Reducing childhood psychological distress in disasters: Evaluation of Psychological First Aid in Schools

ANU HREC 2025 0018 ANU Human Research Ethics Committee (ANU HREC 2025 0018) and NSW State Education Research and Partnerships Approval (SERAP; 20 June: 3544)::: To reduce the impact of disasters on childhood mental health, researchers will partner with Emerging Minds and NSW Department of Education to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of a new, Psychological First Aid in Schools program (PFA-S). Expected results will be an effective childhood disaster mental health prevention program for school staff to reduce the impact of disasters on student wellbeing and a pathway to develop further resources specifically for children and adolescents.