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Strengthening student social and emotional wellbeing and preventing bullying behaviours: Insights from 20 years of Friendly Schools research in Australian schools.

Strong evidence supports our current understandings of student bullying behaviours and ways schools can prevent and respond effectively to bullying behaviour. In the late 1990’s, however, little was understood about the most effective ways to reduce bullying in Australian schools. In response to schools’ need for evidence-informed action, a pipeline of research called Friendly Schools was initiated in 1999 which for the past twenty years, has provided robust whole-school evidence-based knowledge and skills to support policy makers, school staff and other practitioners working in schools and families across Australia.

Basic epidemiology of wellbeing among children and adolescents: A cross-sectional population level study

Wellbeing and mental health are fundamental rights of children and adolescents essential for sustainable development. Understanding the epidemiology of child and adolescent wellbeing is essential to informing population health approaches to improving wellbeing and preventing mental illness.

Review of the quality of evidence for preschool and school-based programs to support social and emotional skills, perseverance and academic self-concept

This project provides guidance to help school leaders review the evidence for different programs, as well as a review of universal, evidence-based pre-school and school-based social and emotional learning programs available in Australia.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course (Life Course Centre or LCC)

The Life Course Centre is a national centre funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence Scheme and hosted through the University of Queensland with collaborating nodes at the University of Western Australia, Sydney University and University of Melbourne.

Western Australian Child Development Atlas

We know that place, location, and geography can all influence health, wellbeing, and disease, and thus are important factors in policy development and service planning.

Associations between mental health profiles and later school outcomes

The dual-factor model of mental health proposes that high wellbeing and low distress are necessary to define mental health. This study used latent profile analysis to identify mental health profiles in a sample of 3,587 Australian grade 6 students and explored the association between mental health profiles and school outcomes measured in grades 7 and 9.

Protecting and promoting young people's social and emotional health in online and offline contexts

Young people’s use of mobile phones and access to the Internet has increased dramatically in the last decade, especially among those aged 9–15 years. Young people now rely on information and communication technology for much of their social interaction, which can have both positive and negative effects on their social and emotional well-being. Of particular concern is the extent to which digital technology (DT) provides opportunities for cyberbullying. 

Preschool children’s physical activity in the home, childcare and neighbourhood environment: A latent profile analysis using device-based measures

Based on the socioecological conceptual model, the physical environment within the home, childcare and neighbourhood domains are key factors that influence preschool children's physical activity; however, the relative importance of each of these domains for preschool children's physical activity is unclear.

Parents’ attitudes towards the No Jab No Play legislation in Western Australia: a mixed methods study

Mandates provide a relatively cost-effective strategy to increase vaccinate rates. Since 2014, five Australian states have implemented No Jab No Play (NJPlay) policies that require children to be fully immunised to attend early childhood education and childcare services. In Western Australia, where this study was conducted, NJNPlay legislation was enacted in 2019. 

Minority stressors, traumatic events, and associations with mental health and school climate among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia: Findings from a nationally representative cohort study

Population-level, nationally representative data on the prevalence of minority stressors and traumatic events, mental ill-health effects, and the preventative utility of school climate, among gender and sexuality diverse young people in Australia, is significantly lacking.