The World Health Organisation (2001) defines wellbeing as follows:
‘Wellbeing is present when a person realises their potential, is resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their life, takes care of their physical wellbeing and has a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to a wider community. It is a fluid way of being and needs nurturing throughout life’.
Best practice indicates that schools adopt a whole school, multicomponent, preventative approach to wellbeing promotion that includes both universal and targeted interventions. A whole school approach involves all in the school community engaging in a collaborative process to improve areas of school life that impact on wellbeing.
A student support team is a central part of the wellbeing student support system in Holy Child Killiney. It is the overarching team concerned with the progressing of actions for the welfare and wellbeing of all students. It is a mechanism through which many of the existing student supports are coordinated and planned. Our student support team acts as a school hub, bringing coherence to the support system by co-ordinating the valuable work of subject departments, teams and/or groups including the Special Education Needs (SEN) department, the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) along with guidance and pastoral staff. The Principal and Deputy Principal also play a significant role guiding and supporting the school’s student support team.