It Takes a Tasmanian Village

The Nest provides common language around wellbeing categories to think, talk and collaborate for wellbeing, outcomes, and how we might measure progress. In Tasmania, that shared language now runs from state government strategy through to everyday practice in schools.

What is ‘It Takes a Tasmanian Village’?

‘It Takes a Tasmanian Village’ is Tasmania’s first whole-of-government Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy, meaning it guides work across the Tasmanian Government and not one department. It covers children and young people aged 0 to 25, with a particular focus on the first 1,000 days. Launched in August 2021, it was shaped by the voices of Tasmanian children and young people, and their parents, families and caregivers. It also provides a wellbeing framework for each four-year Action Plan.

How The Nest is used in Tasmania

The Tasmanian Child and Youth Wellbeing Framework encompasses the six wellbeing domains of The Nest: Loved, Safe and Valued; Material Basics; Healthy; Learning; Participating; and Positive Sense of Culture and Identity. The whole-of-government Strategy sets out descriptors for each domain.

The Tasmanian Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) has built on this in its own Wellbeing for Learning: Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy, released in 2022. The department’s Strategy is based on The Nest and gives schools, colleges and Child and Family Learning Centres a shared understanding of what wellbeing means.

DECYP puts the six domains into practice by:

• listening to children and young people, and using their voices to guide planning and decisions
• supporting teachers to promote positive student wellbeing
• delivering wellbeing programs across all Tasmanian Government schools
• working with students, families and school communities, because wellbeing is shaped by what happens outside the school gates

What Tasmanian students are telling us

Each year, students in Years 4 to 12 in eligible Tasmanian Government schools complete the Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey (SWES). The 2025 survey had the highest participation to date, with 28,392 students taking part in Term 3. Comparing 2025 with 2021, DECYP reports that statewide results have either remained stable or improved over five years.

Selected 2025 results, grouped by wellbeing domain:

• Loved, Safe and Valued: 89% of students felt connected to adults at school, 86% felt safe at school most of the time, and 73% felt teachers and students care about each other and treat each other with respect.
• Learning: 95% reported good relationships and support from their teachers, and 81% reported persisting with classroom tasks.
• Participating: 91% felt connected to adults at home, 89% reported good quality social support from peers, and 75% reported being resilient in challenging times.
• Material Basics: 85% took part in organised activities at least once a week. 76% had a nutritious breakfast and 69% had a good night’s sleep (both measured as at least three times a week).
• Healthy: 81% reported being generally optimistic.
• Positive Sense of Culture and Identity: 75% felt they belong at their school, and 82% felt part of a group of friends.

Learn more:

• ‘It Takes a Tasmanian Village’ – Child and Youth Wellbeing Strategy
• Our Approach to Child and Student Wellbeing (DECYP)
• Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy (DECYP, PDF)
• Student wellbeing data (DECYP)