New action plan to reduce violence in schools
A further $6 million is being invested in school supports by the State Government to reduce violence in schools.
It comes as the Education Department released the Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Plan of Action 2024-2026 which will see a new partnership with SAPOL and further mental health support in primary schools.
Last year’s immediate actions to reduce violence in schools saw a 29% decrease in onsite violent incidents involving kicking and punching between students in terms 3 and 4, with further action now being taken to support greater reductions in incidents.
Building on the delivery of 55 mental health practitioners in high schools, $3.1 million has been allocated for a new program to provide mental health support for children in primary schools.
ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï will engage the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Melbourne to research the best model to strengthen the mental health and wellbeing response in primary schools. A key component of this model is improved support and professional development for wellbeing leaders in schools.
The new program, which was co-designed with the SA Primary Principals Association, will run in up to 20 schools over two years and will begin in the middle of this year.
Mental health issues are one of the known risk factors for violence at schools, along with bullying, social isolation, family issues and community factors.
ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï will also release and implement a new Seeking Police Assistance Procedure, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of school staff, police and the community during and after a violent incident.
This will allow the department to use ºÚÁÏ³Ô¹Ï Police services more consistently and effectively and foster closer working relationships in violence prevention and responses.
Other initiatives include:
- The rollout of an updated Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum, including new resources to support teachers in delivering respectful relationships, consent and child safety education
- Further Parents in Education grants focused on having parents involved in bullying and violence prevention
- A stronger focus on the transition to high school, where unacceptable behaviour often escalates
- Grants to improve safer physical environments at schools
- Further training for staff to prevent violence.
Read more about the department's violence prevention and response in schools initiatives.
