Parliament of Victoria
Ms Karen Ellingford Executive Officer Education and Training Committee Parliament House Spring Street East Melbourne 3002 [email protected]
Inquiry into the potential for developing opportunities for schools to become a focus for promoting healthy community living
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Parliament of Victoria regarding development of opportunities for schools to become a focus for promoting healthy community living.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is a national charity, keeping children safe from violence. We care for children who have experienced or witnessed serious violence and run programs that prevent violence in the lives of children. Our responses to the Parliament of Victoria’s questions will therefore, focus principally on how to reduce and respond to all forms of violence against Australian children, including bullying.
‘What is a healthy community?
In 1947, the World Health Organisation defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing." Until now, governments and educational systems have tended to promote physical wellbeing, but this may need to change. There are now compelling arguments for the importance of emotional wellbeing for health: indeed, health is defined as "being confident and positive 1 and able to cope with the ups and downs of life."
Active, healthy communities are places where people choose to be involved. People of all ages and cultures feel connected to each other and can enjoy good physical and mental health’2
A healthy active community involves more than being physically active. “It’s about the relationships that bring individuals together to create positive change in their neighbourhood,” she says. “It’s also about being involved in your community, engaging others and creating supportive environments to help others become active.”3
1 BMJ 1998; 317:1608-1609, 12 December 2 http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/284.htm 3 http://www.centre4activeliving.ca/publications/wellspring/2008/april.pdf
1
Schools are, in very many places in Victoria, as they are elsewhere, a focal point for the community. They are uniquely placed to become the heart of integrated health promotion initiatives involving all levels of the population and may be the best centres through which to deliver an equality of health outcomes across the community.
Adults and peers, curricular and extracurricular activities, policies and practices all affect the level of connectedness [children] feel at school’.4 Research tells us that when kids are cared for by people at their school and feel themselves to be part of their school community, they are less likely to get into trouble. They also have higher levels of emotional well-being and develop the sense of belonging and connection with their school which are key protective factors that promote mental health and wellbeing, as well as academic achievement5 Recent scientific work has established ‘both a theoretical basis and strong empirical evidence for a 6 causal impact of social relationships on health’.
We at The Alannah and Madeline Foundation hope this written response facilitates further discussion on the issues we have raised and we seek the opportunity to meet with Council members to discuss the contents of this response.
Any questions regarding this response, should be directed to Mrs Amanda Johnson, or Ms Sandra Craig on 03 9697 0666.
1. Specific health promotion programs
What health promotion programs (if any) has your organisation run for schools (or a school)?
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart Initiative
The Problem of Bullying
There is a growing awareness within Australia and other parts of the world of the level and impact of bullying in society. This has generated a rising concern about the prevalence, seriousness and negative effects of bullying, and has encouraged schools and other settings to begin to address it. Bullying presents a major health problem in our society. Its effects can be severe and often persist long into a person’s life.
The mental and physical, social and academic consequences of bullying have an enormous impact on human and social capital. The costs of bullying burden our education, health care, social service and criminal justice systems, as well as work force productivity and innovation 7
4 http://www.healthyalberta.com/HealthyPlaces/660.htm 5 KidsMatter website 6 House, J.S., Landis, K.R., & Umberson, D. (1988) 7 Kandersteg Declaration, www.kanderstegdeclaration.com
2 Bullying is a form of aggression, involving the abuse of power in relationships. It is recognised globally as a complex and serious problem. It has many faces, including the use of emerging technologies, and varies by age, gender and culture.
We define bullying in the following way:
Bullying occurs when a student (or group) with more power repeatedly and intentionally uses negative words and/or actions against another student/s that cause distress and create a risk to wellbeing. [Bullying can be physical, social, verbal, electronic or reputational].
Bullying is not the same as harassment or aggression and although students may experience many distressing behaviours at school, these are not necessarily examples of bullying, even though in most cases they require intervention and management.
The Kandersteg Declaration 8estimates that 200 million children and youth around the world are being abused by their peers.
In Australia, estimates of levels of bullying in schools differ with the ways in which definitions are used by researchers. Professor Ken Rigby reports high levels of bullying in Australian schools, with up to 19 per cent of young people between ages 7 – 17 reporting being bullied on a weekly basis with a further 27 per cent of young people bullied ‘less than weekly.’9 10
Bullying can lead to poor outcomes for many of the young people involved: both those who are victimised and those who take part in bullying others. In some cases, these negative effects have been shown to persist in later life.
