26-28 Easey St, Collingwood, 3066, VIC
smilingmind.com.au
info@smilingmind,com.au
ACN 161 428 459

Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability

Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative

Organisation: Smiling Mind

Contacts: Sarah La Roche
Chief Executive Officer

redacted

Dr Addie Wootten (Primary contact)
Director of Strategic Engagement

redacted

Date: 30th September 2025

Executive Summary

Smiling Mind is an Australian not-for-profit organisation and a global leader in prevention-focused mental health service provision leveraging technology for scale. Our mission is Lifelong Mental Fitness, equipping every child with the skills to thrive, navigate challenges with resilience, and support mental wellbeing.

For over a decade, our positive, proactive and strengths-based mental health and wellbeing programs have been freely accessible, evidence-based, and delivered at scale across schools, homes and communities. Our digital services are one of the most

commonly referred to services by clinicians responding to mild-moderate mental health or social and emotional learning concerns and a go-to for many seeking actionable, accessible and easy to understand strategies to support themselves and their children.

Over the past 12 years we have listened to, and supported, millions of Australians. We understand there is a growing awareness of neurodiversity and a growing need for support. Parents are struggling to know where to turn and the NDIS has provided a glimmer of hope for many of these families. However, we also know that the NDIS was not designed to support families managing mild-moderate needs. Many of the families accessing intensive support through the NDIS would be better placed to receive effective support in the community. Support tailored to their needs and designed to support them specifically. We believe this model has the potential to change lives by delivering better outcomes for children and families, as well as supporting economic efficiency, ensuring children have access to the right service at the right time.

The announcement of the Thriving Kids Initiative provides a unique opportunity to consider what is needed to support Australian children to thrive. Through this opportunity we encourage the Committee to consider how the Thriving Kids recommendations can apply not only to children with autism or developmental delay, but to all Australian children, every Australian child needs the right support at the right time.*

Childhood is a critical window for development, with half of all mental health conditions emerging before the age of 14. Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive during this formative stage. The challenges faced by children with autism and developmental delay often mirror those experienced by all children, challenges like anxiety, school refusal, difficulty sleeping, difficulty with friendships. Parents consistently report stress around behaviour, emotional wellbeing, and navigating fragmented systems of care. This overlap highlights that universal, evidence-based supports which build resilience, emotional regulation, social connection, and cognitive flexibility are essential for every child, not just those with a diagnosis. and these services provide a critical first step in supporting Australian families.

By embedding universal, scalable supports across education, health, and family systems, we can reduce inequity, relieve pressure on overstretched clinical services, and create generational change in mental health and wellbeing - we can help children thrive.

Recommendations at a Glance

Our submission makes the following key recommendations:

ToR 1 - Supporting Parents to understand their child’s needs: Fund universal digital programs for families; embed validated developmental screening tools into new and existing systems; strengthen school-home partnerships.

ToR 2 - Effectiveness of programs: Scale proven school and family programs; position universal SEL/mental fitness supports as complements to clinical care.

ToR 3 - Equity of access: Invest in digital equity and culturally co-designed solutions for First Nations, CALD, rural and regional communities.

ToR 4 - Workforce: Use digital first-step supports to reduce demand on clinical services; train non-specialists (teachers, nurses, early educators) to reinforce digital programs.

ToR 5 - Best practice: Adopt a prevention-first policy lens; embed whole-school wellbeing and SEL curricula nationally; fund longitudinal evaluation.

ToR 6 - Seamless systems: Embed digital programs into universal health and education touchpoints; fund cross-system integrations; develop a shared national framework for mental fitness.

About Smiling Mind

Vision

We aim to create generational change in mental health, providing proactive tools and programs that help every mind thrive.

Mission

To build Lifelong Mental Fitness, equipping every child with the skills, confidence and resilience to thrive.

Who we are

Smiling Mind is a trusted Australian not-for-profit that has been delivering free, evidence-based mental fitness programs since 2012. We are globally recognised as innovators in preventative mental health and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Australian families turn to Smiling Mind when they need support to manage emotions, navigate sleep challenges, and support behavioural challenges.

Our reach and impact (latest data):

• 9.3 million app downloads (free, evidence-based digital support for families)

• 1,769 primary schools engaged nationally
• Millions of children and families reached annually, including rural and regional communities and a total of more than 14 Million children and young people reached since 2012.

