Section 8: Supporting children’s mental health The need for additional supports in the last two years was also raised directly by children with a disability and special learning needs in their free-text responses. For instance, help with schoolwork was commonly discussed: to get I nee de d for my assesse d xia an d dysle ia h p a r g s dy ot ut that g is h in 2020 b il 2021. T t n u f f o put cho ol back at s e m ld e h in 2021. WA ed 9–11, —Girl, ag I nee d e d mor e learnin g as I help w ith ha learnin g disab ve a ilit was un able to y an d I reso ur ces fro access the m scho —Boy, ol. aged 16– with a disabil 17, ity, VIC ity disabil 8.7 Mental health and wellbeing support in schools The pandemic has highlighted the important role of schools in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children. In Australia, more than 4 million children attend school, making them a significant influence in a child’s life and broader development.52 The survey asked whether children felt that their school had supported their mental health and wellbeing over the last two years. Almost 1 in 3 children (30%) who answered this question felt their school supported their mental health and wellbeing. Figure 30: Children’s survey: did children feel that their teachers and schools had supported their mental health and wellbeing over the last two years? 32% • 20% of children aged 16–17 stated that did not feel supported. This may be reflective of the increased responsibilities felt by older children (see section 7.3). • 19% of children with disabilities did not feel supported, potentially as remote learning did not meet their specific needs. • for scho ol n i t r po ts for e d sup I nee d le a djustmen ab reason disability. g 6–17, aged 1 LD learnin —Girl, ,Q with a Some groups were more likely to indicate they felt unsupported by their schools: 30% Yes, I felt supported by my school (n=1377) No, I did not feel supported by my school (n=646) I don’t know (n=1071) Did not answer question (n=1465) 30% of children who identify as non-binary or other indicated they felt unsupported by their teachers and schools. This is more than double the general sample (14%). As one child described: I feel like they (sc ho ols) push our mental health asid e because we are so yo ung, apart fr om so me little speeches that don’t do anything, the only times they ac tually bother helping is if yo u ha ve a diagnose d mental disorder. Ap art from that they think I’m just not bothering to pay attention. Ther e is also a lot of sexism mainly from boys, I am a transgen der boy so I was born in the bo dy of a girl an d I have to be really careful who I tell or I w ill probably be bullied and discrim inated against. —Child who identifie s as non-binary or other aged 9–11 , NSW In response to the same question about the support of schools, parents/guardians and grandparents were divided evenly. 33% felt their child’s school offered support for their child’s mental health and wellbeing, 33% felt their child’s school did not offer adequate support, 18% stated that they did not know, and 16% did not answer the question. In open-ended questions on schools and their support for mental health, children also shared positive things that their school and teachers did to help them during the pandemic. Some schools retained these wellbeing activities after school resumed face-to-face. For example, a few children spoke about teachers doing regular wellbeing checks, and holding ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’: l ha d a My scho o e dnesday ’ sW ‘Wellnes con d ever y se ld take o we co u s , y a d s e We dn ote fro m rem me a break set us so y e h T . g learnin like ctivities min dful a ening to calming list an d draw ing, s, co oking r le z z u p , music e. Ou like thos s g in h t va fun a de pavlo m e w – ter family tree plat s a m t is r s (not an d a Ch ing game s. y la p s a o urse as well bstacle c o d n a ) e a onlin from ed 9–11, —Girl, ag ethnic ultural or specific c nd, NSW backgrou Well-b ei We dne ng We dnesd a sdays we wo y on able t uld be o do w ha wante d w ith tever we in kept w ell-be reason. They ing We dnesda —Girl, y. ag ed 12– 13, NS W 14% 23% 104 | ‘Mental health shapes my life’: COVID-19 & kids’ wellbeing • 2022 | 105