Schools and adolescent mental health: education providers or health care providers?

Abstract

Purpose – The issue of mental health amongst students in the senior years of secondary schooling is one which has recently gained traction in mainstream media and public discourse across Australia. The purpose of this paper is to uncover the ways in which schools and other education providers are responding to mental health issues amongst their students both proactively (for prevention) and reactively (for referral and treatment). Design/methodology/approach – The project took a qualitative research approach to gathering data from student support staff based in schools and out-of-school learning settings, through a focus group methodology. Findings – The project found that despite policy rhetoric and research evidence supporting pro-active, curriculum integrated, early intervention to prevent and avoid mental illness and mental distress amongst secondary school students, most schools still take a reactive, piecemeal approach to prevention of mental illness and provision of mental health care. Individual schools and learning providers are responding to issues in a variety of ways, along a continuum of care. Research limitations/implications – The project had a small sample size and restricted geographic area. The divergence in findings between staff from schools in this area and staff from other education providers suggests much more work needs to be done in establishing the implications of bureaucratic sector and school governance on health and wellbeing outcomes. Originality/value – This paper begins to explore an under-researched area of school and other education provider responses to rising concern about student mental health.