Young people who are victimised have a higher likelihood than do other young people of experiencing adverse health outcomes and social adjustment problems 11Young people who are engaged in repeated bullying are more likely to engage in ongoing anti-social behaviour and criminality, have issues with substance abuse, demonstrate low academic achievement and be involved in future child and spouse abuse. Both victimised young people and those who take part in bullying across time may demonstrate lower levels of academic achievement than might otherwise have been expected. Lesbian, gay and bisexual young people tend to be disproportionately victimised relative to their heterosexual peers with a range of associated poor health and life outcomes
Bullying using technologies
A recent large-scale study in Australian schools broadly defines covert bullying – including cyber bullying - as ‘any form of aggressive behaviour that is repeated, intended to cause harm and characterised by an imbalance of power, and is ‘hidden’, out of sight of, or unacknowledged by adults’12. We see cyber bullying as a subset of bullying and its connection to other forms of bullying as integral.
8 Kandersteg Declaration www.Kanderstegdeclaration.com 9 Rigby, in Bullying Solutions, eds., McGrath and Noble, Pearson Education, 2006. 10 (Rigby in Bullying Solutions, eds., McGrath and Noble, Pearson Education, 2006 11). McGrath, in Bullying Solutions, eds., McGrath and Noble, Pearson Education, 2006 12 Cross, D, et al, The Australian Covert Bullying Study, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009
3 The Covert Bullying Study13 conducted by Edith Cowan University found that where schools are reducing offline bullying, through policy development and a range of strategies, students might turn to covert ways of bullying including cyber bullying.
Figures are telling: 90% of teens and young adults use the internet, 74% use instant messaging, 62% use chat rooms and 64% have a social network site such as MySpace or Facebook14 . In addition, young people use technology differently to the ways adults use it: mobile phones are status symbols and a key to their 15 social lives .
As access to mobile technologies has increased, so has the potential for cyber bullying. The mobile phone is not just a means to contact people via voice telephony. Rather, as technology has developed, so too has the text message culture evolved as a new form of communication, with its own vocabulary.16
The difference between cyber bullying and face-to-face bullying is that it can happen at any time, anywhere; there is no escape. Audiences can be huge and reached quickly. Power is allocated differently, and bullying can be inter- generational. Perpetrators can have at least an illusion of anonymity and their behaviour can be disinhibited because of this; empathy is also reduced because the victim’s reaction is not seen. Hence, the effect of the bullying may also be intensified.
A national study of covert bullying conducted by Edith Cowan University in 2007- 8 suggests average levels of cyber bullying across Australia are approximately 7- 10%, which is still significantly below that of other developed nations, providing ‘the opportunity to take positive preventative action in Australia before the problem escalates’. 17
Although cyber bullying has received much attention in the media over recent months, it is about behaviour rather than technology, and ‘mirrors and magnifies’ traditional bullying, often with severe effects to the mental, social and academic wellbeing of the young people concerned.
Attempts to curb all sorts of bullying and other negative peer interactions must involve the entire school and its wider community. Interventions that involve teacher, peer group and parent components have better outcomes in reducing these behaviours, in that ‘bullying, in either overt or covert forms, is a socio- cultural phenomenon involving individuals, peers, school personnel and parents, as well as home, school and community environments’. Therefore, any attempt to address bullying must involve all these facets. eSmart Schools Framework eSmart Schools is a new initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation. It is a model of social change, intended to help schools, parents and communities
13 Cross, D, et al, The Australian Covert Bullying Study, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009(p16). 14 Youth Poll, 2007 15 Belsey, B. Always On, Always Aware. 16 Reid, A. S. (2005) The Rise of third generation phones: The implications for child protection Information & Communication Technology Law, 14(2), 89-113. 17 Cross, et al, DEEWR, 2009, p 41
4 identify, learn about and manage the very real problems of on and offline (traditional or face-to-face) bullying, identity theft, harassment and sexual predation using electronic means. It will provide an organised way of delivering cultural change into schools in a holistic manner and provide auditing to ensure effectiveness.
Any change initiative needs to be interactive, ongoing, accountable and outcome focused. eSmart has strong similarities to the very successful SunSmart Campaign, recognised as one of the great cultural change programs in Australia.
It is based on strong values and positive relationships, which in turn discourages bullying in all its forms. Becoming an eSmart School will do more than provide information and resources in cybersafety…it will ensure there is a whole-school system to implement it.
