With the start of a new school year upon us, Kids Helpline has announced expansion of the Kids Helpline @ School program.
“Just as yourtown revolutionised support for children and young people three decades ago with the launch of Kids Helpline, the expansion of Kids Helpline @ School seeks to ensure all schools have access to early intervention resources.
Thanks to a substantial funding boost from Bupa Foundation, every primary and high school across Australia now has access to the Kids Helpline @ School program,” said Tracy Adams, CEO of yourtown, which operates Kids Helpline.
“Fostering self-help and building resilience, this free service has no limit to how many sessions a school can book, the curriculum-aligned sessions of Kids Helpline @ School are tailored and adjusted to meet the needs of the student age group and community. It strengthens the reach of Kids Helpline to support the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.
“Almost 70 per cent of all young people who reach out to Kids Helpline are high school-aged, with their top concerns being mental health, emotional wellbeing, relationships with family and friends, bullying, and suicide and self-harm concerns.
“The negative impact of poor mental health on educational outcomes and personal wellbeing is increasingly a major focus for schools. This is why this early intervention program is so important, it enables high schools to connect classrooms to a Kids Helpline counsellor free of charge by simply booking a session online.
“Young people also tell us that they value the connection of their peers and the material covered in the Kids Helpline @ school sessions can be the catalyst for meaningful conversations between peers and with their teachers,” concluded Ms Adams.
Kids Helpline counsellors have created sessions for all high school year levels on topics, including:
- Coping with changes & transitions
- Cyberbullying & mental health
- Emotional intelligence
- Everyday resilience
[Teacher Quotes]
- “The students were thoroughly engaged, and the topics were relevant to them. Their concerns/worries were acknowledged, and strategies were given to deal/cope. The students were given multiple brain/movement breaks and a voice in their learning! They were given the opportunity to ask questions after the session.” – Victorian grade 6 teacher.
- “The program was interactive and practical for students so they can use it in their everyday lives.” – Victorian C grade 3/4 teacher.
- “Really engaging, friendly, informative, good pace and wonderful info shared. Great breaks and structure.” South Australian grade 6 teacher.
- “The session was informative, interesting, well-paced, appropriate breaks, presenter engaging” ….. “The students enjoyed their session and found it useful”, New South Wales grade 6 teacher.
- “We love these programs! They are so effective. Thank you.” Queensland grade 4 teacher.
Teachers can connect their classroom to a Kids Helpline counsellor free of charge by simply booking a session online – schools.kidshelpline.com.au.
