The Andrews Labor Government will boost mental health and wellbeing support at Victorian schools, ensuring kids have access to a full suite of mental health tools to thrive at school and in life, as a key response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System gets underway.

Minister for Education and Mental Health James Merlino today invited providers in the student mental health and wellbeing sector to sign-up to deliver their services in Victorian schools, as part of the full Schools Mental Health Fund Menu.

The new Menu underpins the Labor Government’s $200 million Schools Mental Health Fund, providing funding for resources and initiatives to better support student mental health.

It will allow schools to select evidence-based programs and initiatives from the full online Menu across three tiers of intervention, including positive mental health promotion, early intervention and cohort specific initiatives and targeted support.

The interim Menu was released in 2021 and features positive mental health promotion items such as wellbeing dogs and training for teachers in trauma-informed practice. The Schools Mental Health Fund will be rolled out to all government schools, starting in regional Victoria in mid-2022 and across the state by 2024.

Providers across the student mental health and wellbeing sector can submit via the Buying For Victoria Tenders Portal before Monday, 9 May 2022.

To find out more about the Schools Mental Health Fund and Menu visit www.education.vic.gov.au.