Tuesday 22 September 2026
Research Partnership with the Matilda Centre Highlights Strong Outcomes for the KidsXpress School Partnership Programs.
We are pleased to share the findings of a 2025/2026 evaluation conducted in partnership with the Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use at the University of Sydney, examining the impact of our school partnership program across five participating schools.
This research, published in Frontiers in Health Services, forms an important part of our commitment to continuous improvement across our clinical service offerings. Rather than treating program design as fixed, we actively seek independent evaluation to understand what is working, where we can strengthen our approach, and how we can better support the young people and communities we work with.
Our school partnership program is designed as a 3–5 year engagement, reflecting our belief that meaningful, sustainable change in youth mental health support requires long-term investment rather than short-term intervention, particularly where we are supporting the cultural shift within an established system. Notably, three of the five schools involved in this evaluation were within their first 18-24 months of partnership. This timing gives us a valuable window into the early trajectory of these relationships, with critical insights that are especially useful for shaping how we onboard and support new school partners as the programs mature.
Among the standout results, the evaluation found that therapy referral access rates ranged from 73% to 98% across the five schools studied. This is a powerful indicator of the role schools can play as an access point for early intervention mental health support, as this finding is set against typical referral access rates in Australia of 25-33%. For many young people, barriers such as transport, cost, and stigma can prevent them from seeking or accessing help. Embedding referral access within the school environment removes many, but not all, of these barriers, helping ensure that students who need support can access it sooner. The research gave useful directions for how we may remove further barriers, with cultural responsiveness gaining the spotlight.
The evaluation also highlighted the value of relationship-building between clinical staff and school communities, the importance of consistent on-site presence in building trust with students, staff, and the community, and the role that early-stage implementation support plays in setting partnerships up for long-term success.
These findings have directly informed how we refine our onboarding processes, resourcing, and support structures for school partners. We are grateful to the Matilda Centre research team for their rigorous, independent evaluation, and to our partner schools for their collaboration throughout this research.
We remain committed to using evidence like this to ensure our programs continue to deliver meaningful, accessible mental health support to young people, wherever they are.
Comment from Lead Researcher, Dr Lucy Grummitt:
Children who experience trauma deserve access to support as early as possible, and schools are one of the most powerful settings to make that happen. Our findings highlight not only the potential of creative, trauma-informed programs to make a meaningful difference, but also the importance of ensuring these approaches are evidence-informed and sustainable. It was a privilege to work with KidsXpress, whose openness and genuine commitment to learning and improvement greatly strengthened the research.
For Enquiries & Further Information:
Dr Benjamin Rockett
Chief of Impact
Ben.Rockett@KidsXpress.org.au
www.kidsxpress.org.au
