Mountain Creek State High School student services faculty consists of guidance officers, chaplains, a school based youth health nurse and a vocational education officer (enquires about school based traineeships). Student services staff work with Heads of Sub School to ensure the wellbeing of students and their families. Students who feel connected to their school and are taught resilience to deal with life’s challenges have enhanced learning potential. Supportive parenting is the most significant source of student wellbeing, in addition to this; our school provides services in a confidential setting to students and their families when challenges arise.
Examples of some areas student services staff assist heads of sub-schools include:
Helping students adjust to a new school.
Arranging school support for students with chronic illnesses.
Helping students manage stress and anxiety at school.
Recognition of and referral to appropriate professionals for students whose mental health is at risk.
Liaising and working with parents, teaching staff, to assist students who are having difficulties with school, home or health.
Help for parents and teachers who would like assistance and advice in developing positive behaviours in young people in their care.
Assisting students who are experiencing conflict at home or at school.
Assisting students struggling with grief and loss, friendship issues, or who seek help to develop their resilience to deal with life’s challenges.
Some problems may be better dealt with other professionals in the school or community. Mountain Creek State High School is very fortunate to be part of ‘SCEdlinQ.
The SCEdlinQ initiative aims to improve the partnership between child youth mental health services, primary care, school communities and other mental health services in order to enhance prevention, early detection, support and access to referral pathways for school aged children and young people experiencing mental illness or an indicated potential to do so. Early intervention for mental illness refers to interventions targeting individuals who are at risk of, or are displaying the early signs and symptoms of a mental illness, or people experiencing a first episode of a mental illness. The SCedlinQ initiative is oriented toward early intervention and aims to minimise the severity of emerging mental illness by enhancing protective factors and reducing risk factors.
If the young person agrees, student services staff can also work with health professionals in the community to help with their problems. These professionals might include:
Apart from seeing young people on an individual basis, student services staff work with the school community to identify and act on issues that may affect the health of students and the school community as a whole. This includes helping with curriculum, teaching and learning activities, supporting the development of an environment and school culture that supports health and wellbeing, and working with the community and other services.
Confidentiality
Student service staff keep information confidential (not talking about it to other people) unless the young person agrees they can do otherwise. However, if staff believe the young person is at risk of being hurt or hurting themselves or someone else, they will need to act on this information. If staff feel it is best to talk to someone else about the problem, they will explain reasons why and talk with the young person about this. In most cases, it is best for young people to also talk to their parents about any problems and concerns they have, and student services staff can help them to do this.
Location
Student services staff can be found in the student services building (where the uniform shop is located).
Accessing services
Heads of Sub School (HOSS) are responsible for pastoral care of students and generally students and/or their family are referred to student services via an appointment with HOSS. If the matter is of a nature that a student/family member wishes to self-refer or they wish to discuss school based traineeships directly with vocational education officer, this can be done by contacting student services (07) 5457 8304.