The AEU submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system draws on existing research and a survey of AEU members working in schools, early childhood settings and TAFE institutes. The results highlight the major gap between the health and welfare needs of the children and young people in Victoria’s public education system and the resources required to meet those needs.
Executive Summary
The Australian Education Union (Vic) represents more than 48,000 members working in Victorian public schools, early childhood, TAFE and adult provision. The AEU believes that the mental health of students in schools, preschools and TAFE institutions is as important as their physical health and that there is a clear connection between student wellbeing and learning progress. This means that public education institutions should be safe, supportive and inclusive learning communities with the necessary resources to effectively carry out this role. And because of the crucial part they play in the lives of children and young people, these institutions should continue to implement positive strategies to nurture mental health and to identify and support those students who are experiencing mental health issues. It is also important to recognise the need for healthy workplaces for those who are employed in education institutions and to ensure that the conditions of work and support structures are in place to promote the wellbeing of employees and support them when issues affecting their mental health arise.
The AEU submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health system draws on existing research and a survey of AEU members working in schools, early childhood settings and TAFE institutes. The survey, carried out in June of this year, received 2,972 completed surveys from teachers, principals and education support staff working in Victorian public schools, 272 from teachers and educators working in early childhood settings and 263 from teachers working in Victorian TAFE Institutes. The survey asked respondents about their awareness of student mental health issues in their institution, the impact of mental health issues on student learning, the level and accessibility of support – initial teacher education, professional development, employment of support personnel, access to mental health services – and mental health issues affecting employees.
The results of the survey highlight the major gap between the needs of the children and young people in Victoria’s public education system and the resources required to meet those needs. This is particularly evident for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those living in regional areas. Survey respondents expressed their concern and frustration at the difficulty in accessing the support and services to meet the growing incidence of mental health issues amongst the students they educate. The fact that government funding of Victorian public schools is the lowest in Australia, and significantly below the Australian average , means that schools, and the public education system as a whole, endeavour to ensure that their students receive the additional support they need when they need it, despite the inadequacy of resources.
The survey results present a picture of high levels of observed characteristics related to student mental health concerns and a strong view that mental health issues are having a negative impact on student learning. Other important findings are the inadequate access (particularly timely access) to external services to meet identified student needs and the unmet demand for improved access to expertise within schools. A take-away message from the survey results is that the Department of Education and Training needs to move beyond acknowledging the importance of student mental health and wellbeing, and encouraging early intervention and access to specialised services when required, to filling in the resourcing gaps identified by survey respondents and so enable Department policies and schools, preschools and TAFE to effectively meet the needs of students. The survey also emphasised the findings of a range of research studies in this area that teaching can be a very stressful occupation which can contribute to significant mental health difficulties for some teachers. Ways of relieving teacher stress, often related to unsustainably high workloads, need to be clearly identified and acted upon in consultation with the AEU.
Recommendations
1. As part of a whole of government initiative, the Department of Education and Training should provide a Mental Health Service Access Guarantee which stipulates the right for Victorian students in public schools, preschools, and TAFE to access the support they need. The Guarantee would ensure:
- availability of mental health services
- timely provision of mental health services
- ongoing provision of mental health services where required.
This should follow a detailed review of the current provision of school, preschool, and TAFE student access to mental health services. The review should cover:
- the level of unmet need for timely access to mental health services
- strategies to improve access to Student Support Services in schools and its quality
- unnecessary blocks and limitations in communication between mental health professionals and educators
- funding increases required to enable schools, preschools, and TAFEs to meet the needs of their students in a timely manner, with particular consideration for students from low socioeconomic status (SES) and non-metropolitan backgrounds.
2. All public schools should have dedicated funding in addition to the existing Student Resource Package to enable the provision of mental health support by the employment of:
- Student Welfare Coordinators at each school and e
- Extra qualified psychologists, mental health professionals, and social workers.
A ratio of public school students to psychologists, mental health professionals, and social workers should be established to determine the allocation of resources based on the needs identified in the review outlined in Recommendation 1.
3. Any new programs for schools should be assessed before they are implemented against a set of student wellbeing criteria based on principles that aim to safeguard the wellbeing and mental health of children and young people. The teaching profession should play a pivotal role in developing the criteria and be central to providing advice about the potential impact of the proposed program. Where concerns have been raised about existing programs they should also be subject to a similar review.
4. The Department of Education and Training should provide free relevant professional development to educators in how to identify and support students with mental health issues. Professional development should enable educators and mental health professionals to come together to enhance mutual understanding of their respective roles.
5. There should be a funded research program to better understand the impact of student mental health issues on learning and the curriculum and pedagogical support teachers need to provide.
6. All initial teacher education (ITE) courses should include compulsory content covering the knowledge and skills teachers need to support student wellbeing and mental health. Teachers in their early years of teaching should be provided with additional support and time to build on what is learnt through ITE.
7. The present NAPLAN whole cohort testing program should be abolished. Standardised testing of primary and secondary students for system quality assurance should be on a sample basis only. School-based formative assessment should be used to inform parents of student progress.
8. The Department of Education and Training should fund a review of the VCE and the ATAR system to recommend ways in which their negative impact on the wellbeing and mental health of students can be alleviated.
9. The Department of Education should further increase resources to support students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds who have mental health issues and do so in ways which support indigenous self determination, sovereignty, culture, and ways of knowing.
10. The Department of Education should expand programs to support young people with a greater likelihood of developing mental health issues, including young people:
- who identify as LGBTIQ+
- in ‘out of home’ care
- with a disability
- living in rural Victoria.
11. Given teachers are recognised by students with mental health issues as a significant source of support, the Department of Education and Training should employ additional teachers to reduce teacher-student ratios to better carry out this role.
12. The unsustainable workloads of staff in schools, preschools, and TAFE identified in this submission, resulting in high levels of stress, anxiety and other mental health issues, needs to be addressed. Measures including investment in more staff are critical to ensure the capacity of education professionals to carry out their work effectively and safely.
27 August 2019