Seasons for Growth

Program description

Seasons for Growth is a small-group, evidence-based education program for children and young people aged 6–18 years. The program supports children and young people to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and respond well to experiences of change, loss and grief.

Consisting of 8 sessions, it is delivered by school staff who attend a 2-day training workshop to learn to facilitate the program.

Seasons for Growth supports children and young people who have experienced change and loss, including but not limited to:

• friendship changes
• family separation
• loss or death of someone they care about
• loss of a pet
• relocation and forced migration
• living away in out of home care
• physical or mental illness
• impacts of war, terrorism or pandemics.

Seasons for Growth recognises experiences of change, loss and grief can significantly impact on children and young people's capacity to connect, succeed, thrive and their resilience and wellbeing. The program provides a safe space for students to learn knowledge and skills to understand and manage such experiences, all critical for their wellbeing.

Seasons for Growth also builds knowledge within school communities, enabling the school to sustain the program on an ongoing basis.

Intended outcomes

• Increased knowledge of and capacity to communicate about change and loss experiences and related feelings, thoughts and beliefs.
• Increased self-confidence, coping, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Increased staff/parent knowledge and skills, and community capacity to support children/young people coping with loss and change.
• Sustained higher levels of children and young people’s resilience and wellbeing.

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: The program is suitable for primary and secondary school students. Staff are trained to deliver the program to students.
• Program adaptability: Programs provide the trained facilitator with the flexibility to incorporate additional or alternate activities (reflecting student need) that will achieve the session outcomes. The program can be adapted for diverse cohorts including:
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  • culturally and linguistically diverse students
  • LGBTIQA+ students
  • neurodivergent students
  • out-of-home care students
  • students with a disability.
• Staffing: The program is facilitated by trained Companions; school teaching staff who have completed the required training. Schools wishing to send teaching staff will need to arrange backfill for their absence as they attend the 2 days of training and later for the Seasons for Growth session implementation (approx. one hour per week, for 8 weeks). Schools can elect to train non-teaching staff to support delivery of the program during class time. The Menu provider and its personnel must not be alone with any school student or group of school students in the classroom or in any other place at the school’s premises without another educator, teacher or teacher’s aide present at all times.
• Training requirements: Facilitators trained in the program generally have the skills in education and mental health/wellbeing and have the necessary skills to encourage listening, engagement and learning within the small group program. Facilitators are required to register and complete the consecutive 2-day training workshop in full to receive the program instructional materials required to implement the program in their schools. Facilitators will need timetable release from class to implement all program sessions.
• Factors to consider: The program is delivered to small groups of 4–7 participants. The program requires the trained facilitator to deliver 8 formal sessions (40–50 minutes per session dependent on program level); one celebration session; and 2 optional reconnector sessions. In consultation with MacKillop Seasons, the program may be delivered with secondary students over 4 formal sessions. MacKillop Seasons recommends that children and young people impacted by bereavement wait 6–12 months before participating in the Seasons for Growth program.
• Australian context: The program has been developed and applied in Australia.

Cost

Minimum cost

From under $1,000

Detailed cost

Seasons for Growth 2-day (2 x 5-hour) online facilitator training is $950 per participant (including GST) and includes:

• online live delivery by one instructor for up to 15 participants
• an instruction manual per participant
• a set of journals for training purposes
• postage of materials
• access to additional professional learning sessions, facilitator online web portal and ad hoc support.

If the facilitator training is delivered in-person, there is a supplementary fee of $300 (including GST) per participant, which includes:

• face-to-face delivery by one instructor for up to 22 participants
• supplier instructor travel costs
• an instruction manual per participant
• a set of journals for training purposes
• catering for each participant
• venue hire
• access to additional professional learning sessions, facilitator online web portal and ad hoc support.

Schools may wish to purchase an additional set of 21 journals for primary students for $294 (including GST), or secondary students for $357.00 (including GST). Postage and handling for additional sets of journals is not included, and will be an additional cost of $35.70 (including GST).