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Whole Child Approach - Overview

• Glossary Term (GT)
  
• Encyclopedia Entry (EE)
  
• Handbook Section (HS)
  
• Bibliography/Toolbox (BT)
  
• Additional Resources (AR)

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A Whole Child approach recognizes that the education, health, safety, security, personal, social and sustainable development of children and adolescents are intertwined and must be addressed holistically. Like the UN Sustainable Development goals, the ministries and agencies from several sectors need to coordinate their efforts to avoid competition or duplication while meeting the needs of the whole child. A global consensus statement from educator organizations describes a whole child approach as one that “ensures that each student is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged”.  
The FRESH Partnership has further described the various aspects of child/adolescent development which need the partner ministries and agencies noted below in order that school-based and school-linked approaches are effective:

• ensuring equitable educational access & support for different inclusion strategies to overcome barriers to schooling (health, social protection ministries)
  
• providing a broad range of courses and subjects to study, offering a variety of educational pathways to post-secondary education & training, providing remedial supports, vocational planning & academic guidance, encouraging students to engage with the future, develop school and life planning & goals and instilling values supporting hard, honest work and a balanced life (post-secondary education ministries)
• providing food and other necessities to hungry or abused/neglected students (social protection, agriculture, health ministries)
• ensuring the safety of children from bullying, violence, crime (law enforcement and justice ministries)
• preventing accidents and exposure to various hazards and risks (law enforcement, municipalities, environment ministries) 
• providing for the security of children and youth from conflict, disasters, earthquakes, exploitation & trafficking (civil protection, public safety, law enforcement ministries)
• promoting the physical and mental health of children and youth (health, social services, child protection ministries)
• providing clean water, proper sanitation, hygiene (municipalities, public health ministries)
• requiring or delivering vaccinations, immunizations and other protections from infectious diseases, epidemics (public health, health care ministries)
• providing/promoting clean air, protection from environmental hazards, environmental citizenship, mitigation of climate change effects (e.g. pollution, sun safety, asthma) (environment, health, municipalities ministries)
• promoting personal development, social, emotional, honesty/character, moral/spiritual and/or religious development, creativity, critical thinking, decision-making (citizenship, culture ministrires)
• promoting social development: responsibility for others, their community, global awareness, human rights, respect for the law, peace, order, good government (citizenship, culture, justice, law enforcement ministries)

This summary was first posted in December 2019 as  a"first edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below. Thea following individuals or organizations have contributed to the development of this topic. 

Text

This summary was first posted in June 2012. Currently it has been posted as  an "excerpt/adaptation", "first draft" or "revised draft" and "first or revised edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below:

Due to the length of Handbook Sections (similar to a book chapter) prepared for this web site and knowledge exchange program, we post these documents as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the draft or completed version on this topic. Come back to this page to post any comments or suggestions. 

This summary was first posted in June 2012. Currently it has been posted as  an "excerpt/adaptation", "first draft" or "revised draft" and "first or revised edition" version..We encourage readers to submit comments or suggested edits by posting a comment on the Mini-blog & Discussion Page for this section or posting a comment below:

 Bibliography/Toolbox on
Key research, reports and resources on this topic are highlighted below.  Many of the topics in this web site also have extensive bibliographies/toolboxes (BTs) published as separate documents. Click on this web link to access the full version of our Bibliography/Toolbox on this topic. These lists use our outline for these collections that we have developed over several years of curating these materials.

Research	Reports, Resources
Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components. How to integrate within Education Systems Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach Research Questions/ KDE Agenda	Understand the Approach/ Program & Its Effectiveness in Different Contexts on Different Aspects of HPSD, Populations How to Implement, Maintain, Scale Up, Sustain, Build Capacity, Leverage to Support Core Components. How to integrate within Education Systems Use of Ecological/ Systems Approach Research Questions/ KDE Agenda

The following additional resources are posted on this web site or published by other credible sources. Please send any suggested additions to info@internationalschoolhealth.org

For updates and reader comments on this section, go to our Mini-Blog on Common Topics & Terms

Here is our list of topics and sub-topics for this section:
- Introduction & Overview
- Education Equity, Inclusion & Success

• Whole Child Approach
• Broad Range of Learning Opportunities
• Cross-Curricular Competencies

- Multi-component Approaches (MCAs)

• Core Components
• Macro & Specific Policies
• Instruction & Extended Education
  - Education Promoting HPSD
  - H&LS/PSH Curricula & Instruction
  - Extended Education Activities
• Health, Social & Other Services
• Psycho-Social Environment & Supports

        - School Culture & Climate
          - Staff Wellness
          - Student Conduct & Discipline
          - Engaging/Empowering Youth
          - Parent Participation
          - Community Involvement/Ownership

• Physical Environment & Resources

- Multi-Intervention Programs (MIPs)

• How to Build a Multi-Intervention Program

- Single Interventions (Issue-Specific Programs, Policies, Services & Practices)

- Learning/Behaviour Models (LBMs)

- Behaviour & Learning Theories

- Government/Inter-Sector Actions/Levers

• Whole of Government Strategies
• National Action Plans
• Inter-Ministry Coordination
  - Inter-Ministry Agreements
  - Inter-Ministry Mechanisms
  - Joint Ministry Decision-making
  
• Inter-Agency Coordination
• Inter-Professional Coordination

- Workforce Development

• Workforce Planning in HPSD
• Teacher Education & Development
  - Early Childhood Educators
  - Primary School Teachers
  - Secondary PSHE Specialists
  - Home Economics Specialists
  - Physical Education Specialists
  - School Counsellors
  - School Psychologists
  - School Principals
• Preparing Other Professionals to Work with or within Schools
  - School Nurses
  - School Social Workers
  - School Resource (Police) Officers
  - Security/Civil Protection Guards
  - Teaching/Learning Assistants
  - School Administrative/Clerical Staff
  - School Maintenance Staff
  - Pastoral Counsellors
  - Community Volunteers & Elders
  - Emergency Relief Aid Workers
  - Development Aid Workers

- Systems Approaches

• A Systems Focused Paradigm
• Contextualizing Approaches & Programs
• Implement, Maintain, Scale Up & Sustain Programs & Approaches
• System & Organizational Capacities
• Integrate Within Education System Mandates, Concerns & Constraints
• Better Use of Systems Science & Organizational Development Tools