Mental Health Practitioner initiative funding
Mental health practitioner FTE funding allocations via the Student Resource Package
Schools receive funding for a mental health practitioner (MHP) via the Student Resource Package (SRP) based on student enrolment numbers. Confirmed MHP funding is communicated to schools every 2 years via the SRP Guide.
Indicative FTE, released in September/October of the year prior, provides an indication of the likely FTE a school will receive in the confirmed SRP based on enrolment projections and may be used only for planning purposes.
FTE allocations are fixed from the SRP confirmed budget for a period of 2 years. At the conclusion of the 2-year period, MHP FTE funding allocations are reviewed and adjustments made to account for significant enrolment increases.
A school may wish to increase the FTE of an MHP using additional funding sources. This can include (but is not limited to) using funding from the Schools Mental Health Fund and Menu. Schools are encouraged to contact their mental health coordinator (MHC) to discuss funding options.
Surplus FTE
Where a school receives an increase to their FTE via the SRP, they are encouraged to discuss the willingness and availability of their existing MHP to increase their work hours. If the existing MHP does not have the capacity to increase their work hours and there is only a minimal FTE increase (for example, 0.1 or 0.2 FTE), rather than attempt to recruit to this small time fraction, a school can consider allocating the surplus funding to mental health programs, resources and training instead.
Schools must contact their MHC in these instances to develop and record a plan and agreement for the use of the surplus funding.
When recruiting an MHP, schools must advertise the full FTE outlined in the SRP.
Cash allocation
Schools receive MHP initiative funding through the SRP and it is split into a 94% credit allocation for salary costs and 6% cash allocation for non-salary costs including essential equipment (for example, secure filing cabinet, mobile phone) and professional development opportunities for MHPs. The cash component is not transferrable to other budget areas, even if not expended.
Schools are encouraged to discuss appropriate expenditure of unused funding with their MHC. Further information regarding initiative funding can be found on Student Resource Package – Targeted .
Reviewed 07 March 2024