CAPER
IS
FOR:
Teachers & Schools:
It provides classroom and school resources to assist in address school bullying.
Parents:
It provides information for parents & resources to access to help them address bullying and wellbeing issues.
Students:
on the student page there are links to resources to follow if you are being bullied or have a concern regarding mental health.
ABOUT US
Bullying and Wellbeing - A Community Concern
On this CAPER site information is provided regarding the issues of school bullying , mental health, wellbeing of young people. In Australia, one in five or more students aged eight to 16 years report being bulliedvery few weeks or more often. These prevalence rates are similar to or higher than international estimates. Further, most students who are traditionally bullied also report being cyberbullied. A sizeable proportion of children and young people are therefore exposed to bullying and cyberbullying incidents, and their consequences, in Australian schools. There is strong evidence for the harmful impact of bullying and cyberbullying on students' wellbeing, social integration and school success.
Concerns among Australian schools, families and young people about negative academic, social and health consequences have therefore resulted in a considerable body of research on the management and prevention of bullying in both primary and secondary schools.
Phillip Slee developed the PEACE Pack anti-bullying program in 2001. It was developed by teachers, students, parents and researchers over a period of two years and has been used and evaluated across Australia and internationally (Slee, 2017).
In addition to the issue of school bullying the CAPER team and colleagues have also undertaken large scale national and international evaluation in relation to the issues of mental health and wellbeing. Phillip Slee has led teams of researchers evaluating national Australian programs such as KidsMatter Primary and KidsMatter Early Childhood. He has also led Australian teams of researchers in collaboration with European Union researchers in comparative longitudinal research into bullying and cyberbullying and aggression.
A significant part of the CAPER outreach is translating the findings from research into policy and practice. As such, they have developed school based intervention programs focussing on bullying, cyberbullying and wellbeing. Consultative work with Governments in Japan, Malta, Greece and Italy and Australia has been undertaken in relation to developing evidence-based policy informing issues such as bullying and mental health.
THE CAPER TEAM
Dr. Phillip T. Slee
He is a Professor in Human Development in the College of Education, Psychology & Social Work Flinders University, Adelaide. He is a trained teacher and registered psychologist.
Areas of research interest include, child and adolescent mental health, childhood bullying/aggression, stress and teacher education. His particular interest is in the practical and policy implications of his research. He has presented his work nationally and internationally in workshops and lectures. His research team has evaluated the KidsMatter Primary mental Health Initiative and he is Director of the Flinders Centre for ‘Student Wellbeing & Prevention of Violence’ (SWAPv)
Deb Agnew (PhD)
Deb Agnew (Ph.D) is an Associate Professor of Sport and Active Recreation. Deb is a qualitative researcher in the area of the sport, retirement, athlete transitions, mental health and athlete wellbeing.
Her research program is deeply interdisciplinary, drawing on sociology, and education, to explore how sport shapes and reflects broader social constructs. Her work has contributed significantly to understanding the lived experiences of athletes, particularly in relation to retirement, deselection, and identity reconstruction. Her research highlights the long-term impacts of elite sport participation.
Deb's current research project is developing and trialing the Big Talks for Little Sports People: Mental Health program.
Shane Pill
Shane Pill (PhD) is a Professor in Education at Flinders University. Prior to this, he was a Health and Physical Education and Science teacher for 18 years.
Shane researches largely in the pedagogical tradition concerned with practitioner conceptions of learning and this connection with pedagogical content knowledge, teaching for effective learning, and learning outcomes. This is applied in mental health education, wellbeing initiatives, sport, physical education, and school leadership.
Shane has led the Health and Physical Education (HPE) program for the ‘Big Talks for Little People’.