The South Australian Department for Education’s School Mental Health Service (SMHS) has recently been awarded a nation-first accreditation.

Assessed under the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations, designed by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the accreditation is based on the key standards of: Practice Governance, Partnering with Consumers, Families and Carers, and the Model of Care.

SMHS is the first education-based service in Australia to obtain accreditation against these standards.

Nuriootpa High School is one of 65 schools state-wide to have a SMHS Mental Health Practitioner onsite to provide support to students with emerging and mild to moderate mental health concerns.

Nuriootpa High School’s SMHS Mental Health Practitioner works as part of the school’s broader Wellbeing Team which also comprises two wellbeing leaders, a social worker, a wellbeing officer, two pastoral care workers and the Doctors on Campus team (GP and psychologist). The team also works closely in collaboration with the school’s Aboriginal Education Team to support the wellbeing of First Nation’s learners.

Read the full Department for Education Media Release or find out more about wellbeing at Nuriootpa High School.