the need for an integrated, classroom-based early intervention program that supports social-emotional learning (SEL) and child-safety education in primary schools.

What do we know or have we learned to address this problem/issue, and how has this finding been derived?
Drawing on over ten years of longitudinal school counselling data and informed by a social-ecological resilience framework, CatholicCare developed the Keeping Kids Connected program. It embeds SEL and child-safety education into the NSW PDHPE K–10 syllabus. Program themes—emotional regulation, empathy, body respect, self-worth, respectful friendships, online safety, and consent—are delivered progressively across K–6. Data-informed insights highlighted the importance of co-delivery by counsellors and educators to ensure consistent messaging and increased student engagement.

How has this been used in practice?
Since launching in 2022, the program has been delivered to over 2,000 students in 20+ schools, with high teacher participation and strong student engagement. A complementary Child Protection Week Parent Series has also reached 21 schools, with positive feedback from families and schools alike. Evaluation through both qualitative and quantitative measures confirms the program’s positive impact on student wellbeing and family engagement.
What actions should we take in the future to address the problem/issue?

To further support children’s mental health and safety, we recommend scaling up programs like Keeping Kids Connected nationally, embedding SEL within curriculum standards, strengthening counsellor-teacher-parent collaboration, and investing in ongoing evaluation frameworks to ensure sustained impact across diverse school communities.

Improving outcomes for school-aged children and young people at risk of or experiencing mental health problems requires enhanced prevention, early detection, support, and streamlined access to mental health services. The Queensland Health Ed-LinQ Program addresses this by strengthening service integration and partnerships between mental health, education, primary care and other community services across the state.

Since 2019, Hospital and Health Service (HHS) Ed-LinQ coordinators have reported monthly on workforce activities, partnerships, and outcomes aligned with Statewide Ed-LinQ priorities. The 2025 evaluation analysed 1,017 reports (July 2019-December 2024) to descriptively examine workforce behaviour, program implementation, and summarise contextual factors affecting students’ mental health.

Despite stable staffing, consultation liaisons increased over time. Ed-LinQ consultations with schools changed from primarily reactive to majority proactive. In collaboration with the Statewide Ed-LinQ Reference Group (SERG) members and coordinators, the proportional number of consultations with primary schools increased. Feedback from education partners, at both statewide and local HHS levels, led to changes in the statewide delivery of training with the establishment of a Statewide Training Calendar. Successfully implementing the monthly reporting template captured program activities not recorded in clinical data systems. This facilitated transparency in governance processes; specifically, quarterly reports to Ed-LinQ coordinators, their managers, and SERG members – further promoting the program and linking education and health sectors.

A working group of HHS Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) managers has been established focused on program expansion, coverage and embedding within health and education networks. Internally, data collection processes are being refined, including capturing the proportion of specific schools engaged with the Ed-LinQ Program, and refining processes and reporting of quarterly updates to SERG and HHS managers. Overall, the reporting tool provided a mechanism for identifying gaps in service delivery, monitoring impact and planning statewide implementation and review of key priorities to determine effectiveness.

Recent Western Australian data indicates young adults, aged 18-24 years, are significantly worse-off across a range of mental health and wellbeing indicators compared to other age groups. Although most young adults can identify behaviours to support mental health and wellbeing, very few report engaging in these activities regularly. To address this, the Mental Health Commission in partnership with Cancer Council WA, developed the Think Mental Health ‘Find Your Way to Okay’ campaign.

Twenty short-form 'point-of-view' social videos were created from the perspective of young adults engaging in a range of activities known to protect and improve mental health and wellbeing. The ‘Find Your Way to Okay’ messaging validated individual exploration of new activities and encouraged people to find ‘what works for them’. Launched in September 2023, the campaign ran statewide for 10 months across digital, audio and out-of-home channels.

A total of 899 young adults from both metropolitan and regional areas across Western Australia completed a post-campaign online survey. Results indicated that the ‘Find Your Way to Okay’ messaging was successful in encouraging young Western Australians to undertake protective actions regularly:
• 95% of those aware of the campaign could name at least one strategy that promotes mental health and wellbeing;
• 69% of those aware of the campaign reported increased confidence in their ability to improve their mental wellbeing; and
• Those aware of the campaign were more likely to have engaged in self-care in the past week and to trial new behaviours, compared with those unaware of the campaign.

The development of a multi-faceted campaign tailored to young adults and grounded in community voices can help drive positive behaviour change. Mental wellbeing is a critical issue for young people, and insights from this campaign offer valuable guidance for future initiatives.

