Mental Health Fund and Menu

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on how schools can plan for and implement the Schools Mental Health Fund and Menu initiative to support student mental health and wellbeing.

Summary

• In recognition of the important role schools play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, the department has created the Schools Mental Health Fund (the Fund) and evidence-based Schools Mental Health Menu (the Menu).
• The Fund is underpinned by the evidence-based Menu. The Menu is a list of endorsed programs, staff and other supports that schools can use to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their students in line with the individual needs of their school.
• The department has developed a School Mental Health Planning Tool to support and simplify schools’ decision-making processes when planning their mental health and wellbeing interventions from the Menu.
• To support schools to purchase items off the Menu, all Victorian government schools now receive the Fund.
• Following a staged rollout, as of Term 1 2024, all Victorian government schools receive the Fund.
• Refer to the Guidance tab for detailed information and resources on the Fund and Menu, including guidance on the funding model, the categories of mental health supports available to schools and the School Mental Health Planning Tool.

Details

The Victorian Government has invested $217.8 million over 4 years to support student mental health and wellbeing, including approximately $200 million over 4 years and $86 million ongoing to create a Schools Mental Health Fund (the Fund). Underpinning the Fund is the evidence-based Schools Mental Health Menu (the Menu).

Recommendation 17 of the landmark 2021 Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recognised the important role schools play in providing universal support for the mental health and wellbeing of young Victorians. The Royal Commission acknowledged that mental health and wellbeing is an important issue for all students. In response, the department established the Fund which focuses on positive mental health promotion and whole-school approaches. Underpinning the Fund is the evidence-based Menu.

Schools Mental Health Menu

The Menu is a list of endorsed programs, staff and resources that can support schools to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their students in line with their established priorities. The Menu helps schools to make informed choices on how to spend their funding.

The Menu is designed to give schools confidence to identify programs, staff and resources from the Menu that improve the mental health and wellbeing outcomes of their students.

Providers included on the Menu meet a range of criteria, including:

• evidence of program effectiveness in supporting student mental health and wellbeing outcomes
• alignment with department priorities
• ease of implementation by schools
• availability of providers
• cost-effectiveness.

The Menu includes programs, staff and resources across 3 tiers of support that were externally assessed for how well they support student mental health and wellbeing, ensuring schools can access a range of supports to meet their needs.

The 3 tiers are:

• Tier 1: Positive mental health promotion
• Tier 2: Early intervention and cohort specific support
• Tier 3: Targeted support

Schools are encouraged to have a strong and sustained focus on Tier 1 to promote student wellbeing actively and to reduce risk factors that lead to poor mental health outcomes.

The Menu is publicly available and provides Catholic and independent school sectors with insight into effective evidence-based programs and resources to support student mental health and wellbeing.

School staff can keep up to date with professional development opportunities to help them implement the Fund and Menu by following the department’s Student Mental Health Branch Arc page.

Related policies

• Alcohol and Other Drugs — Students
• Annual Implementation Plan
• Bullying Prevention and Response
• Behaviour — Students
• Casual Relief Teachers
• Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes
• Child Safe Standards
• Data Collection and Surveys
• Doctors in Secondary Schools
• Equal Opportunity and Human Rights — Students
• Family Violence Support
• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes
• Mental Health in Schools
• Procurement — Schools
• School Review
• Student Engagement
• Student Resource Package — Overview
• Suicide Prevention and Response
• Working with Children and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors

Relevant legislation

• Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic)
• Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic)
• Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
• Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth)
• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 (Vic)
• Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)