This page outlines how education staff, care services, parents, guardians, and health professionals work together to manage a child or student with depression in education and care settings.

About depression

Depression affects the way we think, how we see ourselves and our future. Along with feeling sad or irritable it may seem that nothing is worthwhile and that things will never get better.

Depression can stop children and young people enjoying the things they like doing and interferes with normal social activities, interests, school work and family life.

Find out more about depression including:

• signs and symptoms
• types of depression
• causes of depression.

Health support plans and agreements

If the child or student has depression, the education or care service should refer to health support planning for children and students in education and care settings to ensure that the appropriate plans and agreements are in place. This is in addition to the depression-specific plans and agreements listed on this page.

Training and education for staff

Further Information for education and care staff is available at Positive Partnerships and Student Wellbeing Hub.

Friends Resilience have developed a range of age specific programs for education and care services to guide the social and emotional development of children and young people through teaching them resilience:

• Fun Friends (for young children)
• Friends for Life (for children)
• My Friends Youth (for youth)
• Adult Resilience (for adults).

How parents and caregivers can help

Parents or guardians must:

• notify the school, preschool or care service if their child has depression
• complete health care plans and agreements with their health care professionals and provide them to the school, preschool or care service
• provide required medication to the school, preschool or care service.

If a medication agreement is in place, parents and caregivers must fulfil the roles and responsibilities outlined on the medication management and care page.

How health professionals can help

Health professionals support schools, preschools, care services and families by helping to develop the care plan and any supporting medication and care agreements.