AHISA SUBMISSION

National Mental Health Commission

15 February 2021

Draft National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

AHISA’s submission to the National Mental Health Commission welcomed development of a national strategy to promote the health and wellbeing of young Australians, both as a signal to the community of the importance of children’s health and wellbeing and to help coordinate, prioritise and support the efforts of governments, service providers and schools in achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.
AHISA expressed concern that several objectives relating to schools in the draft strategy tended to rely on prescription and regulation for their implementation, when feedback from AHISA members indicates that the autonomy of schools to access or develop diverse student health and wellbeing programs and to staff the delivery of those programs in a manner appropriate to the school’s size, location and community are vital in achieving the most successful outcomes for students. AHISA’s submission supported this argument with findings from a member survey undertaken to inform a submission to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Mental Health  (January 2020).

Draft National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy – FULL SUBMISSION