Mental Health and Wellbeing in early childhood services
Mental health and wellbeing supports every part of service life, from child learning and engagement to staff morale and building a positive service culture.
This health and wellbeing priority focuses on creating a positive and inclusive environment for the whole service community where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
This priority helps to bring together existing mental health and wellbeing actions. It complements programs including Be You.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Table
This action table gives an example of how the Healthy Places Framework can be applied to Mental Health and Wellbeing in services.
Action area | Leadership and Commitment | Teaching & Learning | Physical Environment | Culture | Staff Wellbeing | Families & Communitiy Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goal | There is strong leadership support and a shared commitment to a whole-service approach to mental health and wellbeing. | Children develop social and emotional skills to build resilience and support their mental health and wellbeing. | The built and natural environment supports mental health and wellbeing. | The service fosters attitudes, behaviours and values that support mental health and wellbeing. | Staff have access to resources and support for their own mental health and wellbeing. | The service engages, partners and collaborates with families and community organisations to support mental health and wellbeing. |
Example Actions | Demonstrate leadership’s commitment to a whole-service approach to mental health and wellbeing. Consider the mental health and wellbeing of children, families and staff when developing emergency and critical incident management plans. | Where applicable, incorporate child voice and agency in learning experiences that explore mental health and wellbeing. Equip staff to recognise and respond to children who may require mental health support. | Provide learning environments that encourage developmentally appropriate risky play. Incorporate opportunities for children to connect with the natural environment and access green spaces where possible. | Provide a welcoming and inclusive service environment that promotes belonging and connectedness for all community members. Create clear structures and routines to develop a strong sense of predictability and calm for children and families. | Regularly promote mental health support services available to staff and encourage staff to access these. Ensure leaders actively prioritise staff wellbeing and role model self-care, autonomy and trust. | Engage with relevant health services and community organisations to support mental health and wellbeing activities. Provide families with guidance to access support services for mental health and wellbeing. |
Join today to see the full list of suggested actions, examples in practice and links to supporting programs and resources as outlined in the Mental Health and Wellbeing Whole-Service Action Guide.
The Health and Wellbeing Priorities
The Healthy Places Framework helps early childhood services support all health and wellbeing priorities through a set of action guides. Six health and wellbeing priorities areas each have their own guide, and a flexible action guide is also available for any health area while still following the Framework.
