Wellbeing nurses will support students at Condobolin Public School and Condobolin High School through the Wellbeing and Health In-reach Nurse (WHIN) Coordinator program.
The NSW Government has committed $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.
“I’m really pleased the NSW Government is continuing our investment into this incredibly successful wellbeing program,” Duty MLC for Barwon Stephen Lawrence said.
“Participating schools such as Bourke High School, Walgett Community College and Coonabarabran Public School are carefully chosen to make sure that wellbeing nurses are available to the communities who need them most.”
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.”
More NSW children in the Barwon electorate will have access to important wellbeing support at school through the WHIN Program.
“These wellbeing nurses play a vital role in our schools, helping students and their families to access mental health support and high quality, compassionate healthcare,” NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said.
“We know wellbeing nurses are effective in assisting students and their families to access care for health and wellbeing needs they otherwise would not receive, so I’m proud thousands of children and young people across NSW will continue to benefit from this important service.”
The NSW Government has also committed to increasing the number of counsellors in schools, ensuring an additional 250 counsellors will be recruited.