When asked, “What’s the best thing about being a young person today?” most children and teenagers would probably say “technology” They can’t imagine a time when young people didn’t have access to the tools of communication that enable constant contact with their peers and instant access to a world of information.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of evidence that many young people are not well equipped to use these technologies in ways that are smart, safe and responsible. Importantly, their parents and teachers are too unfamiliar with cyberspace to offer credible support. eSmart will provide links to online resources that will help to scaffold and build teachers’ knowledge in the use of technologies in the classroom to provide learning that is more engaging and facilitate effective communication with students and families.
Telling young people of the risks, and how to behave online is not enough to make a difference. Adults need to model smart, safe and responsible use of technology; they need to occupy cyberspace and they need to ensure there is good quality intervention when young people behave inappropriately.
Many of the problems in cyberspace mirror the issues young people face generally. Building young people’s capacity to make wise choices and limit risk- taking, as well as promoting good interpersonal relationships is at the heart of our approach. Supporting teachers and parents to do this in a coherent, consistent and comprehensive way is vital for success.
The eSmart Schools framework is built on six relevant domains of action: Policies and Practices; Curriculum; Caring School Community; Effective Teacher Practices; Effective Use of Technologies; and Family and Community Partnerships. Through a web portal, schools can access strategic guidelines and the best available resources to support them in completing actions in each domain.
Schools that successfully show action under the six domains of the framework will be acknowledged as being an eSmart School, and will receive signage, a certificate and a web button to identify their participation.
An important aspect of the eSmart Schools framework is the provision of links to other work being done on developing safe school communities, such as the National Safe Schools Framework, which is currently being reviewed and rewritten to include cybersafety for school communities.
5 Supported by a community information campaign, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation will encourage primary and secondary, government and non- government schools to register for this cyber safety and wellbeing initiative.
Our own research, conducted at the beginning of 2009, demonstrated clearly the high level of demand from community members, schools and from parents for an implementation of the sort we were proposing: a whole-school model of change that integrated into a coherent whole work already being done in the areas of anti-bullying, teacher competency with technology and wellbeing. Parents indicated to our researchers that they would choose to send their children to a school using the eSmart Framework, seeing it as an environment in which the issues were a conscious part of the program, and therefore a safer environment. We feel that eSmart will help schools identify ways to improve their duty of care to students and, at the same time, alert them to some of the legal issues they might face in the not-too-distant future.
The national rollout of eSmart Schools will take place in 2010.
The Better Buddies Framework
The Better Buddies Framework, an initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, is designed to create bonds of friendship and association between students and help to develop friendly and caring primary school communities where the development of strong, safe and supportive networks is encouraged. It links children in their first and last year of primary school in a buddy relationship through formal weekly classroom activities and informal interaction outside of the classroom. Children learn the values: caring for others, friendliness, respect, valuing difference, including others and responsibility. Better Buddies enables younger children to feel safe and cared for while older children feel valued and respected.
What health promotion programs (if any) has your organisation run for the wider community? eSmart:
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation views the eSmart cyber safety, anti- bullying and wellbeing initiative as a powerful tool for health promotion within schools and the broader community, targeting unsafe/violent/predatory behaviour online. It aims to bring about a cultural shift by forging links of empathy between members of school communities and reducing negative online behaviour.
The eSmart initiative is modelled on the multi-layered SunSmart campaign, where social marketing campaigns (Slip Slop Slap) are backed up with community-based change interventions. The development of robust policies and a range of evidence-informed practice create the environments in which it is easy and normal for individuals to make smart choices about behaviour on and offline.
As previously discussed, eSmart schools is based in schools but aims to influence the wider community through helping them learn and identify the electronic means of harassment that are becoming prevalent. Schools will engage with parents, families and children in using the internet and mobile phones smartly, safely and responsibly.
6 Whilst the first priority for eSmart will be schools, this will be followed by involvement in other community settings such as libraries, community groups and workplaces.
Also in 2010, we will go beyond the school gate with cybersafety. With VicUrban, - the Victorian Government's sustainable urban development agency - we are working to create a unique, modern community in South East Melbourne; a community that is not only well connected through fibre to the home broadband, but has the wherewithal to get the best out of it. Our aim is to have all schools in the catchment area of this community enrolled in eSmart Schools, and to ensure all citizens have the knowledge and skills needed to be smart, safe and responsible users of communications technologies.
