industry & reform
Geri Sumpter . Picture : Supplied .
that mental health was just as important as physical health . That good mental health is a precondition to learning and they believe it ’ s their responsibility to support children , young people , social and emotional development . So that ’ s , that ’ s universal across all educators . But not all respondents felt confident . They had the knowledge required to address the mental health of their learners . So when it came to recognising and responding to mental health issues , those who actively used Be You were consistently more confident than non-users in recognising the signs and symptoms of different mental health problems , responding appropriately to support children and young people with a mental health issue , and also finding training or tools that can help address the mental health of children and young people . So I think we show we can have a lot to offer in this space .
A recent report from the Black Dog Institute showed that more than 50 % of teachers are feeling burnt out , stressed and overworked . How can teachers support students ’ mental health when they barely have the time to care for themselves ? What we want to do is help teachers move away from thinking that it ’ s solely their individual responsibility to take on a whole of learning community approach to mental health and wellbeing . So children and young people need access to caring in adults who are well supported with their own mental health and wellbeing , and who have the tools , resources , and support they need to ensure they ’ re bringing the best of what they have to work with them each day . It ’ s that real concept of putting on your own oxygen mask first before you help others . So educator wellbeing we know is really essential for effective teaching , learning and looking after the wellbeing of others . But while self-care is important , like I said , educator wellbeing is more than individual strategies . So we undertook some research with Monash University and this showed us that rather than being seen as educator ’ s own responsibility , a holistic approach that promotes educator wellbeing across individuals , leaders , community and systemic levels is what we really need .
A whole of learning community approach is where everybody sort of takes that same approach and all looking at it with the one and goal in mind . Some examples of where a whole of learning community approach might be taken is things like considering mental health promotion and prevention as part of a school strategic plans , thinking about embedding it in policies and processes across learning programmes , et cetera . It ’ s also around taking the opinions of everybody who ’ s in that particular setting . So consulting with and involving staff , children , young people and their families as they plan to think about mental health and wellbeing .
What strategies can teacher ’ s implement to support their own mental health and wellbeing ? We do know that our wellbeing can change moment to moment , day to day , year to year , and can also be influenced by what ’ s happening in a specific moment in the actions that we take . And we know that with what ’ s been happening over recent years , we ’ ve seen a lot of these changes happening over time as well . But looking after your own wellbeing as an individual does put you in a better position to support others in your care . So as well as that whole learning community approach to educator wellbeing , Be You does offer a wide range of online apps and resources that can be used and they ’ re on our Wellbeing for You webpage . For example we ’ ve got an educator wellbeing plan where an individual can have a look , be guided through some questions , and then think about what they need to do to look after themselves .
Since Covid-19 , students overall wellbeing has declined , with 40 % of young people in Australia reporting having mental health difficulties . So how does that impact their schooling and future prospects ? We ’ ve also seen these figures validated through our recent mental health and education survey . This overall sentiment is really reflected throughout that survey . For example , educators in 2023 have dropped 10 % regarding whether or not they think their school is mentally healthy and that ’ s their students and workforce . In the last 12 months , many educators also through this survey showed us that they felt their learning community had been impacted by unusually high workforce shortages , difficulty filling vacant positions , unusually high turnover and other extraordinary events . We do know that poor mental health and wellbeing and unhealthy environments can impact learning outcomes as well as impact on the social and emotional wellbeing outcomes of children and young people .
How can teachers use a program like Be You in their classrooms to better support students ’ wellbeing ? Educators are in a really powerful position to notice and support children and young people who might be showing signs of mental health issues . And we ’ ve got tools for practical strategies in classrooms to make things easier for them . There ’ s no one strategy that will necessarily work , but having the skills to recognise when a child or young person needs to port and how to appropriately discuss their concerns is really crucial . For example , we ’ ve got a tool called betls , so that is B E T L S . So behaviour , emotion , thoughts , learning and social relationships . We ’ ve got a betls observation tool that can be used to assist a teacher to gather and document information and observations around the young people that they ’ re working with . They can then use those observations to form that conversation with that young person or with others who may be involved in their care .
We also have professional learning modules which are accredited to help teachers to recognise behaviours which might indicate signs of mental health issues and how to then talk to the children and young people about these issues and how to provide that timely support . And for those learning communities that are registered with Be You , they get access to amazing workforce of Be You consultants . These consultants can work with learning communities to guide them through appropriate resources and connect them with other educators in their networks , and also support that sort of real peer learning . ■
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