How can schools support students with disordered eating behaviours?

An information resource for teachers on how they can support students with eating disorder behaviours and how to identify eating disorders. The resource provides practical, evidence-informed guidance to help school staff identify signs of disordered eating and connect students with appropriate support. It also outlines prevention and early intervention strategies for the school setting and is designed to support Department of Education guidelines and policies.

National Strategy Standards and Actions

Prevention

Standard 4: Home and family, school, work, health, online, and sports, fitness and performance environments bolster protective factors and reduce risk factors. 

Action 4.3: Primary and secondary schools to implement whole-of-school policies and procedures to drive a culture of body appreciation and positive relationships with food and eating, promote wellbeing and mental health literacy, including taking a harm minimisation approach across all curricula and a zero-tolerance approach to appearance or identity-based teasing and bullying. 

Action 4.5: Eating disorder organisations to partner with industry bodies to develop and roll-out workplace initiatives for eating disorder prevention, such as through eating disorder-safe guidelines for workplaces, employee wellbeing programs and staff health/activity challenges.  

Identification

Standard: There is whole-of-community awareness of the signs and symptoms that may indicate a developing or existing eating disorder, and the pathways to care.  

Action 1.2: Eating disorder and mental health organisations to continue to provide evidence-based information about eating disorders signs and symptoms and pathways to care, tailored to a range of audiences. 

Action: 1.4: Eating disorder lived experience organisations to continue to provide evidence-based resources to assist people and their families/supports and communities to identify concerns and pathways to care.