The eSmart community cultural change and health promotion approach to bullying, cyberbullying and cybersafety is a world first.
National Centre Against Bullying:
The National Centre Against Bullying (NCAB), another initiative of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, is a peak body working to advise and inform the Australian community on the issue of childhood bullying and the creation of safe schools and communities.
Established in 2002, NCAB is chaired by The Hon. Alastair Nicholson AO, RDF, QC, former Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia. The body is comprised of recognised experts in the allied fields of anti-bullying and children’s wellbeing.
Basing its position on the Kandersteg Declaration against Bullying in Children and Youth (2007) where ‘long term commitment and determination to promote healthy relationships and prevent bullying and victimisation in children and youth’, NCAB’s mission now includes working towards safety and wellbeing in the schools and communities.
The National Centre Against Bullying is, in 2010, running a conference called ‘Navigating the Maze – cybersafety and wellbeing solutions for schools’, which will examine issues and present new research on cybersafety, bullying and wellbeing and why they matter to students and families, as well as approaches and strategies to respond to these from Australian and overseas researches and practitioners.
Intensive Support Program: The Alannah and Madeline Foundation have developed an important new initiative focusing on assisting children to recover from trauma. It is aimed at long-term wellbeing, reconnecting children with communities and providing other support mechanisms for the child.
The Intensive Support Program provides a proactive, holistic intervention for children who are suffering the effects of serious violence. It comprises the following key service areas
Healthy Kids Review: includes an in-depth, structured physical and mental health check by a General Medical Practitioner, and a dental check-up and oral hygiene review by a dentist. The General Medial Practitioner provides ongoing reviews, treatment, education, monitoring and support. Connecting Children: focuses on developing strong, stabilising community ties and support systems. These connections are well recognised as a protective
7 factor for vulnerable children. Activities may include linking children in with sport and constructive leisure networks. Buddy Links: identified children within the ISP are matched with two older volunteers who act as a supportive mentor and role model where social support is lacking, with the aim of building confidence and self esteem Life Skills Training: is offered for children who will benefit from learning to better control their environment. This service area aims to ensure children have essential life skills that support their recovery from violence and fosters resilience throughout their lives. Areas such as assertiveness, anger management, bullying management, dealing with conflict, building strong, healthy friendships, good communication, etc can be addressed. Children Ahead: provides material aid and resource funding to ensure key services and resources can be accessed for children. Funded items may include school or leadership camps, leisure & sporting equipment etc. Family and Parenting Support: focuses on creating sustainable, positive change in the family environment where required. Parents and carers can be linked in with community resources that facilitate a receptive home environment for a supported child. Common areas addressed include parenting training, financial counselling and linkages with community based family support workers or housing workers as required. Emotional Wellbeing Support: commonly required for children who have been adversely impacted by experiencing or witnessing serious violence It aims to ensure that mental and emotional adjustment issues are identified, and specialist (trauma, grief, etc.) individual, group or family counselling or therapeutic (art, music, pet therapy, outback or therapeutic camps) programs are available. Education Support: ensures that a child’s experience of violence does not interfere with their educational development and school experience. This service area supports school engagement, problem-solves barriers to learning, attendance and positive participation at school. In addition to teaching problem solving, links may also be provided to external reading assistance and/or specific tutoring.
Refuge Therapeutic Support Program: The Refuge Therapeutic Support Program assists domestic violence refuge centres in providing therapeutic intervention to children. The program fills a critical gap in supporting refuges. The funding allows refuges to meet the emotional recovery needs of children, without taking resources away from the urgent requirement to manage the housing and safety needs of children and their family members.
Therapies such as sand play, symbol work as well as art and music therapy provide children with a creative format in which to work through, with a counsellor, their emotions of anger, frustration or fear. Pet therapy can help children who have experienced violence and lost a pet due to leaving their home, or if they have begun hurting animals as a reaction to the violence in their lives. Pet therapy increases levels of empathy and trust, while promoting healing from loss.
Pet therapy can help children who have experienced violence and lost a pet due to leaving their home, or if they have begun hurting animals as a reaction to the violence in their lives. Pet therapy increases levels of empathy and trust, while promoting healing from loss.
Buddy Bags: The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has also developed the Buddy Bags program, in response to continued demands to support the many children who
8 are removed from their homes due to domestic violence with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs. Buddy Bags provides essential items for children in emergency care thus reducing the impact of this form of violence. The Buddy Bags contain personal items for the children, including toiletries, pyjamas, socks, underwear, a teddy bear, photo frame and pillow slip.
a. How successful have these programs been? How has their success been measured?