Context and aim: Child health and wellbeing is a global priority, critical for preventing chronic disease and mental health disorders, and promoting social, emotional, and educational success. Schools are recognised as key settings for health promotion, but their primary focus remains literacy and numeracy. With increasingly crowded curricula, schools must prioritise which health and wellbeing programs to adopt based on student needs and local context. However, there is limited up-to-date national evidence on which student health and wellbeing issues are currently prioritised in Australian primary schools, or which program characteristics influence adoption. Addressing this gap is essential to support relevant and effective program implementation.
Methods and Analysis: To address this gap, a national cross-sectional survey of Australian primary schools (government, Catholic, independent) was conducted. A sub-sample of 549 schools responded to questions about: 1) their current student health and wellbeing priorities; and 2) the factors influencing adoption of programs. Quantitative analysis showed that schools prioritise social/emotional wellbeing (83%), classroom learning/behaviour (71%) and physical activity (63%). Key factors influencing program adoption included cost (78%), perceived effectiveness (76%) and positive impact on mental health and wellbeing (69%). These findings provide new national insight into school-level priorities and decision-making.
Outcomes: Findings are being used to inform the development and refinement of school-based health and wellbeing programs. By identifying school priorities and adoption drivers, the study provides a framework for aligning program design with school needs. This evidence has informed stakeholder discussions with education departments and program developers.
Future actions: Policymakers, researchers, and developers should use this evidence to ensure programs address school-identified priorities and practical constraints. Ongoing collaboration with the education sector and further research into implementation supports will be key to improving uptake and sustainability of school-based health and wellbeing initiatives.

Context and aim: Whole-school based interventions have the potential to enhance mental health and wellbeing among students, school staff, parents and the broader school community.
Methods and Analysis: The Mentally Healthy Schools (MHS) program is a targeted program under the Western Australian evidence-based mental health promotion campaign Act Belong Commit® which encourages protective behaviours to improve mental health.
The program aims to: encourage young West Australians to develop and adopt problem-solving skills and mentally healthy behaviours early in life so they can cope better with stressors; increase openness about discussing mental health and reduce stigma around mental illness; and build the capacity of school staff to create mentally healthy school environments and supportive community partnerships to create a ‘Mentally Healthy WA’
To foster a whole school approach, the MHS program adopts the WHO Health Promoting Schools Framework (HPSF), ensuring the Act Belong Commit® message is embedded according to the eight global HPSF standards and indicators. Whole-school resources use the Act Belong Commit® branding and the tailored “Standing Strong Together” branding for promotion of social and emotional wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In 2025 a new evaluation strategy was developed to evaluate the MHS program across three phases. Mixed methods include surveys, interviews and holistic embedded case studies.
Outcomes: Approximately 120 schools are sub-licenced partners reaching over 82,000 students as well as staff, parents and community members. Most partner schools agreed that being a MHS fostered a sense of belonging in the school community (88%) and being a MHS encourages open discussions around mental wellbeing (84%).
Future actions: Supporting schools to implement whole-school Act, Belong, Commit® strategies to promote mental health and wellbeing is an effective and cost-efficient public health approach. Opportunities to support schools to promote mental health and wellbeing among diverse students is a future priority.

1. Problem/issue
Adolescent anxiety and depression are urgent public health concerns in Australia with 15% of young adolescents reporting clinical depression, 18% reporting clinical anxiety, and more than 30% reporting significant psychological distress. These high rates affect the whole population, while some groups, including those with adverse childhood experiences, females and gender and sexuality diverse adolescents, and other marginalised young people experience disproportionate challenges.
2. Knowledge and methods
The Future Proofing Study is Australia’s largest, comprehensive, longitudinal study of adolescent mental health, following more than 6,300 students across 134 schools for six years. Since 2019, researchers have conducted secure, anonymised online surveys each year, with validated measures covering mental health, identity, values, relationships, wellbeing, sleep, technology use and more.
3. Practice/outcomes
Some of the findings of this study are being translated into universal prevention programs developed in consultation with adolescents and delivered at scale through schools. Teens & Screens helps young people critically reflect on online engagement, while Sleep Ninja for the Classroom adapts evidence-based sleep interventions for universal delivery. Both are curriculum-aligned and accessible free to school staff. Early evaluations show strong engagement and improved awareness.
4. Future actions
Embedding these universal programs into school curricula, strengthening teacher capacity, and sustaining community awareness of adolescent wellbeing will support population-wide prevention. Continued collaboration between researchers, schools, families, and policymakers is essential to ensure all young people benefit, and that prevention becomes a visible, collective priority at local and national levels.

Young people want a genuine say in the decisions that shape their wellbeing, yet their voices remain underrepresented in public health policy. The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) established the Young and Wise program to change this by embedding youth participation, lived experience, and advocacy within national health reform processes. Supported by the Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care, Young and Wise connects diverse young Australians, across rural, multicultural, and First Nations backgrounds, directly with policymakers to advance intergenerational equity and youth-led advocacy.

Between March and June 2025, ARACY convened five national roundtables co-designed with the Department. Each explored youth priorities such as social media and mental health, nutrition, alcohol and other drugs, sexual health and contraception, and cost-of-living pressures. More than sixty young people aged 14–24 contributed their lived experiences and co-authored recommendations for reform. The process combined participatory research and facilitated group discussions, using verbatim insights from young participants to ensure their voices were represented without filtration. These authentic perspectives directly shaped final reports and policy recommendations, strengthening youth advocacy capability and government responsiveness, and supporting ongoing, sustainable participation.

The program demonstrated that structured, participatory approaches create space for genuine dialogue and richer understandings of wellbeing, while building young people’s confidence as advocates and civic contributors. Roundtable insights have informed federal policy submissions, wellbeing frameworks, and government engagement strategies. Young and Wise continues to evolve, with Series 2 expanding youth leadership roles and deepening collaboration with government and community partners.

This presentation highlights a practical model for moving beyond consultation toward co-leadership in health advocacy, showing how embedding youth participation can improve health and wellbeing outcomes across generations.