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  1. Programs Directory

Friendly Schools

Telethon Kids Institute

Friendly Schools is a social and emotional wellbeing and bullying prevention initiative for primary and secondary schools.
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4/4 Evidence

The evidence rating is scored out of 4 and provides an assessment of the evidence underpinning the program.

4/4 Implementation

The implementation rating is scored out of 4 and provides an assessment of the program's training, support and acceptability by participants and instructors.

  • Overview
  • Cost
  • Structure
  • Organisation
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Contact program Back to top

Overview

Alignment with Be You Domains

  • Mentally Healthy Communities

  • Family Partnerships

  • Learning Resilience

  • Early Support

Alignment with Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

  • Children have a strong sense of identity
  • Children have a strong sense of wellbeing

Alignment with Australian Curriculum

  • English
  • Health and PE
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Languages
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Technologies
  • The Arts

Target audience

  • Early learning
  • Primary school
  • Secondary school

Target groups

  • Individual
  • Small group
  • Whole class
  • Whole school

Aims

Friendly Schools is a strengths-based social and emotional wellbeing and bullying prevention initiative for schools. The initiative aims to provide schools, teachers and families with evidence of the most effective ways to promote social and emotional wellbeing, and prevent, manage and respond to bullying behaviours. Friendly Schools also builds school leadership capacity to implement the initiative process. Toolkits are available to help inform school decision-making and to ensure strategies are relevant. Friendly Schools targets the whole school community, and helps schools to build their own capacity for change.

Program theory

The Friendly Schools program uses the social ecological theory and family systems theories. Social ecological theory acknowledges that health risks are not direct outcomes of individual behaviours but emerge from complex interactions between young people and the contexts in which they live. The Friendly Schools intervention targets risk and protective factors at the individual, family, peer, classroom, school, online and community levels. Family systems theories emphasise the impact of functional and behavioural family patterns on the behaviour of individuals, and school-based efforts to address bullying and cyberbullying are therefore more successful when they engage with parents and families.

Topics

The main topics covered in Friendly Schools include bullying, cyberbullying and social and emotional wellbeing. The initiative addresses the three dimensions of social and emotional wellbeing (emotional wellbeing, psychological wellbeing and social wellbeing) through five focus areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and social decision-making.

Cost

Primary Complete Pack $350; Classroom-only Primary Years $110; Whole-School Complete Pack $475. Information, resources and tools are also freely accessible on the website for school leaders, teachers, students and families.

Program structure

The Friendly Schools initiative is designed as a staged process, where each stage builds upon the others. Friendly Schools builds the capacity of the whole-school community to address social and emotional wellbeing and bullying, works with families to improve understanding and self-efficacy to discuss bullying with their children, and provides learning resources and teaching support for students and their teachers. The Friendly Schools Implementation Road Map guides schools through their implementation journey, from getting ready to reviewing and sustaining outcomes. The Evidence for Practice is a guide to the implementation process, and provides information, strategies and resources from Australian schools.

Instructor

Not provided

Instructor training

Three-day training for accredited external trainers; one-day training for school coordinating teams.

Supporting resources or materials available with program

  • Manual
  • Online webinars
  • Workbook

Other materials

Electronic files

Ongoing support

Annual booster training sessions are available for instructors.

Parent involvement

  • Attend information sessions
  • Attend program sessions with child
  • Follow-up information provided after program
  • Written information provided to parents

Origin of program

Australia

Telethon Kids Institute

Program authors

Telethon Kids Institute, Curtin University and Edith Cowan University

Address
Northern Entrance, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue,Nedlands WA 6009 Australia
Phone
+610863191000
Email
friendlyschools.smb@telethonkids.org.au
website
Visit website

Ratings

4/4 Evidence

The evidence rating is scored out of 4 and provides an assessment of the evidence underpinning the program.

4/4 Implementation

The implementation rating is scored out of 4 and provides an assessment of the program's training, support and acceptability by participants and instructors.

Summary of evidence factors

This is a summary of the evaluation or research study characteristics that contribute to the program’s evidence rating.

Positive impact on at least one outcome for children and/or young people?

The study reported positive outcomes.

Yes
Link between program description and theory of change

Theory of change refers to whether there was a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context.

Comprehensive
Study design

Type of study design reported.

Randomised control trial
Independence

The degree to which the program authors were involved in the research.

Semi

Summary of implementation factors

This is a summary of the program’s characteristics that contribute to its implementation rating.

Feedback sought from participants

Participants enjoyed the program and understood its benefits.

Yes
Feedback sought from instructors

Instructors enjoyed the program and understood its benefits.

Yes
Groups program is not suitable for

Groups the program wouldn't be suitable for or that required further research to determine suitability.

Not assessed
Training provided during study

The model of training provided.

Face to face, all instructors, in person
Ongoing instructor support provided during study

Whether ongoing support is provided.

Yes

Context

This is a summary of the context in which the evidence for the program was established.

Study Participants

Pre school, primary school (Foundation to Year 6), secondary school (Years 7 to 12).

Primary school

Secondary school

Country of Study/s

The location in which the evidence or research was conducted.

Australia

Location of Study/s in Australia

The state (or states) the program was assessed in Australia.

WA

Evaluation of program in culturally and linguistically diverse populations

Provider has included culturally and linguistically diverse people when assessing the program.

No
Evaluation of program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people

Provider has included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples when assessing the program.

No
Evaluation of program in low socioeconomic groups

Program has evaluated a diverse socio-economic population in their research.

Yes
Developmental based adaptations to program design and delivery

Shorter sessions for younger students or activities are adjusted for age appropriateness.

No
Evaluation of program in children and young people with disability and/or learning difference

Provider has included participants with a disability or learning difference when assessing the program.

Yes

Last updated: 24 February 2022

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Be You acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend our respect to all Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples across Australia.