Success of eSmart Development of eSmart Schools occurred during 2008 and 2009 The Alannah and Madeline Foundation worked closely with the RMIT School of Education Consultancy and Development Unit, with Adjunct Professor Helen McGrath leading the research. Schools in four states were involved in a needs analysis, and themes were further interrogated through focus groups.
In addition to the research, the model was informed by a review of the current literature, consultations with educators, members of the National Centre Against Bullying, education system personnel, cybersafety experts and cybersafety policy bodies (including the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, the Australian Media and Communications Authority, and the Australian Federal Police).
With support of our technology partners, Microsoft, nSynergy and Telstra, we will launch the supporting web portal for trial in select schools in September 2009.
An Australia-wide pilot of eSmart Schools will commence later in 2009 and continue into 2010 and be evaluated by an external body.
Success of The Better Buddies Program: Three hundred and eighty one primary schools across Australia have the Better Buddies program implemented. This is approximately 115,000 students who have been touched by this program to date. The intention is for all primary schools across Australia to implement The Better Buddies program. Evaluation of the program, conducted by RMIT, shows that the incidence of bullying is reduced by 40% in Better Buddies schools. Buddy systems form unique and valuable relationships which improve a school’s culture and assists in reducing bullying behaviours. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation is the only organisation that has conducted extensive evidence-based research into buddy systems.
Following are some comments from the parent community in relation to the Better Buddies Framework (taken from the half-yearly evaluation conducted by RMIT in 2008) Parents felt happier about their child starting school with the Better Buddies Framework in place to help with the transition to school. Parents were very happy about the fact that the older buddies experienced leadership and responsibility. Parents saw this as an investment in their child’s future. Parents were also very positive about their child being taught to tolerate differences and to understand that their behaviour was a role model for the younger buddies.
o Ella often talks about her buddy Lauren and how nice and protective she is. This pleases me greatly as children in more senior years can be a bit intimidating.
9 o He learned to work in a group, doing activities with others. Learned to listen, gets a good role model by an older person helping him and encouraging him. It gave her a role model and made her feel a part of the school community faster. o Allows younger children to feel that they also play an integral role in creating a safe and happy environment. Gives them the framework for becoming an older buddy. o The BB program helps students learn new things about each other, to appreciate and respect others - mainly those with cultural differences, those with handicaps or are disadvantaged. o She has a sense of involvement in the wider school community and along with it, a feeling of acceptance. It helps to settle in. o The interaction has been great for my daughter’s confidence. It’s easier to solve younger children’s problems than those with peers. Hopefully give her confidence with this. She has developed confidence in being a leader by looking after younger children. o A good leadership role model. Knowledge of how to deal with younger children, even if they are demanding. Recognition of potentially harmful behaviours. o A reminder that helping to protect someone from bullying is a good thing and a reminder that participation in bullying is a bad thing. o Great when my child had grade 6 buddy when she started prep last year - helped her adjust and made her feel very safe especially in the yard.
Success of the Buddy Bags Program The aim of the Buddy Bags Program is to ensure that children who have been subject to the trauma of family violence and who may have left home without any belongings, are given some personal items of their own, and to assist in the process of restoring a sense of safety and security into their lives.
Broad community reach: Our 2009 Buddy Bag distribution goal is to distribute 8,000 Buddy Bags to children in need by December 31st, 2009.
One hundred and seventeen refuge centres across Australia presently hold Buddy Bags for children in need; we hope to increase this number to over 200 centres across Australia by the end of 2009.
Emotionally, our Buddy Bags provide children with o comfort via continuity of possessions (e.g. pillowslip) o a sense that someone cares o knowledge that there are other children just like them in the program, reducing the feeling of isolation o something of their very own that cannot be taken from them
Buddy Bags also appeal to mothers of those who receive a Buddy Bag, because they providing something positive for their children in times of distress.
Backpacks are not branded with our logo and most backpacks are then used by the children as their school bags. In many cases, the child will have had to change schools as well as having been removed from their home.
10 The only identifier in each Buddy Bag as to where it originated is a contact card with The Alannah and Madeline Foundation details on it, and a postcard, which we ask to be filled in and returned to the Foundation (postage paid).
