Working with educators

To work with educators effectively you must understand their goals, needs and perspectives! So do your Home work!

Health promotion works best when educators and health workers:

support a whole school approach based on partnerships and active participation of all stakeholders, including students
aim for all health promotion work to have learning outcomes
operate within organisational goals and priorities
comply with all site policies, procedures and practices
respect each other's professional responsibility, knowledge and skills
apply an evidence-based best practice approach that includes feedback, monitoring and review

Use an Inquiry approach to find out what is already happening, what is working well, and building on strengths.

Clear communication is needed between health workers and schools. Health Promotion: Better Health, Better Learning checklist will assist with this.

Health promotion involves much more than providing information. In educational settings, there are opportunities for advocacy, mediation, and enabling children and young people to improve their health and wellbeing.

Health workers can be involved in:

building policies
creating supportive environments
strengthening community action
supporting the development of personal skills
reorienting the their services to schools and preschools

Health promotion work involves a much wider range of participants than students. In most instances information is provided by trained educators, but health workers can help build educators health promotion capacity and provide supporting resources.

Working with schools and preschools can:

take place in all year levels from preschool to Year 12
be at an individual school, district, regional or statewide level
involve parents, caregivers, educators and the wider community.

In all cases it is based on partnerships and influenced by personal relationships and previous experiences of working across sectors.

There are many opportunities to work with schools and preschools at a statewide, district or regional level.

Health workers, for example, can provide knowledge and expertise on committees that develop resources and policy, as was the case for the Eat well sa Schools and Preschools healthy eating guidelines.Health workers make sure policy is in line with current thinking and can also contribute to marketing and implementation.

Similarly, educators should be involved when health workers plan, implement or develop policies that involve schools and preschools.

For information about successful programs click on: Features of successful health promotion programs