Health and wellbeing staff in schools
Information about the health and wellbeing staff in Victorian government schools. Contact your school to see what support they have available.
On this page
- Student Support Services
- Nurses in Victorian schools
- Doctors in secondary schools
- Student welfare coordinators
- Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders (Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative)
- Chaplains
- Mental health practitioners
Student Support Services
Student Support Service are a team of health professionals who work together to help students. They focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable students or students who need special care.
The team can include:
- psychologists
- speech pathologists
- social workers.
A Student Support Service team may travel between different schools within an area.
Read more about Student Support Services school policy.
Nurses in Victorian schools
Nurses in primary schools
Nurses visit primary schools to:
- give health checks and advice
- put families in touch with community health services
- look out for students who may have health related learning difficulties.
This service is free and called the Primary School Nursing program.
If your child is in Prep, your school will send you a postcard about the program and information on how to access and complete a health questionnaire. The questionnaire helps the nurse look for any health issues. If the nurse has concerns, they will contact you to talk about options to help your child.
The school will also give you information on how your child’s health information will be used and protected under privacy law.
If you have concerns about your child’s health at any time, you can ask your school to have a nurse see your child.
Nurses in secondary schools
About two-thirds of Victorian government schools have a nurse on staff. Nurses usually work between two schools.
Secondary school nurses focus on:
- health promotion
- reducing risk taking behaviour. This includes drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, eating disorders, depression and suicide.
- connecting the school community with local health services
- primary care, such as health checks, consultations, and referrals to other services.
Read more about the Victorian School Nursing Program school policy.
Doctors in secondary schools
Each school term, doctors and nurses spend up to one day a week providing healthcare to students in 100 Victorian government secondary schools.
All students at these schools can see the doctor or nurse. The doctor will decide if the student is mature enough to attend the appointment or agree to medical treatment alone, or if a parent/carer must give consent. This is the same for all doctors in the community.
Parents/carers can go to an appointment with their child if the child agrees.
A student’s health information will be kept confidential unless they agree for it to be shared or it is allowed by law.
To find out which schools are participating in this program, visit Doctors in secondary schools.
Student welfare coordinators
Student Welfare Coordinators are in secondary schools. They help students with issues like:
- truancy
- bullying
- drug use
- family conflict
- depression.
They also work with other welfare professionals and agencies to help students.
If you have concerns about your child’s behaviour or learning, contact your school.
Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders (Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative)
By 2026, the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative will expand to every government and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria. Through MHiPS, schools are funded to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL).
MHWLs are Victorian Institute of Teaching registered teachers who lead a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff and families based on the needs of the school community. The MHWL role focuses on:
- mental health and wellbeing promotion
- prevention and
- early intervention.
It is not a clinical or allied health role. This means MHWLs:
- build the capacity of school staff to identify and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
- support the school to create clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services)
- coordinate targeted mental health support for students. This involves working with:
- regional staff
- school wellbeing and leadership teams
- teachers
- parents/carers
- external agencies.
- advocate for student voice and agency in their wellbeing and mental health needs.
Read more about the Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative.
Chaplains
Chaplains help students with emotional wellbeing through pastoral care. This is usually based on religious faith.
Schools choose if they have a chaplain as part of their staff. Contact your school for more information.
Read more about the Chaplaincy school policy.
Mental health practitioners
Every Victorian government secondary school campus will be funded to employ a suitably qualified mental health practitioner by the end of 2021.
Mental health practitioners are school-based roles who work flexibly, based on the needs and priorities of their school and students.
The mental health practitioner role provides an additional resource to the school’s existing wellbeing team and includes:
- contributing to whole-school approaches to mental health prevention and promotion
- provision of direct counselling support to students and other early intervention services
- coordination of supports for students with more complex needs.
Mental health practitioners provide short term intervention for students with mild to moderate mental health needs and liaise with the relevant internal and external services where students need more intensive support. Informed consent is sought before commencing intervention services.
Read more about Mental health practitioners in secondary schools.
Updated 26 March 2026
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