Our success is measured through the feedback we receive:
Feedback from parents, on the impact of receiving a Buddy Bag: “It provided personal items which he can keep – he really enjoys cuddling the teddy bear.” “It made my kids feel very special and having their own personal belongings certainly helps in these circumstances.” “I enjoyed the look on his face – my son was smiling instead of frowning.” “My children have gone through so much; I don’t have much to give them. Thank you.” “It gave the children a sense of security and it gave them a sense of ownership.” “Thank you so much for making my children feel special and loved.”
Feedback from receiver agency workers… “I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity in providing my client with a Buddy Bag. It was a wonderful experience to see how much the child and mum appreciated this gift.” “The kids really enjoyed the Buddy Bags. It’s also good to see the bags were good quality and seen as cool.” “The children had so much fun exploring what was in the bags – so much laughter and noise – it was great!”
Buddy Bag feedback cards from child recipients
11
Success of the Intensive Support Program: Following the evaluation of this program and feedback from the families we have helped, we have noticed the following outcomes have been reached in many situations: • More cohesive family functioning • An ability to form healthy and enduring relationships including multiple family, social and community networks and circles of support • Treatment of any underlying physical or mental health issues and maintenance of overall healthy functioning • Recovery from trauma • Increased self esteem • A sense of optimism and resilience
Benefits occur to not only the children involved, but also their families and in turn the community. 1. Children who participate in the ISP benefit through the encouragement and guidance from professionals, who encourage them to form healthy and enduring relationships with multiple family, social and community networks and circles of support. 2. Families: through parental support, skills training and guidance aiming to achieve cohesive family functioning 3. The Community: children are taught ways in which they can learn and better connect to their community, enabling them to make positive choices in their lives and shaping a more healthy and productive future.
Success of The Refuge Therapeutic Support Program: Each refuge grant provides twelve months of program funding for the refuge centre. During this time, six-month evaluative questionnaires are completed by the Refuge Manager and Therapist, then a final report at the completion of the Program.
Evaluations have been conducted within refuges where grants were issued. While there were many differences in delivery, it is clear the therapeutic sessions have helped children to express the complicated emotions they were experiencing.
12 Feedback from the parents and carers of children participating in the sessions was also heartening; following the sessions they saw positive changes in their children’s behaviour, attitude and communication.
Are you aware of any other especially successful health promotion programs for schools or communities, from within Australia or overseas?
There are numerous successful health promotion programs within Australia and overseas.
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has had particular involvement with the National Safe Schools Framework (NSSF). In 2004/5, the Foundation ran a Best Practice Grants Program to examine ways in which schools were implementing the NSSF to combat bullying and increase students’ wellbeing. One hundred and seventy one schools participated and 97 projects formed the basis of an extensive and robust report to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) in 2006. The Foundation is currently represented on the National Reference Group for the review of the NSSF.
Other important health promoting programs within Australia include:
National Values program SunSmart Health Promoting Schools Calmer classrooms – State Govt of Victoria Heart Health, a community based program directed at behaviour change in the whole population.
Also of interest is Jamie Oliver’s School Dinners, from the United Kingdom, which, through clever lobbying, media involvement and Oliver’s own charisma, changed the eating habits in UK schools.
2 The role of schools in promoting healthy community living
Do you believe that schools should have a role in promoting healthy living in the wider community? Why or why not?
Nelson Mandela once said: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”
We strongly agree that schools should have a role in promoting emotional, physical and mental health to the wider community and the holistic approach of our own educational programs demonstrates this. eSmart and Better Buddies are built on a strong evidence-based understanding that schools are a powerful force for good in the lives of children. Strong attachment to their school can provide a child with stability in an otherwise unstable world, offering relationships, maintaining friendships, providing positive and enjoyable learning opportunities and ultimately building resilience and hope.18
Recovery from trauma will occur best in the context of healing relationships.19 For some children, those healing relationships occur only at school. There are clear
18 State Govt Victoria, Calmer Classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children. 19 State Govt Victoria, Calmer Classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children.
13 links between bullying and the other forms of violence manifesting in the community. By addressing these issues in the school arena, we have an ability to reduce these negative behaviours in order to promote healthy community living.
If schools are to have such a role, what models or mechanisms could they use?
If we regard connectedness to community structures and individuals as a protective factor for the development of resilience and growth of wellbeing in young people, then the decline of community cohesion and connectedness is a significant risk factor for children and young people.
Despite the growth in popularity of private schools, local government schools remain a major, unifying, community organisation. Although we are aware of the problems of the crowded curriculum, we nevertheless believe that schools can be a platform, providing approaches leading to improved community health.
