The document outlines a draft Victorian framework for health promoting schools and early childhood education and care services called the Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion Achievement Program, which would recognize schools and services as they progress through stages of strengthening health promotion activities. It discusses establishing partnerships between schools/services and health organizations and consulting with experts and stakeholders on the development of the program. The framework also provides examples of priority health areas and recommended practices schools and services could implement around topics like healthy eating and oral health.

1. Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion
Achievement Program
Schools and Early Childhood Education and
Care Services
22 November 2011
Holly Piontek Walker
Manager, Prevention Leadership & Governance

2. Healthy Children – context

3. Victorian Prevention and Health Promotion
Achievement Program
Recognise and support:
• schools and early childhood education and care services
• workplaces and workforces
• local communities and environments
• health services
To provide safe, healthy and friendly environments for
learning, working and living.

4. Healthy Children - context
Parliamentary Inquiry into the Potential for Developing
Opportunities for Schools to Become a Focus for
Promoting Healthy Community Living (Sept 2010)
Nine recommendations, the first:
That Department Education and Early Childhood Development, in
consultation with Department Health, review the development and
implementation of the health promoting schools approach in Victoria
Government response tabled in March 2011, ‘agreed’ or
‘agreed in principle’ to the nine recommendations

5. Healthy Communities, Healthy Children Steering
Group
Healthy Communities, Healthy Children
• Co-chaired by Department of Health &
Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development
• DPCD – Sport and Rec Victoria
• DHS – Offices for Youth and Disability
• Independent Schools Victoria
• Catholic Education Office
• Municipal Association of Victoria
Supported by DEECD-DH Project Team

6. Health Promoting Schools
A health promoting school is one that constantly strengthens its
capacity as a healthy setting for living, learning and working
Optimal physical
health,
Optimal social and
emotional
development
Optimal learning and
cognitive development

7. Evidence – health promoting schools approach
The HPS approach has shown potential for improving health,
wellbeing and educational outcomes.
Most effective programs:
-promote mental health, healthy eating and physical activity
-utilise a whole-school approach, are sustained.
(Stewart-Brown 2006)
Key findings:
•Interventions that combine health education with changes to the school
physical and social environment, and have family or community involvement
are more likely to be effective than education alone
(Lister-Sharp et al 1996; St Leger et al 2010)

8. WHO health promoting schools framework:
international implementation
Murphy, M 2011 The Health Promoting Schools Framework & Obesity Prevention: Learnings for Victoria (unpublished thesis)

9. VPHPAP for schools and early childhood
education and care services

10. Lead role of local government
Victorian Health Priorities Framework 2012-2022
• All local governments will have Municipal 'Healthy Communities‘
Public Health and Wellbeing Plans that are well known to their local
communities and that promote healthy living.
Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
• The function of a council is to seek to protect, improve and promote
public health and wellbeing within the municipal district
Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan
• MPHWPs the primary strategic planning mechanism for public
health and wellbeing efforts
Early childhood education and care
• Municipal Early Years Plans and planning and provision of early
childhood education and care services

11. A DRAFT Victorian framework for health promoting schools and early childhood education and care (ECEC)
services
VICTORIAN PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELLBEING PLAN 2011-2015
HEALTHY EATING & ORAL HEALTH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Healthy The policies of schools and ECEC services clearly articulate conditions and practices
policies necessary to create a physical and social environment which promotes health.
MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
TOBACCO CONTROL
SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY AND IMPROVEMENT FRAMEWORK
Healthy physical The physical environment of a school or ECEC service facilitates and encourages healthy
environments choices and lifestyles in complement to the health messages taught in the school
curriculum.
NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD
Learning reflects a school or ECEC service’s commitment to health promotion by providing
Skills and learning
opportunities for children and young people to gain knowledge, skills and experiences
competencies
which will enable them to take action to improve their health and wellbeing.
Family and Structures are established to engage wider school or ECEC communities as active
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG USE
community links participants in the promotion of health and wellbeing.
SKIN CANCER PREVENTION
Healthy social A school or ECEC service’s ethos promotes respect, fairness and equality of treatment for
environment all individuals and fosters a sense of belonging.
A school or ECEC service actively seeks out opportunities to enhance and extend expertise
Partnerships for
and resources to promote health and wellbeing through collaboration with local health
health and wellbeing
and wellbeing services.
SEXUAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING SAFE ENVIRONMENTS
VICTORIAN CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MONITORING SYSTEM

12. Better coordination of health and wellbeing
activities
• Recognises that schools and ECEC are already working to promote
health and wellbeing
• Organisations working with schools and ECEC to implement a
multitude of health and wellbeing programs
• Will assist schools to better coordinate programs
• A whole setting approach will better embed health and wellbeing activities
within the setting

