Four KidsMatter Components keep mental health in focus

Everything you do with KidsMatter influences children’s mental health and wellbeing: each component helps you focus on a different part of the picture.

Initially it can be hard to put all the bits of the KidsMatter Framework together. As you work through the Framework, you will notice the components:

each have a different focus

encourage you to consider differentperspectives

build on from the each other

are complementary in many ways

The ripple effects of actions undertaken for any component can be far reaching and when combined with practices stemming from other components, there can be even greater outcomes for the mental health and wellbeing of all children, families and educators.

Identifying connections between the four components supports your engagement with KidsMatter and promotes a whole-of-service approach. We have highlighted 5 of our top ways the components connect for you.

Five ways the KidsMatter components connect

1. Relationships are essentialA Guiding Principle of KidsMatter is that children’s mental health develops within sensitive, nurturingand responsive relationships. Relationships between children, educators, families, and the widercommunity are essential in each component:

In Component 1, creating a community that supports mental health requires nurturing,positive relationships. Achieving such a community supports children to feel respected andvalued and promotes feelings of belonging and connection for everyone.

Component 2 highlights how educators, through relationships, can provide valuableopportunities to support all aspects of children’s learning and development.

Partnerships between educators and families, and relationships between families, are thefocus of Component 3.

The emphasis of Component 4 is on supporting children who are experiencing mental healthdifficulties. Strong relationships enable families and educators to work together and supportconnections with mental health professionals, when necessary.

2. Embedding a whole-of-service approach

Having a whole-of-service commitment to each component of KidsMatter Early Childhood encourages the sharing of skills, knowledge, resources and a sense of unity through working towards common goals.

Whole-of-service actions that demonstrate children’s mental health is a priority include:

creating a place where people feel welcome and respected

strengthening and prioritising relationships with children and families

supporting children’s social and emotional development

committing to working in partnership with families

understanding about mental health and knowing how to respond when difficulties occur.

3. Using a mental health lens to set goals and review progress

‘Plan–Do–Review’, the continual cycle of goal planning, setting, implementing and monitoring, underpins KidsMatter. It might be second nature to you now!

‘Plan–Do–Review’ encourages reflection through a mental health lens to generate ideas, set goals and review current policies and practice. It also highlights how individual and combined actions resulting from implementing KidsMatter to support children’s mental health.

By linking or embedding ‘Plan―Do―Review’ process to Quality Improvement Plans you can demonstrate how goals overlap and change accumulates. The goals your service identifies—such as building relationships or supporting children’s social and emotional skills, all work together to support children’s mental health.

4. Encouraging reflection on policies and practices

Reflecting on learning throughout KidsMatter can lead to the review of policies and practices.

Places to start include your Statement of Philosophy and other existing practices in your service that explicitly support children’s mental health.

Another option is to review those with more subtle connections to mental health and consider the extent they reflect your service’s commitment to mental health and wellbeing.

Such policies or practices could include those that:

support new families in your service

enable educators to capitalise on everyday moments they share with children

determine how information sharing occurs

relate to marking milestones or times of transition

Your reflections could also result in the development of additional policies or practices.

Your reflections could also result in the development of additional policies or practices.

5. Supporting Change

Within each component, KidsMatter offers a guided approach for implementing or supporting

change.

Intended or unplanned change may occur in many areas, including:

organisational culture

relationships across your service

the physical environment

systems, processes and practice

individual and collective attitudes, knowledge and skills

reflective conversations and professional learning

curriculum decisions to support children’s social and emotional learning

Whether big or small, change, and how we support it, can influence mental health and wellbeing.

Is there anything you need from your Facilitator?

You can call, email or arrange a video conference with your Facilitator, or get in touch on our Facebook page.

Reflective Questions

How far has your team come in embedding KidsMatter as a whole-service approach?

Think about a change you made to support children’s mental health. Have you been surprised by the ripple effect of your actions?

When you consider changes through a KidsMatter lens, has it involved all four Components?

Has one Component been most influential?