The following guidelines have emerged from the last two decades of research, as success factors in school change initiatives:
Take a whole school approach Use multiple strategies Embed social and emotional learning in the curriculum Start early in a child’s life Plan for proper maintenance because long term programs work best Involve parents
Whole school approach
Research shows that adopting a whole-school approach is the most effective way to implement any school-based program that aims to address bullying and increase student safety and wellbeing. Whole school approaches are those that, under strong and effective leadership, develop and implement policies and programs through processes that engage the whole school community (NSSF, 2003). Policies give schools specificity as to what they should be doing and how they agree to go about it.
In particular, work undertaken by The Alannah and Madeline Foundation in conjunction with Deakin University has shown that whole school planning is a key feature leading to improved student wellbeing. A study of schools shown to have good student wellbeing outcomes and low levels of bullying (McGrath, Craig & Stanley, 2005) showed that the adoption of a whole-school approach was a key success feature. The same finding was made in a report on the outcomes of the National Safe Schools Framework Best Practice Grants Program (2006).
Whole school approaches ensure that there is a strong focus on partnerships with all members of the school community, all members share responsibility for initiatives, and that consistent language and responses are used. Programs and practices teaching students about health issues, bullying or social skills are integral to systems and curricula and are delivered to all students rather than to selected ones only. When approaches are the responsibility of the whole community, and embedded in policy and practice, program sustainability and maintenance are buffered against the loss of key people from the school community.
Multiple strategies
14 The research shows clearly that no single approach will work and programs with multiple strategies have a greater chance of success.
Programs that are embedded in the curriculum and the general life of the school are more effective than add-on programs. A barrier to the sustaining of any new school initiative is the already-crowded curriculum, and teachers’ perception that their core business is solely to help students achieve curriculum outcomes. However, if teachers can be brought to see that health-promoting initiatives – including social and emotional learning - can also achieve curriculum outcomes, then the new initiatives are more likely to be maintained over time and hence be more cost effective. A further benefit is that once teachers are trained, they can employ the newly acquired principles with subsequent classes
Start early in a child’s life
Most reviews of preventative research stress that programs that start when students are very young are more likely to be effective.
Plan for proper maintenance
Longer-term program implementation has significantly greater benefits than short-term preventative measures, and multi-year programs provide more opportunities for students to revisit key concepts in developmentally appropriate ways.
Parent and community involvement is important
Prevention programs that target the multiple domains of school, family and community work best.20
School leadership is critical
Where skilled and effective leaders work with staff to develop (or continue) a whole school vision based around an initiative and are observed by most of their school community to be leading by example, they are able to build a committed team who were all moving in the same direction. The NSSF, for instance, recognises that quality leadership is an essential element that underpins the creation of a safe and supportive school environment (NSSF, 2003).Schools and organisations are advised to use critical evidence-based approaches when they select particular health-promoting initiatives, and tailor these to the needs of their communities.
How could health, education and other organisations work together more effectively to coordinate health promotion activities between communities and schools?
In our view, the real problem is at least in part an attitudinal one. We must focus on prevention, but nothing will change unless attitudes change. What must occur is a complete re-think of community attitudes to health in all its expressions.
There must be effective communication and cooperation between government authorities at Federal or State/Territory level to develop a coordinated and effective approach to community health. This must be supported by policy and regulations that govern the way health issues are presented in the media.
20 (Dryfoos, 1990; Greenberg et al., 2003, Scheckner et al., 2002)
15
The Commercial Television Industry Code of Practice states that advertisements to Children for food and/or beverages (a) should not encourage or promote an inactive lifestyle combined with unhealthy eating or drinking habits; and (b) must not contain any misleading or incorrect information about the nutritional value of that Produce21
We recommend that this part of the code be more rigorously enforced.
The Federal Governments National Safe School Framework (NSSF) aims to provide a structure within which schools across Australia develop consistent responses to the problem of bullying in schools. It consists of a set of nationally agreed principles for safe and supportive school environments and includes appropriate responses to the issues of bullying, harassment, violence and child abuse and neglect. It was approved by all State and Territory Education ministers.
We recommend a similar initiative undertaken collaboratively by Federal, State and Territory Governments; a National Healthy Schools and Communities Framework would give schools, families, workplaces and wider communities a common language and understandings with which to develop a holistic understanding of healthy living. Centralising approaches and personnel in this way could free up much-needed resources to support schools in a united endeavour to improve community health. Such initiatives depend on partnerships between and within agencies, and across a range of government and non-government organisations.
