Opinion: Teachers first responders as student wellbeing crisis deepens

Teachers are navigating a rise in student anxiety, behavioural challenges and trauma, writes Lee Casuscelli.

NEWS: Generic pic of a teacher standing at the blackboard while talking to students in a classroom.

Across Queensland, young people are feeling the weight of a system under strain.

Statistics out this week show that more Australian children than ever are being diagnosed with autism.

In addition to these statistics, the Future Healthy Countdown 2030, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, reveals children’s wellbeing has stagnated or declined across 21 of 22 key measures, from school readiness and obesity to mental health and academic outcomes.

It’s a sobering snapshot, and one that demands collective, urgent action.

The 2024 Young & Wise report, one of the most comprehensive snapshots of youth wellbeing in Australia, tells a story of rising mental health challenges, social disconnection and declining optimism.

Based on five years of data from more than 10,000 young Australians, the report found just 38 per cent of 14 to 17-year-olds believe schools are doing a good job supporting wellbeing.

In Queensland, where educational disadvantage remains entrenched in many communities, these findings feel especially urgent.

Educators across the state are already feeling the pressure. Teachers are navigating a rise in student anxiety, behavioural challenges and trauma – often without the specialist support they need. It’s no longer just about delivering curriculum.

Teachers are case managers, first responders, cultural translators and trusted adults in children’s lives. And they’re exhausted.

At Schools Plus, we see this complexity every day.

Through our partnerships with schools across Queensland and nationally, we work alongside educators doing everything they can to support students, often with limited time, staffing or specialist services.

As a national not-for-profit, our mission is to help break cycles of disadvantage by equipping schools with the programs, funding and expert support they need to give every child the opportunity to thrive.

Wellbeing is now the top concern for schools, especially in under-resourced communities.

Our Every Child, Every Opportunity report highlighted the need for dedicated wellbeing co-ordinators to help schools embed mental health support into the school day.

Done well, these roles can shift the load off teachers and improve access to support for students.

But they need more than good intentions; they require proper training, service linkages and a clear understanding of impact beyond just headcounts.

These recommendations are echoed in the ARACY Young & Wise Report 2024, based on five years of data from more than 10,000 young Australians.

It calls for mental health and wellbeing literacy to be embedded across all learning settings – starting in early childhood – and for student voices to be actively included in school and policy design.

Wellbeing challenges don’t stop at students.

Teacher stress and burnout are at record highs, driven by growing emotional labour and administrative overload.

Real change will come only when we reduce red tape and create time for impactful professional learning.

The issues facing our classrooms are layered and complex, and the solutions must be too.

It will take a co-ordinated effort across government, philanthropy, education and health to weave together student support, teacher wellbeing, family engagement and community partnerships.

As the Future Healthy report notes, the good news is, we know what works.

The solutions are within reach.

And the community is ready for change.

To strengthen the fabric of education, we must look at every thread that holds it together. Because when every strand is supported, from teachers to students, families to communities, we create a school system where every child can thrive.

Lee Casuscelli is education director for Australian Schools Plus

Originally published as Opinion: Teachers first responders as student wellbeing crisis deepens