MHiPS case study featured at the launch of the Voice of the Child toolkit
- Published
- Monday, July 28, 2025 - 12:00 PM
Voice of the Child facilitator, Lisa Haythorpe, has been featured in the latest webinar from the Centre for Community Child Health launching the Voice of the Child toolkit. Lisa outlines how the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) evaluation embedded children’s voices to understand what they knew about mental health and wellbeing, and what resources and supports were available to them at school.
The Voice of the Child toolkit is an evidence-based resource designed for researchers, service providers, clinicians and others keen to involve children and young people in their work – whether they are just starting out or looking to expand their skills.
In 2023, the MHiPS team used principles outlined in the toolkit to conduct focus groups with 65 primary school students from 14 schools as part of their evaluation.
Students were presented with a fictional scenario of a student experiencing difficulties at school. They were asked various questions about how the character might feel and what could be done to help that student. Students shared their ideas and answers by drawing, painting or creating characters from paper, rocks or Play-Doh during group discussion and one-to-one conversations.
We gratefully acknowledge the Victorian Department of Education, The Ian Potter Foundation, Tim Fairfax Family Foundation, Helen McPherson Smith Trust, SALT Catalyst, Bupa, The Ross Trust, the R.M. Ansett Trust, The Bryan Foundation and the Shepherd Foundation for their support of the MHiPS initiative.