Smiling Mind programs at a glance

Smiling Mind Primary School Program

• Universal SEL curriculum for Years 1-6 delivered through an interactive and scalable digital platform. Mapped to the Australian Curriculum and underpinned by trauma-informed and best practice approaches to support the diverse needs of Australian children.
• Curriculum-aligned lessons underpinned by the evidence-based strategies including mindfulness and positive psychological strategies.
• Reached 1,769+ primary schools nationwide.

Resilient Families Program

• Digital program embedded into the Smiling Mind app supporting parents and children with practical wellbeing strategies that meet the everyday needs of parents and children. These include emotion management, behavioural strategies, strategies to support social connection and provide the foundation for thriving children.
• Focus on stress management, emotional regulation, positive parenting, family connection.

Smiling Mind App

• Free, evidence-based digital platform with 700+ practices for children, parents, and educators.
• Over 9.3 million downloads globally.
• Integrated with the school experience to support the school-home interaction and extend learning between both

• Independent evaluations of the Smiling Mind programs show:
  • Two-thirds of students report improved focus and emotional regulation1.
  • 84% of educators feel more confident teaching SEL, and 95% report satisfaction with the program1.
  • 70% of participating families in our app-based programs report improved mental health and wellbeing2.

Smiling Mind’s programs are independently evaluated (ACER, KPMG, university partners) and consistently demonstrate measurable improvements in wellbeing, confidence, classroom climate, and parent engagement.

The community is calling for change - Parents and Educators are desperate

Throughout 2025 we have asked our community to share their experiences in navigating the mental health system. More than 1,000 people have shared their stories with us - parents, grandparents, teachers, extended family - thousands of people who have struggled to support the children in their lives and who wanted to to share their experience in the hope that it would change the system.

We have seen a groundswell of concern from parents and carers who are deeply alarmed by the deteriorating mental health of their children. These are not abstract figures, they are stories of real children facing fear, anxiety, bullying, and suicidal ideation as families struggle to find help. The system, they say, is not simply overwhelmed, it is absent. This is a generation growing up in pain, while parents are left helpless, navigating unaffordable, inaccessible or non-existent support. If we truly want to create a system that supports Australian children to thrive, we need to listen to these stories, and respond with urgency.

Content warning: the following case studies contain information that shares experiences of mental health challenges and suicide.

“My own two children have struggled with mental health challenges that accompany neurodevelopmental issues. We have fought this battle on our own, pushed and advocated for our children for diagnoses, researched the issues ourselves, navigated the confusing and outdated medical system to find therapists, and funded it all ourselves, and at great cost to our quality of living. Both of our children have expressed suicidal thoughts. They are 8 and 10 years old. Read that again. 8 and 10. We have spent their

entire lives seeking help and answers and trying to support them, and we need help. You wouldn’t ask every farmer and landowner to battle bushfire on their own, so why are you expecting families to battle for their children’s lives on their own?”

“My youngest son told me he wanted to take his life when he was 5;he tried unsuccessfully at 13;he had recurrent thoughts at 17 and 18;he survived until May 2023, two days before his 23rd birthday. I loved and supported him every moment of every day. I garnered and accessed as much mental health help as I possibly could for him, often waiting months for expensive appointments. Mental health issues can and do start as early as my son’s. Please help our children no matter what their age.”

“My kids need mental help and I can’t give it to them. I lie awake every night wondering what damage I’ll regret not being able to fix.”

“Having moved to a rural location, I have seen the severe lack of good mental health care here for kids (and adults too). There is a high rate of suicide and a shocking rate of self harm, bullying, and family violence. Our kid’s need help. So many turn to drugs and alcohol and violence. It’s appalling and heartbreaking. Please help us get decent mental health care instead of the substandard and terrible ‘system’ we currently have.”

All Australian Children Deserve the Right to Thrive

Every child deserves the opportunity to develop the skills, confidence, and resilience to thrive, regardless of their background, circumstances, or developmental profile.

A universal, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) approach to wellbeing benefits all children, while also providing essential supports for those with autism or developmental delay. SEL builds core capabilities such as emotion regulation, resilience, social connection, and flexible thinking, skills that research shows are particularly important for children on the autism spectrum or experiencing developmental challenges3, 4, 5, 6. By embedding these strategies in mainstream settings such as classrooms, early learning centres, and families, we create environments where neurodivergent children can practise and strengthen these skills alongside their peers. This not only supports individual wellbeing, but also fosters inclusion, reduces stigma, and ensures that children with additional needs are not separated from the broader system of support, but benefit from the same universal, evidence-based foundations as every other child.

