Mental Health and Young Victorians: How can schools, evidence and support services work together

Suzanne is an educational leader with vast experience across professional learning communities both nationally and internationally. Her extensive leadership skills transect primary, secondary, TAFE and university, rural and urban settings. Throughout her Principal Class roles, Suzanne has worked strategically and collaboratively with all members of the school’s teaching, learning and wellbeing community to ensure the best outcomes for all students. This includes driving change and improvement strategies with a particular focus on inclusion, cultural excellence, and the health and wellbeing of students.

Justin has led student wellbeing, health and engagement policy and programs in the Victorian Department of Education since 2016, including major initiatives in mental health, child safety, respectful relationships and support for disadvantaged students. Justin has worked in social policy roles throughout his career, in Victoria, Western Australia and the United Kingdom. He has worked in a number of areas of reform in Victoria since 2007, including in family violence, counter-terrorism, bushfire and emergency management.

Professor Susan Sawyer AM MBBS MD FRACP holds the Geoff and Helen Chair of Adolescent Health at The University of Melbourne and is director of the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, a World Health Organization collaborating centre for adolescent health. A paediatrician by training, her clinical, research and educational expertise spans physical and mental health. Recent work includes a collaboration with WHO and UNESCO to develop the first set of global standards for health promoting schools which aspire to make every school a health promoting school. Susan is president of the International Association for Adolescent Health, co-chair of the new Australian Network of WHO Collaborating Centres, and chair of the Victorian Government Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Committee. She has published over 300 peer review publications, 45 book chapters and an edited textbook.

Pete leads PwC Australia’s school education consulting practice. He has a deep understanding of school education systems from his six years leading Grattan Institute’s school education program. Pete has written on the links between student engagement, mental health and academic outcomes, including a submission to the Productivity Commission into Mental Health.

Pete is a member of the National Advisory Committee for Be You, the national mental health initiative in schools and early childhood that is being run by Beyond Blue.

Nick is a Partner in PwC’s Government and Public Sector Consulting practice with a focus on data driven strategy through to execution in service system reform and operating model transformation. Nick has joined PwC after twenty years with federal and state social policy departments in Australia including immigration, communities, education, training, human services, disability and health. Most recently, Nick was Deputy Secretary, Organisational Transformation, at the (then) Department of Health and Human Services, and Deputy Secretary, Public Health, Department of Health.