New Curriculum Leads on mental health and healthy relationships

Associate Education Minister Tracey Martin said:

“For too long, as identified in the last two ERO reports, a number of schools have struggled in this area of teaching. The Curriculum Leads, a new type of role based in regional Ministry of Education offices, will provide the specialist support that primary and secondary schools have been wanting and need in this area.”

Within each of the education regions, Curriculum Leads will be responsible for supporting schools, Boards of Trustees, teachers and kaiako to:

• "undertake effective consultation with school communities to shape their localised Health and Physical Education/Hauora implementation
• teach key concepts, ensure curriculum coverage and consistent implementation of the refreshed Sexuality Education Guidelines 2015 and Mental Health Education Guidelines, while maximising the primary prevention opportunities
• engage quality external providers and resources, if appropriate, that complements and enhances teacher-led delivery"

The programme funding also provides for resources for parents and whānau that will support their understanding of the importance of teaching and learning about mental health and healthy relationships. This is to enable families to provide support to their children at home.

The new roles are funded from a $32.8 million programme that will be delivered over four years and are the first part of a comprehensive wellbeing support package for the entire education sector.

Tracey Martin commented “It’s predicted that COVID-19 will have long-lasting impacts on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.”

Related research and reports

Education Review Office reports:

• Promoting wellbeing through sexuality education (2018)
• The teaching of sexuality education in Years 7 to 13 (2007)

ACC reports on the Mates & Dates programme:

• ACC Mates & Dates: Presentation of key survey findings 2018 (Synergia, 2018)
• Report on the 2016 Mates & Dates survey: Report for the Violence Prevention portfolio at ACC (Synergia, 2017)
• Evaluation of ACC's Mates and Dates: School-based healthy relationships primary prevention programme pilot (Lighthouse Consulting, 2015)
• Mates & Dates: Focus groups - a summary (ACC, 2015)

Guidelines:

• Mana Tangata Whenua: National Guidelines for Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion with Māori (Te Whāriki Takapou, 2016)
• Sexuality education: A guide for principals, boards of trustees and teachers (Ministry of Education, 2015)
  
• Relationship education programmes: Guide for schools (Ministry of Education, 2013)

Other resources:

• Indigenous (Māori) sexual health psychologies in New Zealand: Delivering culturally congruent sexuality education (Jade Le Grice & Virginia Braun, 2017)
• Te Toka Tūmoana: Supporting the Navigation of Indigenous Wellbeing in Colonised Waters - Presentation to IUSTI Asia Pacific Sexual Health Congress 2018, Tāmaki Mākaurau (Prof Leonie Pihama, 2018)
• Young people's experiences of sexuality education (New Zealand Family Planning, 2019)
• Fatumata Bah: Racism and Islamophobia are a mental health issue, Re:, 23.06.2020

Violence prevention, healthy relationships and sexuality education work currently being delivered in schools also includes:

• Jade Speaks Up - Violence Free Communities
• We Can Keep Safe - HELP Auckland
• Shine in School - Shine
• Loves-Me-Not - NZ Police
• Bodysafe - Rape Prevention Education
• Te Ira Tangata and Te Aitanga a Tiki - Te Whāriki Takapou
• Village Collective
• Shakti Youth

For further resorces, search sexuality education in the NZFVC library.

Relate media

More mental health help not enough, ODT, 23.06.2020