The evidence that the broader population of Australian children would benefit from a proactive, preventive approach to mental health is overwhelming:

• 7 out of 10 of the most common presentations to paediatricians are related to mental health needs7.
• 50% of adult mental health conditions emerge before age 148.
• 1 in 7 children experience a diagnosable mental illness9. but this data is now more than 10 years old and is likely to be a significant underrepresentation.
• Mental disorders among young people have surged from 26.4% of 16–24-year-olds in 2006 to 39.6% in 2020, a 50% increase10.
• More than 8.6 million Australians will experience a mental disorder in their lifetime11.

If we do not act, child and youth mental health will continue to deteriorate, placing unsustainable pressure on clinical services and undermining educational and social outcomes. These issues are relevant to all children.

Overlap in needs - proving a universal social and emotional learning approach would benefit all

The needs of children with autism and developmental delay overlap significantly with those of all children. Parents of children with and without diagnoses report similar stressors: difficulty managing behaviour, uncertainty about emotional health, and frustration navigating fragmented systems. This means that all children benefit from universal, evidence-based supports that build resilience, emotion regulation, social connection, and flexible thinking.

Smiling Mind’s contribution

Smiling Mind directly fills the prevention gap:

• Curriculum-mapped, classroom-ready programs embedded in over 1,700 primary schools.
• Home and school integration through the free Smiling Mind app.
• Independently evaluated outcomes:
  • Two-thirds of students report improved focus and emotional regulation1.

• 90% of educators observe classroom benefits1.

• 82% of educators feel more confident supporting student wellbeing1.

• 70% of families using our app based programs report improved wellbeing2.

• Return on investment: School-based anxiety and depression prevention shows an ROI of 147.4 over the long term12.

ToR 1: Evidence-based resources for parents

Examine evidence-based information and resources that could assist parents identify if their child has mild to moderate development delay and support parents to provide support to these children.

Parents struggle to differentiate between behavioural, developmental, and mental health challenges13, 14 as the experiences of children facing a range of challenges can present in very similar and overlapping ways. As a first step, it’s imperative that Australian parents and carers have the support they need to navigate and respond to challenges at a problem level, well before a diagnosis might even be considered. Universal supports can resolve many mild-to-moderate concerns and reduce unnecessary referrals and there is currently an opportunity to fill this gap by providing accessible tools and resources to support parents to navigate common problems.

• Self-directed parenting programs can reduce child externalising behaviours and improve parental stress15.
• Population-level interventions have been found to reduce service demand16.

Smiling Mind’s contributions:

• Smiling Mind’s Resilient Families program resulted in 70% of families reporting improved wellbeing2.
• Smiling Mind’s State of Mind research (2024) based on a population level sample found that children and parents who practised mental fitness strategies proactively scored higher on wellbeing17.
• The Smiling Mind primary school program evaluation results indicate that two-thirds of students benefited; 84% of educators were more confident in

supporting student wellbeing and behaviour¹.

Recommendations (ToR 1):

1. Funding should be allocated towards supporting Australian parents and carers with access to universal digital family programs that provide practical strategies to support parental awareness, confidence, wellbeing and applied learning in the home environment.
2. The use of validated developmental screening tools should be used as a subsequent stage of support for parents, not as a primary pathway to support parents in managing child wellbeing and development¹⁴.
3. Resource school-home partnerships that focus on supporting both the school and home environment with actionable strategies and approaches known to support behaviour and emotion regulation and broader wellbeing factors.

ToR 2: Effectiveness of current programs and initiatives

Examine the effectiveness of current (and previous) programs and initiatives that identify children with development delay, autism or both, with mild to moderate support needs and support them and their families. This should focus on community and mainstream engagement, and include child and maternal health, primary care, allied health playgroups, early childhood education and care and schools.

The Role of Universal Social & Emotional Learning Programs within the Thriving Kids initiative.

Well-designed universal social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are a powerful tool to support community-based responses to neurodivergence. This approach shifts the focus from a medical, deficit-based model to a strengths-based, preventative one, fostering a more inclusive and effective support system for all children.

Taking a universal approach is critical if we are to truly develop a system that supports children experiencing mild-to-moderate symptoms. Many families and clinicians struggle to identify these children early, and ensuring a universal safety net is in place is the only

way to guarantee that these children, and indeed all children, have the opportunity to thrive.

