Your young person will face friendship challenges, mental health ups and downs, cultural adjustments if they're from overseas, and the pressure of working out who they're becoming.
We structure our wellbeing support around helping students feel connected to this community, equipped to handle challenges, and supported when things get difficult.
When Your Young Person Struggles
Your young person's wellbeing matters here every single day. High School can be a lot. Academically, socially, emotionally — there's a lot happening in your young person's world, and not all of it is visible from home. At Blackwood High School, we think about that. Your young person's wellbeing isn't something we fit in around the edges of learning — it's the foundation everything else is built on.
SCHOOL TV
Because parenting doesn't come with instructions
Every parent figures it out as they go — and some stages of school life throw up questions you never saw coming.
SchoolTV is a resource we've made available to Blackwood High School families because we know the conversation about your young person's wellbeing doesn't stop at the school gate. Whether you are navigating screen time, sleep, anxiety, or just wondering if what you're seeing at home is normal, you'll find practical, evidence-based guidance here.
Visit your Blackwood High SchoolTV hub whenever you need it, at whatever hour makes sense for you.
Our Student Wellbeing Centre is staffed by two Student Wellbeing Leaders and a Youth Worker who know our students by name — not by case number. They're here for the full range of what young people face: navigating friendships, managing personal challenges, working through conflict, exploring career directions, and knowing when a student needs support beyond what school can offer.
When a young person needs more, our team connects them with GP services, psychologists, and community organisations, and manages referrals to our In-School Psychology Service. We also host Flinders University Social Work students, who provide additional one-on-one mentoring support on site.
Many students experience anxiety at some point during secondary school. Some manage it well with support from families and strategies they've developed. Others need more intensive help from counsellors or external mental health services.
We have school counsellors for middle school and senior school. Students can self-refer or be referred by teachers or wellbeing staff. Counsellors provide short-term support and connect students with longer-term services when needed.
Youth workers also work across the school, building relationships with students who might not engage with formal counselling. They provide different entry points for support, recognising that students access help in different ways.
Resilience is one of our three core values. We talk about it a lot. It's learning that setbacks don't define you. That asking for help is strength, not weakness. That most problems have solutions if you're willing to work through them.
We build resilience by providing opportunities for students to attempt challenging things in safe environments. Camp pushes students outside their comfort zones while ensuring staff support is there. Course Confirmation asks students to make decisions about their pathway. Leadership roles give students responsibility.
When students do fail or struggle, we help them process what happened, work out what they could do differently next time, and move forward. That cycle of attempting, struggling, adjusting, and trying again is how resilience develops.
Our Pastoral Care programs run across Years 7 to 12, covering all areas:
- mental health
- cyber safety
- responsible digital citizenship
- road safety in partnership with SAPOL and the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.
We draw on trusted resources and we deliver the mandated Child Protection Curriculum as part of every student's learning experience.
Some of our programs go deeper still. Year 9 students can take part in the RAISE mentoring program across Terms 2 and 3, working alongside community mentors to build resilience, confidence, and the ability to set and reach personal goals. Our Operation Flinders program offers Year 9, 10 and 11 students an eight-day wilderness therapy experience — genuinely transformative for the students who take part. And for many of our Year 7s and 8s, the Rock and Water program gives them practical tools for managing emotions, growing confidence, and responding to bullying.
We need parents and caregivers as partners in supporting student wellbeing. You see your young person at home, where different sides of their personality emerge. You notice changes in mood, behaviour, or engagement that we might not see at school.
If you're concerned about your young person's wellbeing, contact us. Speak with their Care Group teacher first. They can connect you with Student Wellbeing Leaders, Youth Workers, or other support staff as needed.
Similarly, if we're concerned about your young person, we'll contact you. We'll share what we're seeing, ask what you're noticing at home, and work together to develop appropriate support plans.
Sometimes families are hesitant to share information about mental health diagnoses, family circumstances, or other factors affecting their young person. We understand that privacy matters. We also know we can support students more effectively when we understand what they're dealing with.
Information shared with wellbeing staff is kept confidential within appropriate professional boundaries.
If your child — or their friend — is going through something difficult, the hardest part is often finding the courage to tell someone.
SafeTell is an anonymous reporting tool that lets students reach out for help without fear. Whether it's bullying, anxiety, something happening at home, or a worry about a friend, a SafeTell notification goes straight to our wellbeing team so we can step in early and quietly.
No login. No names. Just a safe way to say something.
