Health Promotion in Education and Care

Background

The Centre for Health Promotion has been working in partnership with other health agencies since the mid 1990s to raise awareness and understanding of the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach to school health promotion. This is an internationally recognised approach to addressing school health which was developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is based on best practice, health promotion principles and focuses on whole school approaches which encourage involvement from everyone within the school community and link to the school vision and plan.

Education professionals are now much more aware of the HPS approach and the South Australian Department for Education and Children's Services promotes it within their Learner Wellbeing Framework. However, for this to become the universal approach to school health promotion, a more coordinated and integrated system for the implementation of school health is needed from the highest level of both the health and education sectors.

Program aim

Our Health Promotion in Education and Care program aims to increase best practice health promotion in education and care settings across SA.

We use a capacity building approach to bring about the organisational change needed. The program uses a number of strategies for each component of the capacity building framework.

The components are:

leadership
partnerships
resource allocation
workforce, and
organisational development.

Strategies

In the first 2 years the Program has:

established an inter-sectoral, inter-agency taskforce
developed a high-level, strategic charter, providing the political support necessary for change
raised awareness within the health and education sectors and
developed an implementation plan.

This work has been acknowledged internationally as an exemplar of best-practice school health promotion policy development.

In 2009 shared workforce development sessions are planned for health and education managers and staff. An Action Research Project is also being planned to take place within a rural and metropolitan setting. It will be designed and implemented with local education and health workers and community members, and be supported and led by Associate Professor Lawrence St Leger, a world expert in HPS. This will inform the development of a best practice model for a broader state-wide rollout of the initiative and the procedures and policies needed to support it.

Publications and resources that support this program area:

The ‘Health Promotion: Better Health, Better Learning' information for health workers working with schools and preschools and Guidelines and Checklist.
The School Mapping and Reviewing Tool (SMART) online survey which raises awareness about the HPS approach and assists with planning and implementing health promotion initiatives.
The Human Race a web based curriculum resource for school communities supporting physical activity, healthy eating and wellbeing.
'Virtually Healthy' a health promotion newsletter for education and health services.
Sahpsnet an electronic network for education and health professionals interested in health promotion in schools and care settings.
The Protocols and Guidelines for HPS have been developed by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education based on extensive evidence about what works best when implementing the HPS approach. The protocols can assist health and education workers to become more effective and strategic when undertaking school health programs.
Absolutely Every Body: A health promoting schools approach to promoting and developing healthy weight and healthy body image.