Kiddipedia
With the new school year in full swing, the impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown have not been forgotten and has propelled a need for improved understanding and management of mental wellbeing for students.
The effects of lockdown have brought a toll on financial distress, employment, housing security, relationship and social connections or breakdowns. Experts are now predicting a “second epidemic” as the effects of pandemic begin to be felt and more complex mental health issues begin to surface. It comes as mental health service Headspace experienced a 50 percent rise in referrals for young people who were admitted to a hospital emergency department because of a mental health crisis.
In the past as a teacher, I found it difficult to know when to escalate a student to the Wellbeing team at my school. There would be times where a student appeared tired multiple days in a row, or they would radically change their social or dietary habits or give an offhand comment that made me wonder if there was more going on. Each of these things on their own could have been nothing, and I knew the overwhelming case load our wellbeing team was under.
Unfortunately, now I have firsthand experience with mental health concerns, I know that the earlier a concern is raised, the earlier meaningful intervention can take place. This responsibility for each other in an educational community – whether its students, teachers or parents is a part of what it is to have a real culture of care.
Posimente is a new platform developed to work alongside that culture of care to help educational communities easily identify, track, manage and garner insights into wellbeing within the student, teacher, and family dynamic. Anyone in an educational community is able to log any potential concerns – anything from seemingly harmless influences like sleep, physical health and friendships through to more severe issues like bullying, mental health and abuse. This means closing the gap between the important conversations and observations that are happening in classrooms and around kitchen tables, and the professional wellbeing team that may be embedded in a school. It also enables those teams with a stronger gauge on mental health and wellness following the impact of lockdown and the future worries and uncertainties.
The other important step that Posimente takes is that it gives schools the data points needed for more strategic proactive intervention. For example, if there are multiple concerns arising around bullying or anxiety within a particular cohort, a school can quickly intervene with programs or targeted action.
The platform is not only aimed at students but also enables the teaching staff and families to log concerns and seek help. Posimente gives everyone a voice and ensures that voice gets heard.
Dan Godden
Dan is a representative of Posimente and has worked as a primary school teacher prior to working as pastor with a church for 7 years. Dan is also president of his local schools P&C which his daughters attend.
