Project Partners
Celebrating 10 years of partnership in Student Wellbeing
In 2009 the University of Melbourne and the Catholic Education Office Melbourne / Catholic Education Commission of Victoria celebrate the 10th anniversary of collaboration in a strategic whole-school approach to promoting student wellbeing. A key element of this partnership has been the sponsorship of teachers, principals and Student Wellbeing Coordinators from Victorian Catholic primary and secondary schools to complete postgraduate study in student wellbeing, originally in the Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Student Welfare) and in more recent years the Master of Education (Student Wellbeing).
This partnership has been further strengthened through collaboration in a number of research activities, professional development, publications and the Student Wellbeing Action Partnership (SWAP) website. The 10th anniversary of this partnership was formally celebrated at an official event in September.
University of Melbourne, Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Student Wellbeing Unit
To achieve positive educational and mental health outcomes for all students requires that school systems consider how they can systematically promote student wellbeing at the school level. Recent developments in the field of student wellbeing have advocated the adoption of whole school, preventative and developmental models of student wellbeing, pastoral care and mental health promotion. Current models of student wellbeing also demand creative partnerships between education and other sectors to support students.
Research indicates that teachers need specific, continuing education to enhance their confidence and competence to deal with social and emotional factors that affect student learning. Teachers also need the knowledge, frameworks and skills to be able to facilitate the changes in school organisation, processes and partnerships to promote student wellbeing.
The School's Master of Education (Student Wellbeing) provides opportunities for teachers to develop and enhance their capacity to promote student wellbeing in schools at the individual and organisational level. The course prepares teachers to take a leadership role in the design, implementation and evaluation of student wellbeing policy, programs and practices.
Student Wellbeing staff engage in collaborative research projects, and supervise research, in such areas as the school's role in promotion of wellbeing; student wellbeing policy and practice; the teacher's role in wellbeing, and school-home and school-community partnerships.
Catholic Education Office Melbourne - Student Wellbeing Unit
The Student Wellbeing Unit of the Catholic Education Office Melbourne seeks to support and empower school communities as they care for the wellbeing of their students. Leadership in school communities is a special focus of this work, which is informed by evidence-based research. The central aim of the Student Wellbeing Unit is to strategically build capacity and confidence in teachers and school leaders to implement whole-school approaches to student wellbeing with a focus on school improvement and enhanced learning outcomes. Student wellbeing is set within a framework of a strategic whole-school approach, the promotion of student resilience and the primary prevention and early intervention model. Partnerships are a key aspect of this endeavour.
The Student Wellbeing Unit engages in a range of major initiatives and projects, both within the Catholic school system and in cross-sectoral ventures. Foremost among these currently are :
- Youth Services Strategy
- Social Emotional Learning
- Schools as Core Social Centres
- Restorative Practices
- MindMatters
- National Safe Schools Framework
- Health Promoting Schools Framework
- School Focussed Youth Service
- Values Education
- Parent Seminars
- Meeting Point
- Drug Education
- Child Protection
In addition, support, information, guidance, and avenues for contacting appropriate support agencies and services are offered by the Student Wellbeing Unit to members of school communities in a wide range of areas including school attendance, anti-bullying, behaviour management, conflict management, family-school collaboration, student health, safety, resilience, suspension, expulsion, negotiated transfer, mandatory reporting, child protection and grief and loss.
