The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has launched a platform and directory for school-based programs that support the social, psychological and physical wellbeing of students.
Commissioned by the Department of Health Tasmania’s Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Directorate, and developed in close collaboration with the Department for Education, Children and Young People and other key Tasmanian education stakeholders, this initiative will benefit students, teachers and schools across Australia.
The Wellbeing Program Guide is unique in that it aims to comprehensively catalogue quality wellbeing programs through an informative and accessible directory.
Building resilience, tackling drug and alcohol related harm, and promoting positive relationships are just a few of the focus areas of the more than 150 programs featured on the website at launch.
The guide aims to capture all relevant programs across Australia, ensuring that schools can confidently assess and choose which programs are best suited to their specific needs and contexts. These include programs specifically tailored for culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTIQA+ or First Nations students, or people with disability – all easily filterable through an intuitive interface.
“Our research has consistently demonstrated that student wellbeing plays a crucial role in academic performance,” says Dr Daniel Edwards, ACER’s head of Education Research, Policy and Development.
“This initiative will complement schools’ existing services and be a ‘one-stop-shop’ for evidence-based programs that support student wellbeing and improve learning outcomes for primary and secondary students across Australia.”
The Wellbeing Program Guide is developed and maintained by ACER in partnership with the Tasmanian Department of Health. Visit the Wellbeing Program Guide website to view the full list of programs.
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