VMHPAA Responds to Growing Bullying in Schools – Calls for National Standards and Collaborative Support
- Shane Warren
- Jul 22
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
22 July 2025
The latest ABC report highlights worrying trends in both online and in-person bullying among Australian students. With nearly half of children experiencing bullying at school and serious incidents continuing to escalate, coupled with a 25 % rise in cyber-bullying complaints, the need for a strengthened, unified national response is urgent.
The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association Australia (VMHPAA) fully supports the recommendation for a National Bullying Standard for schools - a standardized framework to shift school cultures towards respect, early intervention, and prevention.
Vocationally trained practitioners - counsellors, peer support workers, community mental health staff - are essential to effective implementation. They work at the frontline, providing timely interventions, resilience-building, and compassionate support to young people and families in crisis.
“Bullying isn't a rite of passage, it's a mental health emergency,” said Shane Warren, Chair of VMHPAA.“A National Standard helps to create the foundation for schools to act swiftly and confidently. We would add it’s our vocational practitioners who bring that policy to life in classrooms, over cafés, and across kitchen tables.”
“Healthy school communities need embedded support services,” added Susan Sandy, Secretary of VMHPAA.“When vocational practitioners are recognized as core team members, students don’t have to navigate crises alone, they have trusted people present who respond with empathy and purpose.”
VMHPAA applauds the report’s emphasis on leadership from both teachers and parents. As a national body representing vocationally trained mental health professionals, we stand ready to work with the Federal Government, Education Ministers, school systems, and rights advocates to ensure:
A consistent, evidence-based definition of bullying across all states and territories.
Embedded vocational mental health services in schools, including counselling, workshop programs, and peer-led resilience training.
Funding and training support for vocational practitioners to deliver culturally safe, trauma-informed care.
Governance, reporting, and data tracking systems that prioritise student safety while reducing administrative burden on teachers.
The statistics are clear and heartbreaking. But even one student supported, one crisis diverted, one culture changed is proof that progress is possible.
VMHPAA urges collective commitment: let’s design standards that are measured by everyday change and back them with the skilled, community-rooted practitioners who make real impact.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
VMHPAA
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