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    Maroondah City Council Positive Education Initiative

    The initiative outlines a collective, community-wide approach to embedding wellbeing as a core purpose of education, not an add-on. It seeks to establish a shared vision across schools, families, and community organisations to ensure young people develop into the best versions of themselves, with wellbeing integrated into everyday learning and culture. A key aim is to create a sustainable, large-scale model that builds local capacity, aligns stakeholders, and drives long-term cultural change in how education supports both wellbeing and learning.

    Author/Source: Anthony Raitman, Maroondah City Council

    Last updated: 01/01/2024

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    Maroondah City Council Positive Education Initiative

    A compelling case study for any school or network considering a system-wide, whole-school approach to wellbeing. A Victorian local government and Department of Education partnership building whole-school wellbeing across 27 Maroondah schools through shared practice, professional learning and student voice.

    The Maroondah Positive Education Network (formerly the Maroondah Plus 10 Schools project) is a place-based partnership between Maroondah City Council, the Maroondah Principals Network and the Victorian Department of Education, working together since 2016 to embed positive education across local schools and lift the wellbeing of young people, staff, parents and the wider community. Using a whole-of-system approach, MPEN builds capability and connection through its HOPE (Head Of Positive Engagement) network, where trained leaders in each school share practice around wellbeing and positive education, supported by staff professional learning, student workshops, and parent information sessions.

    As of 2023, 27 government schools across Maroondah including  primary, secondary and special development  were participating, with student voice data from tools like the Resilient Youth Australia survey and the Maroondah Student Voice Forum shaping the network's future direction. MPEN's impact has been recognised by both the Victorian Department of Health and the Royal Commission into Mental Health, which encouraged scaling the model statewide.

    Educators can access the Maroondah Positive Education Network Impact Summary, which outlines the model's approach and outcomes, along with a short introductory video explaining how the network operates. While most of MPEN's professional learning, HOPE network resources and workshops are delivered directly to participating schools rather than published on the page, the site offers a useful entry point for educators wanting to understand the model, see its evidence base, and get in touch with Council's Youth Services team to explore involvement.

    For more information about the principles, milestones, core concepts and conditions, refer to the 2019 Conference Keynote slides.

     

    2026 PD Wrap Up: Harnessing Collective Action to Sustain Wellbeing Initiatives in Learning Communities

    Ending our Term 1 focus on  ‘building wellbeing communities from day one’, we welcomed Dr Tan Chyuan-Chin (TC),  Senior Lecturer in Wellbeing Science to explore a systems-informed approach to strengthening and sustaining wellbeing initiatives.

    In this session, Dr TC contrasted isolated, program-led approaches to wellbeing with whole-of-community, systems-aligned models to design learning communities that support wellbeing from the ground up. Dr TC introduced the Theory of Change model and the SyInC-ToC framework as practical tools for planning, implementing and evaluating sustainable change.

    Author/Source: PESA and Dr Tan Chyuan-Chin, Senior Lecturer in Wellbeing Science.

    Last updated: 07/04/2026

    Learn more about the Systems Approach taken by Maroondah City Council
    2026 PD Wrap Up: Harnessing Collective Action to Sustain Wellbeing Initiatives in Learning Communities

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