Health & Wellness in School

We all have a role to play in supporting student positive mental health. Below are the roles that each member of our schools’ communities can play.

Classroom Teacher

• Provide appropriate support within the framework of a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment when they recognize that a student may be struggling with mental health difficulties;
• Work together with other school staff to help all students learn about and experience positive mental health;
• Create a learning environment that is inclusive and values diversity. Provide appropriate universal and targeted strategies and supports to address students’ strengths, learning challenges and areas for growth;
• Foster equality and nurture a sense of belonging and a positive sense of self;
• Look for teaching and learning opportunities to enhance resiliency, social-emotional competencies and other mental health literacies;
• Collaborate with service providers and other specialists to design and provide targeted and specialized supports; and
• Build positive relationships with students, families, peers and others in the school and in the community to support student learning and well-being.

Schools

• Support inclusive learning environments;
• Provide their staff with resources and professional development opportunities to help them enhance their knowledge and understanding of mental health;
• Work with staff, students and their families to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and mental illness; and
• Build positive working relationships with students, teachers, support staff, families, school councils and community partners so mental health needs can be identified, discussed and responded to.
• Make referrals to the area learning team who will then triage to the appropriate area supports

Community Partners

• Provide information, support and advice to schools on early identification of mental health concerns;
• Provide small-group and targeted interventions, on an as-needed basis;
• Work with schools to clarify local pathways to service;
• Provide crisis response when there are significant school or community events that could negatively impact the mental health of students and school staff.
• Provide assessment and coordinated intervention and treatment for individual or small groups of students;
• Ensure that procedures are in place to share relevant information from and with school staff;
• Share outcomes and recommendations with families and school teams; and
• Support schools in understanding and responding to the learning and transitional needs of individual students with significant mental health needs.

Parents and Families

• Support positive mental health habits at home;
• Have an awareness of signs of mental health concerns;
• Support their child/youth in obtaining the supports needed;
• Provide information to school staff (such as classroom teacher, guidance/resource counsellor and/or administration) and service providers that support their child/youth;
• Support communication between home, school and community;
• Collaborate with service providers and school staff; and
• Engage in service when and to the extent that is appropriate