Advancing Equity in Child Mental Health: Evaluating Novel models of School Mental Health

Advancing Equity in Child Mental Health: Evaluating Novel models of School Mental Health

School mental health services can improve access to care for students from priority equity groups, yet disparities persist in the quality and effectiveness of these supports. This is particularly evident for students with intersecting identities, such as those living with disabilities, in regional and rural areas, or identifying as Indigenous. These inequities burden children, educators, and the education system. This presentation will explore innovative approaches to enhance mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention in schools for children from priority equity groups and with intersectional identities. This will include: (a) effective and sustainable implementation of school-based screening, (b) utilisation of routine school data to assess social determinants impacting education and health, (c) facilitation school psychology placements for provisional psychologists to build workforce capability and (b) implementation of multi-tiered, trauma-informed care in schools. Studies in the research program employ mixed-methods, multi-tiered evaluation methodologies, and highlight how university-school research partnerships that offer practical, sustainable solutions within the context of funding mandates. The presentation will showcase practical resources for school mental health and educators with strategies and free resources for promoting mental health in schools. By integrating intersectionality frameworks with implementation science, this work aims to reduce inequities and improve mental health outcomes for all students.

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