Federal Government Invests Millions In School Mental Health Funding

The Federal Government will invest $203.7 million into mental health funding in schools as part of its national “student wellbeing program”.

An average of $20,000 per school for year depending on need and size will be available for schools.

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The commitment also includes $10.8 million towards a “voluntary mental health check tool”.

State and federal education ministers have also committed to a five-year $307.18 million agreement to see the program fulfilled in the future.

Education Minister Jason Clare said COVID-19 lockdowns had a “massive impact” on the mental health of students.

“Good mental health and wellbeing have a significant impact on young people’s engagement with education and their learning outcomes,” Mr Clare said.

“This is particularly important as students return to regular face-to-face classroom learning after two years of disruption due to Covid-19.”

The funding announcement comes after the Australian Psychological Society urged the Federal Goverment to commit to funding more mental health and psychological response services in the next budget after a Climate Council survey found students’ mental health had been affected due to natural disasters.

A study in December of 2,032 Australians found since 2019, 80 per cent of people surveyed experienced an extreme weather and half said their mental health had been detrimentally affected by the event that experienced.

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