My Mind Check submission to the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review

What is the Anti-Bullying Rapid Review?

Bullying remains a serious and persistent issue across Australian schools, affecting the wellbeing, safety and educational outcomes of thousands of students. Despite a range of existing policies and programs, there is currently no consistent national approach for how schools respond to bullying.

The Anti-Bullying Rapid Review ↗ is an Australian Government initiative launched back in February 2025 to develop a consistent national standard for responding to bullying and its underlying causes in schools.

Submission to the Department of Education Anti-Bullying Rapid Review

As our submission outlines, systematic early identification of students at risk of, or experiencing, peer victimisation is one of the most practical and high-impact ways to translate investment into meaningful change.

Our approach not only provides direct support to students but also strengthens school-wide capacity for sustained improvement in student wellbeing and safety.

Our key recommendations are:

• Early identification systems: Integrate systematic peer victimisation screening alongside measurement of known risk and protective factors including mental health symptoms, neurodiversity, school belonging and family/peer connections.
• Proactive universal screening: Implement regular check-ins that help to ensure no students experiencing bullying – particularly those with internalising difficulties who may suffer in silence – ‘fall through the cracks’.
• Evidence-based follow-up frameworks: Provide schools with clear, practical and evidence-based pathways that enable concrete support for students identified as needing assistance.
• Data-driven school support: Empower schools with timely, easy-to-understand insights about their school community and individual students to inform targeted interventions and track progress over time.
• Implementation and workforce support: Provide comprehensive training, resources and ongoing support to ensure schools can effectively implement and respond to screening initiatives within their existing capacity and context.

How My Mind Check can help identify students at risk of bullying

Dr Lauren McLellan, Director of My Mind Check, says, “Understanding the size of the problem and identifying the students who are experiencing or are at risk of bullying is a critical component of developing a successful approach that will change lives.”

“My Mind Check uniquely addresses this challenge by measuring mental health risk indicators and direct experiences of peer victimisation, as well as protective factors, through age-appropriate, evidence-based check-ins.”

My Mind Check is a free, evidence-based tool that gives schools real-time insights into student wellbeing through 10–15-minute check-ins. Learn how it works here. It bridges the gap between identifying concerns and taking action, providing immediate insights and practical resources, and facilitating crucial conversations between school, student and family/carers.

A major research study shows check-ins improve student wellbeing, with 20% fewer students reporting emotional difficulties and these same students attending school on 30% more days than students in non-participating schools – all through a free platform that adapts to each school’s unique needs.

Since launching in late 2024, My Mind Check already supports schools across all Australian states and territories, demonstrating the practical feasibility and effectiveness of systematic screening approaches that could be further expanded to support national standards for bullying prevention and response.

The Anti-Bullying Rapid Review is part of the government’s broader efforts to ensure that all students and staff are safe at school, free from bullying and violence. The final report, incorporating feedback from various stakeholders, will be presented to all Australian Education Ministers in the coming months.

View the full submission ↗

To learn more or arrange a demo, contact our team today.