Why Universal SEL Matters

1. Pre-emptive and de-stigmatising support

The Thriving Kids Initiative aims to provide early support for children with “mild to moderate” developmental delays and autism outside of the NDIS, leveraging mainstream services like schools and community centres. Universal SEL programs can serve as a core component of this community-based response. By integrating social and emotional skill development into the standard curriculum for all children, these programs de-stigmatise support for skills like communication, emotion regulation, and self-awareness. Neurodivergent children, who may struggle with these skills due to their different neurotype, can receive support within the classroom alongside their peers, rather than being singled out for targeted, and often stigmatising, interventions.

2. Building an inclusive community infrastructure

Universal SEL programs strengthen the capacity of the entire community, not just a small group of individuals. They provide educators and caregivers with the knowledge and tools to create neurodiversity-affirming environments. This includes teaching children about different ways of thinking and interacting, promoting empathy, and reducing bullying. This approach aligns with the Thriving Kids’ goal of embedding support within existing systems, ensuring that schools and community spaces are naturally more inclusive and better equipped to support neurodivergent children and their families.

3. Enhancing the effectiveness of targeted supports

While universal SEL programs provide foundational support for all, they do not replace the need for targeted, specialised therapies for some children. Instead, they make these therapies more effective. By creating a universally accepting and understanding environment, SEL programs reduce external stressors and social isolation. Specialised therapies can then focus on the child’s specific needs in a supportive context, rather than addressing the broader challenges of a non-inclusive environment. This combined approach of universal and targeted support is a more sustainable and equitable way to ensure that every child can receive the right kind of help at the right time.

How Smiling Mind Fits

• Universal implementation: Smiling Mind’s Primary School Program is a universal SEL curriculum for Years 1-6, with pre-planned lessons for all students. This ensures that social and emotional skills are taught as a core part of the school day, not as a separate, targeted intervention.

• Focus on foundational skills: The program is built around five core “mental fitness” skills, mindfulness, flexible thinking, connection, purpose, and recharging the body. These skills are critical for navigating social and emotional challenges. For neurodivergent children, who may not develop these skills automatically, structured and explicit teaching is invaluable. For neurotypical children, it enhances resilience and empathy.
• Skills critical for neurodivergent children: Independent research identifies the importance of:
  • Emotion regulation and resilience¹⁵
  • Cognitive flexibility and adaptive coping¹⁶
  • Social connection skills¹⁷
  • Strengths and purpose¹⁸
  • Parent wellbeing and coping¹⁹
• Reduced stigma: Embedding SEL for all students creates a shared language and practice, avoiding the singling out of neurodivergent children. It also provides educators with professional development on anxiety, ADHD and trauma, improving their confidence to support diverse learners.
• Family and community engagement: Smiling Mind extends beyond schools, with resources and a free app for families. This bridges school and home, reinforcing the universal, non-stigmatising nature of the approach and creating consistency across environments.

Recommendations (ToR 2)

1. Scale proven school-based SEL programs with strong evaluation.
2. Invest in family programs that strengthen parent capacity.
3. Position universal SEL/mental fitness programs as complements to clinical pathways for children with developmental challenges.

ToR 3: Equity and intersectionality

Identify equity and intersectional issues, in particular, children who identify as First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse.

Children in First Nations, CALD, rural and low-income families face the greatest barriers.

Digital supports can address equity through access, stigma reduction, cultural adaptation, and affordability²⁰–²³.

Smiling Mind has experience in developing programs with and for specific groups, including first nations and CALD groups. Through our collaborative co-design approach we have successfully developed and delivered:

• First Nations language-based programs through partnerships with communities across Australia²⁴.
• Advisory groups and cultural adaptation for CALD families¹³.

Recommendations (ToR 3):

1. Invest in digital programs with equity targets and personalisation /tailoring capabilities.
2. Resource co-design with Aboriginal and CALD communities.

ToR 4: Workforce support and training

Identify gaps in workforce support and training required to deliver Thriving Kids.

Australia’s child mental health workforce is under significant strain. Families are often forced to seek clinical services even when their child’s needs are mild-to-moderate, needs that could be met through scalable, self-directed supports. This creates bottlenecks, long wait times, and inequitable access, particularly for families in rural and regional areas.

