Study protocol and framework for the monitoring and evaluation of the state-wide expansion of the mental health in primary schools initiative.

introductionBuilding the capability of primary schools to support children's mental health needs is important in the face of the increasing prevalence of mental health difficulties in children. The Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative has shown promising results in the pilot phase, increasing the confidence of teachers in supporting student mental health and well-being. Delivering the project at scale presents implementation, monitoring and evaluation challenges. An open cohort (mix of longitudinal and cross-sectional data), non-randomised stepped-wedge design, will be used to evaluate the implementation, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of MHiPS as it expands state-wide. In this paper, we outline our protocol and monitoring and evaluation framework for a statewide expansion of the MHiPS initiative. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: All government and low-fee, non-government primary schools in the state of Victoria, Australia, will be included in the MHiPS initiative over a 4-year period from 2023 to 2026. The design incorporates mixed methods data collection (eg, surveys, focus groups and case studies), conducted with multiple informants (eg, school staff and Department of Education staff) over multiple years to reflect the staged state-wide rollout. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval for this project was received through the Royal Children's Hospital's Human Research Ethics Committee (#65924), DE RISEC (#2020_004332) and relevant Catholic diocese. Dissemination of findings will be through annual government reports, publications and national and international conferences.