Wellbeing nurses will support students at Lake Cargelligo Central School through the Wellbeing and Health In-reach Nurse (WHIN) Coordinator program.
The NSW Government has committed committing $60 million over four years to ensure the Program’s continued success.
Since the program started in 2018, more than 10,000 students have been supported by wellbeing nurses.
Around 100 wellbeing nurses are spread across metro, rural and regional areas of NSW working in about 400 public schools, potentially giving 150,000 students access to their important service.
“I am very pleased to announce the continuation of this program, as we know students receiving support from wellbeing nurses experience improved health outcomes and better education engagement,” NSW Premier Chris Minns stated.
“Wellbeing nurses work closely with school wellbeing and learning support teams to connect students and their families to health and community services.”
The WHIN Coordinator program is a joint initiative of NSW Health and the NSW Department of Education and establishes wellbeing nurses in public primary and secondary schools to coordinate appropriate early intervention, assessments and referral to health and social services.
“I am delighted to see this successful program will continue, providing students in around 400 public schools with ongoing access to support through a wellbeing nurse,” NSW Minister for Education Prue Car explained.
“This program facilitates connections for our students and families to access high quality wellbeing support with local health care services.”
The NSW Government has also committed to increasing the number of counsellors in schools, ensuring an additional 250 counsellors will be recruited.