Student Wellbeing
Relationships are the foundation of the Cabra community, creating a sense of belonging and connection for life.
Restorative practice and maintaining the dignity of every individual is central, and we encourage our students to engage with each other with kindness, compassion and empathy.
Pastoral care of students at Cabra seeks to nurture the whole person and is thus, reflected in every aspect of school life. Cabra offers a number of formal structures, staff, programs and services to enhance the care and support offered to our students, throughout their adolescent years.
Learning and wellbeing are explicitly connected. Our pastoral care programs are designed to promote a growth mindset so that students feel comfortable taking risks in their learning, thinking critically and creatively, and perhaps discovering a new-found talent as they do so. Valuing the interconnectedness of all creation and being open to God’s spirit at work in our midst, allows all of our students to grow.
Belonging to one of Cabra’s four Houses, Boylan, Kavanagh, Moore and Murphy, allows each student to be well-known by our staff and to feel strongly connected within our larger college community. We seek to give students an understanding of the long and rich history of Cabra, allowing them to feel a part of something much bigger than themselves, and to value thier place in this vibrant school. For generations our old scholars have told us of the importance in their lives of the friends they made while at Cabra.
Our Approach
The pastoral care approach is led and supported by the House Leader and Mentor Teachers. House Leaders work closely with students, staff and families throughout the year, whilst ensuring the pastoral care program meets the needs of the students in their care. The Mentor Teacher offers significant pastoral care support and is responsible for the overall development and care of students in their care.
Students also have opportunities to connect with others, through year level activities, classes and our extensive extra-curricular activities. Each year level has a pastoral care program which includes information/instruction on aspects of personal development, such as habits of mind, positive psychology, study skills and learning gratitude and resilience.
Social Work Team
Our Social Work team is a key component of the student support system. Our qualified practitioners offer a confidential and responsive service to help students manage mental health or wellbeing concerns that may affect their capacity to thrive and feel supported.
We recognise the interface between wellbeing and a student’s capacity to engage, learn, and flourish in the school environment, and our services are designed to respond to student needs with efficiency, clarity, and care.
The College’s Social Work model is built on a response-based approach, offering a range of supports such as brief interventions, crisis response, safety planning, advocacy, case management, and the development of Wellbeing IEPs, as well as other responses tailored to individual student needs. The Social Work Team also provides structured, short-term support where required (typically up to three focussed sessions) aimed at stabilising concerns, building skills, and determining clear next steps. When more extensive or ongoing therapeutic intervention is needed, the team assists families to access appropriate external service providers and acts as a conduit between the provider and the school to ensure continuity of care and communication regarding student support needs.
Social work practice is client-centred and strengths-based, grounded in the values of social justice, dignity, and empowerment. Our practitioners use trauma and evidence-informed strategies to help students build resilience, develop coping skills, and strengthen their sense of agency. Their practice reflects an understanding that each student’s experiences at home, school, and within the wider community shape their wellbeing, and is guided by the belief that every student should feel known, supported, and capable of growth. This aligns closely with our STAR Framework of Seeking, Thriving, Achieving, Relating.
The Social Work Team is led by the Social Work Director who works closely with families and key members of the school community to communicate clear, timely, and appropriate support responses that meet the immediate needs of students.
Referrals to the Social Work Team can be made in a number of ways:
- by a student presenting to the Wellbeing Space,
- by staff or parents submitting a request through the SEQTA portal, or
- by emailing wellbeingreferrals@cabra.catholic.edu.au
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Tania Davison-Bennett
Social Work Director
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Michelle Roberts
Wellbeing Support Practitioner
