WA school bullying expert Donna Cross appointed to oversee behaviour in NSW schools

WA school bullying expert Donna Cross has been named NSW’s first chief behaviour adviser, tasked with leading improvements in student behaviour and wellbeing in schools. The two-year appointment was hailed as a “critical step” in ensuring a consistent, evidence-led approach to improving student behaviour in NSW schools. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said at the start of the recruitment process in September the “radical move” was needed to address a common problem impacting schools. “Teachers across school sectors have told us they want greater support for dealing with disruptive students and that’s why we’re introducing the role of NSW Chief Behaviour Adviser to lead on best practice for improving and maintaining respectful student behaviour,” he said at the time. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said Emeritus Professor Cross was a leader in the field of children’s mental health and brought with her decades of experience in education, public health and research. “Her appointment as a specialist adviser on student behaviour is a proactive and necessary step in addressing existing, as well as new and emerging, issues in our schools,” she said. “These are complex issues that school and broader communities are dealing with, and while we need a whole-of-community approach, school can be a starting place to support engaged and healthy young people.” A spokesperson for Education Minister Tony Buti said WA would assess the outcome of this appointment in NSW and see what changes it delivered on student behaviour. Renowned for her extensive research on school and cyber-bullying, Professor Cross last year received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to youth mental health and wellbeing. She said she welcomed the opportunity to work with schools across NSW. “Throughout my career I have been committed to improving the health, behavioural development and learning outcomes for children and young people,” she said. “There are many ongoing and emerging behavioural challenges for students — especially as they grow up in a digital world.” “We need to use the best quality evidence to ensure we are at the forefront of actions to equip our students, their schools and families with the skills and tools to optimize their life outcomes.