How digital services address workforce shortages

• Population-level reach: Digital programs can support millions of children and their families simultaneously, with no marginal cost per user.
• Step 1 in stepped care: Digital self-help can act as the first step in a stepped care model, triaging children who need more intensive services and providing early support for those who do not. Evidence shows many families’ concerns are resolved through low-intensity interventions, preventing escalation to clinical need²².
• Reducing demand: Research has found that digital programs can result in up to 58% reduction in intended healthcare service use²⁴.
• Freeing clinicians for complex care: By meeting the needs of the many with scalable tools, clinical workforces can focus on children with high-risk, complex, or comorbid presentations.
• Workforce multiplier effect: Teachers, nurses, and early childhood educators can be trained to reinforce digital programs, effectively broadening the mental health workforce. Evaluations of Smiling Mind’s primary school program shows 84% of teachers feel more confident teaching SEL¹ and supporting their student’s wellbeing.
• Equity of access: In rural and remote communities, where clinical services are scarce, digital platforms ensure families are not left waiting months for support²⁰.

Smiling Mind’s contribution

• Scale: Over 9.3M downloads and 1,700+ schools engaged.
• Evidence: Resilient Families pilot saw 70% of families improve wellbeing²; ACER evaluation found two-thirds of students benefited¹ from the Smiling Mind primary school program.
• Efficiency: Smiling Mind delivers interventions at scale, while freeing clinicians to focus on children with the most complex needs.

Recommendations (ToR 4):

1. Fund digital, population-level mental health programs as the first step in stepped care.
2. Train non-specialist workforces (teachers, nurses, early educators) to reinforce digital programs.
3. Embed digital interventions into health and education systems.
4. Reserve clinical workforce capacity for complex, high-risk presentations.

ToR 5: Domestic and international best practice

Draw on domestic and international policy experience and best practice.

The evidence base for prevention and early intervention

There is a strong and consistent international evidence base showing that prevention and early intervention are more effective and cost-efficient than late, crisis-driven responses. Prevention and early intervention in this context, related to the Thriving Kids Initiative, is focused on preventing mental health, wellbeing challenges and social and emotional challenges. These challenges often emerge when children are not supported to understand themselves, how to manage their emotions and how to navigate the world. Taking a universal prevention approach ensures no child is missed and all children will benefit from this approach.

• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs have been evaluated in more than 200 rigorous studies. A landmark meta-analysis found that SEL interventions not only improve wellbeing and behaviour, but also increase academic achievement by an average of 11 percentile points²⁵. The benefits of SEL extend into adolescence and adulthood, including reduced substance use, improved employment outcomes, and better long-term health.
• Digital mental health interventions are recognised as highly cost-effective when delivered at scale. A systematic review found that internet-delivered programs for depression and anxiety are associated with significant clinical improvements and economic savings²⁶. Digital platforms are particularly important for reaching children and families who may not otherwise engage with services due to stigma, cost, or geographical barriers.

• Universal prevention approaches focused on younger children consistently show higher returns on investment than interventions delivered later in adolescence. Preventive programs that build resilience and emotional regulation skills early in life reduce risks across a range of later health and social outcomes⁸.

International best practice models

Other countries are embedding mental health and wellbeing across education and health systems:

• New Zealand has introduced a Wellbeing in Education Action Plan that places mental health and wellbeing at the centre of the school curriculum²⁷. The plan emphasises prevention, teacher capacity-building, and integration across education and health sectors.
• United Kingdom has invested in a whole-school approach to wellbeing, with guidance and funding to ensure that schools address mental health in the same way they address literacy or numeracy²⁸. This includes training for teachers, curriculum integration, and access to digital resources.
• Canada has piloted integrated early childhood hubs where developmental screening, health services, and digital resources are offered in one accessible location²⁹. These hubs demonstrate how families can be supported seamlessly across early childhood settings, rather than navigating fragmented services.

Smiling Mind as an exemplar of best practice

Smiling Mind embodies many of the features of international best practice, while being tailored for the Australian context:

• Curriculum-aligned and evidence-based: Programs are mapped to the Australian Curriculum and independently evaluated. ACER’s evaluation found two-thirds of students experienced wellbeing benefits and 84% of teachers felt more confident delivering SEL¹.
• Digital and scalable: With 9.3 million downloads and 1,769 schools engaged, Smiling Mind demonstrates the power of digital delivery to reach families at scale.
• Equitable and inclusive: Smiling Mind has prioritised co-design with First Nations and CALD communities, and provides all programs free of charge, ensuring no

family is excluded on the basis of cost or location.