13. Health priority areas

14. Strengthening the foundations for health promotion in schools and early childhood education and care services:
Progression through health promotion recognition awards
Stage 1 – Strengthening
Stage 2 - Bronze Stage 3 - Silver Stage 4 - Gold
foundations
Utilise existing or establish new
Health and Wellbeing Team
Health and Wellbeing Team Health and Wellbeing Team Health and Wellbeing Team
engages whole school/service engages whole school/service engages whole school/service
Students, parents, staff and the wider community as active participants in community as active participants in community as active participants in
school/ECEC community are engaged as health promotion health promotion health promotion
active participants in health promotion
Endorsed Health Promotion
Health Promotion Charter
Charter
of commitment is developed
is displayed in a prominent place
AUDIT existing health & wellbeing activities
AUDIT of existing health
promotion activities and NEEDS
Conduct NEEDS analysis ANALYSIS completed
Set GOALS and develop a strategy HEALTH PRIORITY 1 - ESTABLISHED HEALTH PRIORITY 1 – MONITOR
Goals set and strategy developed Activity for this health priority
Plan for monitoring & evaluation using “whole setting approach” reviewed, adjusted and maintained HEALTH PRIORITY 1 - MONITOR
HEALTH PRIORITY 2 - ESTABLISHED HEALTH PRIORITY 2 - MONITOR HEALTH PRIORITY 2 - MONITOR
HEALTH PRIORITY 3 - ESTABLISHED HEALTH PRIORITY 3 - MONITOR
HEALTH PRIORITY 4 - ESTABLISHED HEALTH PRIORITY 4 - MONITOR
HEALTH PRIORITY 5 - ESTABLISHED
HEALTH PRIORITY 6 - ESTABLISHED
The school/ECEC goals for The school/ECEC goals for The school/ECEC goals for
The school/ECEC goals for recognition as a
recognition as a HP setting are recognition as a HP setting are recognition as a HP setting are
HP setting are articulated in the
articulated in the School Strategic articulated in the School Strategic articulated in the School Strategic
School Strategic Plan or ECEC plan
Plan or ECEC plan Plan or ECEC plan Plan or ECEC plan

15. A Victorian framework for health promoting early childhood education and care services
Healthy Eating and Oral Health
Healthy policies Healthy physical Curriculum and Family and community Healthy social Service partnerships
environments learning links environment for health and
wellbeing
The ECEC service has a Tap water is available Children are provided Families are aware of The service provides a Links with relevant
policy for the provision indoors and outdoors with opportunities to relevant policies and positive meal services are established
of healthy food and at all times learn about healthy the healthy eating and environment with to promote uptake of
drinks eating and oral health oral health focus of the relaxed, social and MCHS mouth checks at
A variety of fresh fruit service enjoyable experiences. Key Ages and Stages and
ECEC service menus are and vegetables are regular dental checks.
assessed by the included in service Families provided with Food is not used as an
Victorian Healthy Eating menus every day and knowledge and incentive or reward at
Advisory Service encouraged in resources to support any time
Benchmark
lunchboxes healthy eating and oral
The ECEC service has a health
policy regarding the Sometimes foods are
promotion of food and discouraged from
drinks in the service lunchboxes and not
provided by the
The ECEC service is service
breastfeeding friendly
Breastfeeding mothers
are supported with
appropriate facilities
Children are Families are invited to Families provided with External services are
Recommended practice
encouraged to engage in healthy information and invited to support
undertake oral eating and oral health support to create healthy eating initiatives
hygiene practices in education positive meal at the service
settings where environments in the
appropriate CALD families provided home
with opportunities to
discuss values and
expectations for
healthy eating
National Quality Standard 2 – Children’s health and safety
Element 2.2 - Healthy eating and physical activity are embedded in the program for children.
Element 2.2.1 - Healthy eating is promoted and food and drinks provided by the service are nutritious and appropriate to the age of the child.

16. A Victorian framework for health promoting schools
Healthy Eating and Oral Health
Healthy policies Healthy physical Curriculum and Family and community Healthy social Service partnerships
environments learning links environment for health and
The school policy for the Tap water is available Students are provided Families are aware of The school provides a wellbeing
Dental health check ups
provision and indoors and outdoors with opportunities to relevant healthy eating positive meal are promoted and
promotion of food and at all times learn about healthy and oral health policies environment with supported
drinks adheres with the eating and oral health and initiatives relaxed, social and
DEECD School Canteens School food services enjoyable experiences
and Other School Food provide a variety of The healthy eating and Families provided with
Services policy fresh fruit and oral health curriculum knowledge and Food is not used as an
Benchmark
vegetables and limit is consistent with resources to support incentive or reward at
School canteen and occasional foods. school policy healthy eating and oral any time
lunch order menus are health
assessed by the A variety of fresh fruit
Victorian Healthy Eating and vegetables are
Advisory Service encouraged and
occasional foods are
discouraged in
lunchboxes
Children encouraged Students have Families are invited to Families provided with External services are
to undertake oral opportunities to engage in healthy information and invited to support
hygiene practices in engage in food-related eating and oral health support to create healthy eating initiatives
Recommended practice
settings where activities such as education positive meal at the school
appropriate planning and shopping environments in the
for meals, growing and CALD families provided home
cooking foods with opportunities to
discuss values and
expectations for
healthy eating
School excursions to
local fruit and
vegetable retailers and
markets facilitate
healthy eating
behaviours

17. Consultation process
Consultation strategy to engage and seek feedback in the
development phase:
• Focus groups with a sample of schools and ECEC
• Organisations working with schools and ECEC to promote
health and wellbeing
• Expert Advisory Panel
• Forums with health professionals

18. Round-table discussion
• What are the top three strengths and weaknesses
of the Achievement Program?
• As health professionals working with schools and
early childhood education and care services:
• What resources, training and support would you require
to work with the Achievement Program?
• What would assist you to engage schools and ECEC to
participate in the Achievement Program?