Introduction
The NSW School-Link Initiative is one of a range of initiatives that was launched in 1999 by the NSW Government to improve the mental health of children, adolescents and young people in NSW . The Centre for Mental Health, NSW Health in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training provides the School-Link Initiative with statewide coordination and leadership. The School-Link Initiative aims to :
- Provide a framework and structure to support child and adolescent mental health services and schools to work collaboratively to promote mental health, prevent mental health problems and facilitate early identification, management and support of students with mental health problems.
- Link schools and TAFE colleges with their local child and adolescent mental health services.
- Improve the understanding, recognition, management, support and prevention of mental health problems in young people.
The School-Link initiative directly addresses two key recommendations of Mental Health of Young People in Australia: Child and Adolescent Component of the National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being (Sawyer et al 2000): (1) to ensure that school-based counsellors are properly trained in the assessment and management of young peoples’ mental health problems and (2) that they are closely linked to specialized mental health services.
The broad implementation of School-Link over the past six years has built a foundation of organisational support and infrastructure to provide:
- Training and education
- Pathways to care
- School/TAFE based mental health promotion and prevention programs were the three key strategic actions.
