“What KidsMatter does is it actually introduces the notion that social and mental health wellbeing is important at the school level. It actually says to teachers and staf at schools … that … you can actually do it, and this is how you go about it. This is a model for you to be able to do this and you’ll be able to have some input into it and be able to participate. So KidsMatter, I think the importance of it, is changing the thinking of teachers – that they actually have a role to play in children’s social and emotional wellbeing ….Although they might not be a trained mental health professional, with the resources that KidsMatter provide, they are able to provide guidance as to where they may get that information.” (Counsellor School 9)
The KidsMatter Initiative KidsMatter (KM) is an Australian national primary school mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative. KM was developed in collaboration with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, beyondblue: the national depression initiative, the Australian Psychological Society, and Principals Australia, and was supported by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund.
KidsMatter uses a whole-school approach. It provides schools with a framework, an implementation process, and key resources to develop and implement evidence-based mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention strategies. The KM framework consists of four key areas, designated as the KM components:
1. Positive school community
2. Social and Emotional Learning for students
3. Parenting support and education
4. Early intervention for students experiencing mental health diiculties.
KidsMatter aims to:
• improve the mental health and well-being of primary school students
• reduce mental health diiculties amongst students
• achieve greater support for students experiencing mental health diiculties.
KidsMatter impact overview “[KidsMatter] has changed school culture, I think. It’s changed the way the school views mental health. It’s given a greater awareness, but it’s also changed the way, I think, people relate to one another – particularly the students, and the way the classrooms operate.” (Principal School 9)
There were positive changes to schools, teachers, parents/caregivers 1 , and children associated with KM over the two year trial.
• There was evidence of change related to all four components of the KM framework.
• KidsMatter was associated with statistically and practically signiicant 2 improvement in students’ measured mental health, in terms of both reduced mental health diiculties and increased mental health strengths.
• The impact of KM was more apparent for students who were rated as having higher levels of mental health diiculties at the start of the trial.
• There was substantial similarity in the indings for schools formally involved in KM for one year and for schools formally involved over two years. However, there were some measures that showed stronger efects in the schools involved in KM for two years.
Background to the KidsMatter Evaluation
A Pilot Phase of KM was trialled in 100 3 schools across Australia during 2007-2008. Fifty of the schools ran KM during the 2007 and 2008 school years. The remaining schools undertook KM during the 2008 school year. A consortium based in the Centre for Analysis of Educational Futures at Flinders University undertook an evaluation of the two-year trial.
https://fac.flinders.edu.au/dspace/api/core/bitstreams/d3eb1751-821a-4f25-9cba-ce87dd7f39bf/content