• Capacity-building for the workforce: Programs support educators, parents, and health professionals to reinforce mental fitness strategies, acting as a multiplier for the existing workforce.
• Prevention-first approach: Smiling Mind programs focus on building resilience, emotional regulation, and mental fitness skills proactively — reducing the risk of future mental health challenges.

Policy alignment

Smiling Mind’s approach aligns with the direction of international best practice, but also responds to Australian policy priorities, including the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, which calls for prevention, early intervention, and integration of digital tools across the system and the National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Recommendations (ToR 5):

1. Embed prevention-first and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) principles in the Thriving Kids Initiative and broader mental health policy.
2. Scale evidence-based digital SEL programs, such as Smiling Mind, to provide universal access across schools and families.
3. Resource co-design to ensure equity of access for First Nations, CALD, rural and low-income families.
4. Fund longitudinal evaluation of prevention outcomes to build the national evidence base and track return on investment.

ToR 6: Seamless transitions through mainstream systems

Identify mechanisms that would allow a seamless transition through mainstream systems for all children with mild to moderate support needs.

The challenge of fragmentation

Australia’s child wellbeing system is currently fragmented. Families engage with different services at different stages. Maternal and child health services in the early years, early learning centres before school, primary schools from age five, and often private practitioners when concerns arise. However, these systems do not speak to one another. There is no consistent pathway or shared framework for supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing across these critical transitions. This impacts all children, including neurodiverse children and children with development delay.

As a result:

• Families are left to navigate on their own, repeating their story to multiple professionals.
• Children with mild-to-moderate needs often fall through the cracks when their difficulties are not severe enough to trigger specialist pathways.
• Parents with fewer financial resources are least able to purchase private supports, entrenching inequity.

Why seamless transitions matter

• Childhood is a foundational period. Half of all lifetime mental health conditions emerge before the age of 14⁴, and wellbeing indicators begin to decline as early as age 8¹³. The systems children encounter from birth to primary school have a profound influence on their mental fitness.
• Consistency builds trust. When services use the same language, frameworks and strategies, children and parents can build confidence and apply skills across settings.
• Integration prevents escalation. By embedding universal, preventive supports in the mainstream systems families already access, many difficulties can be

addressed early, reducing reliance on clinical services.

Smiling Mind’s role in building integration

Smiling Mind is uniquely positioned to act as a population-level digital resource that can link across otherwise siloed systems. Our programs are free, curriculum-aligned, and accessible through schools, homes, and community settings. With targeted investment, Smiling Mind could:

• Embed into maternal and child health services, offering parents evidence-based wellbeing strategies from birth.
• Support early learning centres, providing educators with age-appropriate resources to develop social-emotional skills before school entry.
• Bridge into primary schools, where Smiling Mind is already present in more than 1,700 schools, ensuring continuity of strategies.
• Complement health services, with digital resources that can be prescribed or signposted by GPs and allied health professionals as part of stepped care.

Evidence of integration potential

• Raising Children Network³⁰: Smiling Mind is already a partner in this trusted national parenting resource, demonstrating how our programs can integrate into national health communication platforms.
• Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiIPS) program³¹: Smiling Mind collaborates with this initiative to support teacher capacity in addressing student wellbeing, showing how digital resources can complement in-school mental health roles.
• Trusted by General Practitioners and clinicians: At least 25% of the Smiling Mind’s app users have been referred to our service from a health professional. This could be strengthened with targeted investment and tailored communications.

Policy opportunity

The Thriving Kids Initiative provides an opportunity to fund and embed a shared national framework for child wellbeing that cuts across health, education and community services.

Smiling Mind can act as the universal digital backbone of this framework, ensuring consistency and accessibility for all families, while allowing clinical services to focus on high-risk cases.

Recommendations (ToR 6):

1. Embed digital wellbeing programs into universal touchpoints such as maternal and child health checks, early learning settings, and primary schools.
2. Fund system integrations that connect Smiling Mind with Raising Children Network, MHiPS, and GP and other clinician toolkits.
3. Develop a shared national language and framework for mental fitness across sectors.
4. Position Smiling Mind as a national digital platform within stepped care, providing first-line supports for all children.

Conclusion

The Thriving Kids Inquiry is an opportunity to reorient Australia’s child mental health and social and emotional learning system towards prevention, universality, and integration. Smiling Mind’s programs demonstrate that digital, population-level supports can reduce clinical demand, improve equity, and build the foundations for thriving in all children.

