5 questions about the Student Wellbeing Boost funding

The Student Wellbeing Boost funding is a one-off grant from the federal government. Here are five of the most commonly asked questions about this grant.

1. What is the Student Wellbeing Boost funding?

The Student Wellbeing Boost funding is a one-off grant from the federal government that aims to support students following the mental health impacts caused by the COVID pandemic.

The $192m funding boost is being shared between all school sectors: government, independent and Catholic schools, including high schools and primary schools, across Australia.

The amount of your school’s boost depends on a range of factors such as your school size and student demographic. State governments can decide how to allocate the funds among schools. In Queensland, for example, where the funds have already been allocated schools received a one-off payment of either $10,000, $19,095 or $50,000.

2. How can you use the funding?

The funding needs to go towards mental health and wellbeing resources and initiatives. There is a lot of scope within this for your school to decide how to spend the funds.

The Australian Government has said you can use it for:

• proven student wellbeing, student engagement and mental health initiatives.
• extra school mental health professionals, such as psychologists and school counsellors.
• camps, excursions, sporting and social activities that improve students’ wellbeing.

The South Australian Department of Education has encouraged schools in their state to use the wellbeing programs directory to make an informed choice.

The NSW Department of Education has a wellbeing programs directory, which is a good starting point for selecting a quality-assured wellbeing program.

The Peer Support Program is one of the programs included in these two directories.

3. Can you use the funding for Peer Support?

Yes. Peer Support is an ideal use of your Student Wellbeing Boost.

There are many reasons to allocate funding to Peer Support:

• It’s cost-effective. We are a not-for-profit that keeps our fees low so we can serve our purpose of supporting all students to reach their full potential.
• It’s quality assured by Departments of Education in several states.
• The program is backed by evidence and 50 years of practice.
• The outcomes are profound, on both school culture and individual students.
• It impacts all students across the school.

Already running the Peer Support program? Further embed a culture of connectedness, student voice, and wellbeing in your school with Peer Support support services. We offer in-school training, professional development, wellbeing strategy consultation, and SRC coordinator training.

4. When will your school get its Student Wellbeing Boost funding?

The funds are being rolled out to each state at different times by their respective governments. The Australian Government has distributed the funds to each state government. Some states have already distributed their funds, while others are still waiting.

Which schools have received their funding? We are aware schools in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, and Northern Territory have received their funds.

We expect every school to receive their funding this term. You do not need to apply for the funds. Government schools are getting their funds automatically deposited into their school bank account. However, we haven’t had confirmation for how independent and Catholic schools’ funds are being distributed.  

5. When do we need to spend it by?

You need to spend the funds, or have committed to spend it, by March 2024. The funding needs to be spent in full by 30 June 2024.

Find out more with our free webinar

We recently hosted a webinar, Student Wellbeing Boost: Build Whole School Wellbeing Using A Peer Led Approach. Would you like a free copy of the 30-minute recording?

The event covered details about the funding boost and how you can use it to support the mental health and wellbeing of all students at your school.

We shared insights into:

• How you can use your Student Wellbeing Boost.
• Evidence-based ways to build whole-of-school student wellbeing.
• The different modules and resources available with the Peer Support Program.
• The programs and services available from Peer Support Australia.

Please use the button below watch the webinar recording.