National Guidelines for inclusion of wellbeing in early childhood checks
Mental health concerns often begin during childhood and an estimated 50% of adult mental illness begins before 14 years of age.
The National Mental Health Commission is leading a project to develop National Guidelines to support states and territories to include wellbeing in early childhood health checks (National Guidelines project).
This project is due to be completed in late 2023.
The National Guidelines project complements the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and aligns with the Strategy’s principles:
Evidence indicates the first 2,000 days of life are a critical period, and interventions during this time can result in significant improvements to children’s early life experiences, health and development.
All states and territories include wellbeing milestones in their early childhood health checks. However, there is no nationally consistent approach. The introduction of National Guidelines would support consistency, assist in picking up emerging challenges children are experiencing, and help families access timely support and advice.
Project timeline
There are three phases to the project:
- Environmental scan: August to June 2023
- National Consultation: July to September 2023
- Finalisation of the National Guidelines: October to December 2023
Advisory Group
A project Advisory Group has been established to provide expertise, insights and advice on the development of National Guidelines. Members of the Advisory Group are:
Name | Organisation |
Professor Ngiare Brown, co-chair |
General Practitioner and Chair of the National Mental Health Commission Advisory Board |
Anne Hollonds, co-chair |
National Children’s Commissioner |
Kate Armstrong |
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) |
Adele Cox |
Secretariat of the National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) |
Professor Valsamma Eapen |
UNSW, Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry Southwest Sydney (AUCS), BestSTART |
Bronwyn Field |
Department of Health and Aged Care |
Emily Humphreys |
Parent/carer representative |
Associate Professor Nitin Kapur |
Paediatrician, Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) |
Brad Morgan |
Emerging Minds |
Professor Frank Oberklaid |
Paediatrician, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute |
Sharon O’Mara |
Child and Young People with Disability Australia |
Dr Marshall Watson |
Psychiatrist, Telethon Kids Institute |
Dr Nicole White |
General Practitioner, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) |
Louise Wightman |
Maternal Child and Family Health Nurses Australia |
Get involved
The Commission has engaged The Australian Centre for Social Innovation to undertake a national consultation process, including an online survey and a series of workshops with key stakeholders to inform the development of the National Guidelines. The survey ran from July to August and is now closed. National workshops are being held throughout August and September 2023.
Enquiries relating to the National Guidelines project can be directed to [email protected]
FAQs
The National Mental Health Commission provides cross-sectoral leadership on policy, programs, services and systems that support better mental health and social and emotional wellbeing in Australia.
There are three main strands to the Commission’s work: monitoring and reporting on Australia’s mental health and suicide prevention systems; providing independent advice to government and the community; and acting as a catalyst for change.
This work supports the Commission’s launch of the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
The Strategy is the first of its kind, with a focus on children from birth through to 12 years of age, as well as the families and communities that nurture them. The Children’s Strategy provides the framework and foundations for lifelong mental health and wellbeing for children and provides recommendations on how children’s wellbeing can be supported by families, communities, education settings and the service system.
The Strategy is a call to action for a fundamental, cultural shift in the way we think about mental health and wellbeing for children.
This shift includes thinking more broadly about children’s experiences along a wellbeing continuum. Children’s emotional experiences cannot always be distinctly defined as well or unwell, as there are varying levels of mental health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is more accurate to describe emotional experiences as falling along a continuum. We want to advocate for language that recognises that mental health is experienced on a continuum, and that a diagnosis should not be a prerequisite to supporting children who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.
This project focuses on the development of National Guidelines for states and territories to operationalise. It is not intended that the Guidelines would contain screening or assessment tools for social and emotional wellbeing in early childhood.
This project has a multi-phase approach with a focus on consultation throughout the process. In Phase 1, we focused on speaking with state and territory governments and stakeholders with subject matter expertise.
In Phase 2, we are looking to engage with a broad range of stakeholders which cover all the touchpoints of early childhood, including parents, families and carers, GPs, nurses and health workers, early childhood educators, and peak bodies and professional associations.
The Commission is funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care to lead this project.