With targeted investment and integration, Smiling Mind can help ensure every Australian child has the skills to thrive.

We look forward to working with you in partnership to ensure Australian children are thriving.

References

1. Australian Council for Educational Research. (2022). Evaluation of the Smiling Mind Primary School Program. Melbourne: ACER.

2. Smiling Mind. (2024). Resilient Families Pilot Evaluation Report. Melbourne: Smiling Mind.
3. Australian Paediatric Society. (2022). Paediatric Mental Health Trends Report. Sydney: APS.
4. Kessler, R. C., et al. (2005). Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62(6), 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593
5. Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., et al. (2015). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Report on the Second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health.
6. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/latest-release
7. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Mental health services in Australia. Canberra: AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health-services-in-australia
8. Stelmach, R., Kocher, E. L., Kataria, I., Jackson-Morris, A. M., Saxena, S., & Nugent, R. (2022). The global return on investment from preventing and treating adolescent mental disorders and suicide: A modelling study. BMJ Global Health, 7(6), e007759. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007759
9. Reardon, T., Harvey, K., Baranowska, M., O’Brien, D., Smith, L., & Creswell, C. (2017). What do parents perceive are the barriers and facilitators to accessing psychological treatment for mental health problems in children and adolescents? A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 26(6), 623–647. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-016-0930-6
10. Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., et al. (2015). The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: Report on the Second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Canberra: Department of Health.
11. Kaminski, J. W., Valle, L. A., Filene, J. H., & Boyle, C. L. (2008). A meta-analytic review of components associated with parent training program effectiveness. Journal of

Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(4), 567–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9201-9 12. Prinz, R. J., Sanders, M. R., Shapiro, C. J., Whitaker, D. J., & Lutzker, J. R. (2009). Population-based prevention of child maltreatment: The U.S. Triple P System Population Trial. Prevention Science, 10(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0123-3 13. Smiling Mind & KPMG. (2024). State of Mind Report 2024. Melbourne: Smiling Mind. 14. Glascoe, F. P. (2000). Parents’ evaluation of developmental status: How well do parents’ concerns identify children with behavioral and emotional problems? Clinical Pediatrics, 39(6), 333–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/000992280003900604 15. Weiss, J. A., & Lunsky, Y. (2011). Group cognitive behaviour therapy for adults with Asperger syndrome and anxiety or mood disorder: A case series. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 18(3), 251–260. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.700 16. Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in Neurosciences, 38(9), 571–578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.003 17. Payton, J., Weissberg, R. P., Durlak, J. A., et al. (2008). The positive impact of social and emotional learning for kindergarten to eighth-grade students: Findings from three scientific reviews. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). https://casel.org 18. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). Positive psychology: An introduction. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 279–298). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_18 19. Cachia, R. L., Anderson, A., & Moore, D. W. (2016). Mindfulness, stress and well-being in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 25(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-015-0193-8 20. Thomas, E., et al. (2022). Telehealth in rural and remote Australia: Evidence for equity of access. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 30(3), 321–328. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajr.12867

21. Gulliver, A., Griffiths, K. M., & Christensen, H. (2010). Perceived barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking in young people: A systematic review. BMC Psychiatry, 10(113). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-10-113
22. Leung, C., & Shek, D. T. L. (2020). Digital interventions for children and adolescents with mental health needs: Systematic review. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 3(2), e21879. https://doi.org/10.2196/21879
23. Hollis, C., et al. (2017). Technological innovations in mental healthcare: Harnessing the digital revolution. British Journal of Psychiatry, 211(4), 263–267. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.116.187080
24. Stratton, E., et al. (2025). Reducing demand for healthcare services using digital mental health support: Evidence from Mindstep. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.23.25330119
25. Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x
26. Donker, T., et al. (2015). Economic evaluations of Internet interventions for mental health: A systematic review. Psychological Medicine, 45(16), 3357–3376. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715001427
27. Ministry of Education, New Zealand. (2021). Wellbeing in Education Action Plan. Wellington: NZ Govt.
28. Department for Education (UK). (2020). Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing: Whole school approach. London: UK Govt.
29. Public Health Agency of Canada. (2022). Early Childhood Developmental Hubs Evaluation Report. Ottawa: PHAC.
30. Raising Children Network. (2023). Annual Report 2023. Melbourne: RCN.
31. University of Melbourne & Victorian Government. (2022). Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Program Evaluation Report. Melbourne: University of Melbourne.