Research into school effectiveness and the school reform agenda has identified practices that contribute to creating caring and supportive school communities where everyone feels safe and has a sense of belonging. A growing body of evidence is finding positive peer relationships as one of the most influential factors in improving school culture and student learning outcomes22 Students’ sense of interconnectedness appears to be critical to their acceptance of their responsibility for the wellbeing of others23 , and critical to the broader concept of community health and wellbeing.
A review of State Government Educational policy takes place to incorporate recent research into cyber safe schools.
o Any new policy development to be supported by adequate communications to schools and appropriate professional learning.
Collaborations need to be built between primary and secondary schools (at least), to say nothing of inter-sectoral cooperation. In the last ten years, primary schools have been proactive in addressing the issue of student health and while many secondary schools have made significant efforts in this direction, they are disparate organisationally and often have significantly larger numbers of staff and students: however, there is much to be gained for schools developing common approaches to community health.
Teacher training, both pre and in-service is important. Ongoing training would provide teachers, parents and community members with the latest
21 Television Industry Code of Practice, 2004, 2.10.1, Commercial p11 22 Benard, 2004; Battisch, 2001; Solomon, D., Battistich, V., Watson, M., Schaps, R. & Lewis, C. (2000). 23 Noble, T., in Bullying Solutions, Pearson Education, 2006.
16 evidence-based research. Conferences are an excellent avenue, but their catchment is relatively small.
We recommend that the State Government even more strongly supports the efforts of local governments, schools and community organisations in the areas of social inclusion strategies/community connectedness, and provides funds for professional learning in this area.
School planning also needs to consider the part community buildings and public spaces play in maintaining community. There needs to be an approach where facilities like libraries, community/civic centres, halls, arts centres, sports centres, childcare facilities, centres for older residents and community office space are clustered with primary and secondary schools to support and enhance our sense of community.
A system of registration for schools along the lines of the very successful SunSmart cultural change program or The Alannah and Madeline Foundations eSmart would encourage schools to address issues of obesity, childhood diabetes, heart disease and the growth of mental and emotional difficulties including depression. As mentioned above, The Alannah and Madeline Foundation has already completed preliminary planning of a cyber safety and wellbeing initiative, named eSmart. This will provide an organised way of delivering cultural change into schools. Any change initiative needs to be interactive, ongoing, accountable, outcome focused.
17
References
Battistich, V. (2001) Effects of an elementary school intervention on students’ “connectedness” to school and social adjustment during middle school. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, WA (April).
Belsey, B. Always On, Always Aware. Retrieved March 26thh, 2009 from:
Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency. What we have learned. San Francisco: WestEd.
BMJ 1998; 317:1608-1609, 12 December
Cross, D., Shaw, T., Hearn, L., Epstein, M., Monks, H., Lester, L., & Thomas, L. 2009. Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study (ACBPS). Child Health Promotion Research Centre, Edith Cowan University, Perth.
Dryfoos, J. (1990). Adolescents at risk: A summary of work in the field – programs and policies. In D. E. Rogers & E. Ginzberg (Eds.), Adolescents at risk: Medical and social perspectives (pp. 128–140). Westview Press San Francisco.
Greenberg, M., Weissberg, R., O’Brien, M., Zins, J., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H. & Elias, M. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional and academic learning. American Psychologist, 58, 466–474.
House, J.S., Landis, K.R., & Umberson, D. (1988) Social relationships and health. Science, 241, 540-545.
Noble, T., (2006), The core components of a school-wide safe schools framework, In Mc Grath H.& Noble T [eds], Bullying Solutions; Evidence-based Approaches for Australian Schools, Pearson Education, Sydney.
Reid, A. S. (2005) The Rise of third generation phones: The implications for child protection Information & Communication Technology Law, 14(2), 89-113.
Scheckner, S., Rollin, S. A., Kaiser-Ulrey, C. & Wagner, R. (2002), School violence in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of current interventions, Journal of School Violence, 1(2), 5–32.
State Govt Victoria, Calmer Classrooms: A guide to working with traumatised children.
Solomon, D., Battistich, V., Watson, M., Schaps, R. & Lewis, C. (2000), A six- district study of educational change: Direct and mediated effects of the Child Development Project. Social Psychology of Education, 4, 3–51.
Other websites
18
19