Raising children today is complex. We all hope our little ones grow up to be happy, healthy, responsible and environmentally aware, but how do we instil these values from a young age? One of the simplest, most practical (and fun!) ways to introduce sustainability and responsibility to kids is through the use of toy libraries.…

Have you noticed that kids today seem to spend more time with screens than with friends? A recent study from the Child Mind Institute (2025) found that both parents and students see loneliness, bullying, and academic pressure as the biggest threats to young people’s wellbeing. It’s worrying to read that 40% of high school students…

As parents, we all want our children to thrive, not just survive. In a world that often feels uncertain or overwhelming, helping our children build resilience is one of the most important things we can do. But what does resilience actually look like in everyday family life? And how can we, as parents, coach our…

Victorian Parents Council are pleased to share the results of a collaborative study exploring parent and school staff views on school attendance conducted by researchers at Deakin University, University of Melbourne, and Australian Catholic University together with VPC. The study was conducted in 2023 and 2024 and surveyed 167 parents/caregivers and 69 school staff from…

Introduction  In the previous 2 blogs, I introduced the concept of zones related to your wellbeing. The state of your wellbeing is a reflection of how much stress is in your life, how intense it is, how long it has been there, without relief and what you do to relieve your stress. In this blog,…

As parents across Australia navigate the increasingly complex digital landscape our children inhabit, the Federal government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked significant debate. While protecting our children from online harms is a priority we all share, many are questioning whether a blanket ban is the most effective approach. The Good Intentions Behind…

Whether you are a parent or not, your wellbeing does not exist in isolation. It is influenced and shaped by the numerous interactions with people and events that happen to you, as well as those happening around you. You are not a passive recipient of these influences; your responses also shape the system. Relationships are…

There are numerous hurdles between waking up and getting out the door on school mornings, whether it is battling with the alarm clock, hunting down the missing (and very important) item or organising a last-minute carpool when the school bus doesn’t show up on time. However, for some families, getting to school can be especially…

You know that uneasy feeling you get when your child is gaming, for what seems like hours? In fact, it is hours. Your parenting mind tells you it’s not good for them, and they should be outside running around, talking to real people, or maybe helping you with dinner.  A friend recently recommended that I…