A Dean Winter Labor Government will establish a Mental Health and Wellbeing Menu to support our children to be happy and healthy. This will run initially as a two year pilot.

Happy, resilient kids are better able to learn.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Menu will:

• Provide a flexible, proactive approach to improving mental health in Tasmanian schools
• Make it easier for teachers to engage pre-approved service providers
• Provide an immediate boost in funding while longer-term action is taken to address the need for more allied health support in schools

Why we need it

Many children are struggling with high levels of anxiety or depression and there is a growing need for preventative action to help our children be happy and healthy.

• Happy, resilient kids are better able to learn.
• Tasmania’s children deserve to have the skills, opportunities, and resilience they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
• Children with positive mental health are better equipped to learn, grow and reach their full potential.

The details

Labor will invest $10 million in a two year Mental Health and Wellbeing Menu pilot for Tasmanian Government schools, to access specific funding to run optional programs that support the mental health and wellbeing of Tasmanian children.

All public schools from kinder to year 12 will be allocated an amount of funding to spend on programs run by providers who have been pre-approved for inclusion on the Menu. 

This will allow schools to deliver tailored mental health and wellbeing support programs for students, that meet the needs and capacity of their school community.

Schools can be assured each program on the Menu has undergone an assessment to determine its quality and appropriateness without having to take time away from classrooms to do this work themselves.

This initiative is focused on enabling schools to deliver place-based programs to provide the tailored support their school community needs.

It is designed to provide more flexibility, and more funding specifically for mental health support and wellbeing initiatives, acknowledging that schools are best equipped to know what tailored programs will deliver the most value within their school community.

To ensure the Mental Health and Wellbeing Menu is fit for purpose, an Advisory Committee will oversee the design of the model and the implementation of the pilot.