While the NSW Minister for Regional Health is applauding the $46.8 million NSW Government investment for students across NSW are being provided with critical school-based health and wellbeing support it is evident that the South East of NSW south of Bodalla has once again been overlooked.
The Minister advises that 87 highly trained School Wellbeing Nurses are now providing care and support to students in approximately 300 rural, regional and metropolitan schools across the state.
The support is justifiable and in recognition of the critical role that School Wellbeing Nurses play in identifying the health and social needs of students and their families, to then support and connect them with the services they need.
By having readily available health and wellbeing support is critical it is now widely accepted that wellbeing nurses make a difference to the lives of students.
In 2021-22, more than 3,400 primary and secondary school students were seen by a wellbeing nurse, with the majority of students living in rural and regional NSW. Wellbeing Nurses function as trusted figures within the school community providing a safe and confidential place for children, young people and their families to seek advice about health and wellbeing supports.
Wellbeing Nurse Wendy White said she was seeing the benefits of the program first-hand through her work with students and their families in the Murwillumbah community. “Working together with the school counsellor service, student support roles and the school principals and deputy principals, we have been able to improve outcomes for students by helping them connect with various support agencies in the community,” Ms White said.
“The support we’re able to provide to students has a positive flow-on effect with improved school performance and attendance, and better social connections between peers at school.
“We’re also helping students to become more aware of the mental health support services within their communities, by building the skills they will need once they leave school, setting them up for better self-advocacy both now and into their adult years.
“The schools I work with have embraced the health service working within the school space. The collaborative approach has been such a boost for students and their families.”
The NSW Government has committed $46.8 million over four years to June 2024 to fund 100 wellbeing nurses, who are employed by NSW Health and co-located in select metropolitan, regional and rural public schools.
These positions are in addition to the six wellbeing nurses funded by the NSW Government until June 2023 in Cooma, Deniliquin, Lithgow, Murwillumbah, Tumut and Young as part of a pilot program.
An interactive map showing the NSW public schools where wellbeing nurses are located is available on the NSW Health website.
Above: The quotient for Wellbeing Nurses in the Southern NSW Health district appears to disregard schools south of Bodalla. Given the impact of bushfires, the ongoing financial impact to South East families of Covid, and of the continuation of La Nina affecting primary production the decision to not extend the Wellbeing Nurse project further south needs explanation by the NSW Minister for Regional Health and Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor.
