G ENERAL A RTICLE Parliamentary Inquiry Into Health Promoting Schools in Victoria: Analysis of Stakeholder Views EMMA BRUCE, PhD a RUTH KLEIN, BAppSci (Health Promotion), BHlthSci (Hons I) b HELEN KELEHER, PhD c ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: In 2009, the Victorian Parliament Legislative Assembly of Australia commissioned a Parliamentary Inquiry into the opportunities for schools to become a focus for promoting healthy community living. Submissions to the Inquiry varied widely in their positions about school health promotion. The aim of this review is to analyze the submissions to identify core themes in the debates about school health promotion and how stakeholders saw schools becoming a focus for promoting healthy communities. METHODS: Submissions (N = 159) were downloaded from the Inquiry website. Open coding was used to code the data. The codes were then refined into conceptual categories to create themes. The Inquiry’s terms of reference were used as an organizing framework. RESULTS: Emergent themes included barriers and enablers to school health promotion including the need for stronger leadership from the Departments of Health (DoH) and Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD). CONCLUSION: Rather than supporting the idea that schools could have a wider role in communities, submissions pointed to the acute need for increased resource allocation to support health promotion in schools, and for coordinated approaches with stronger leadership from the health and education sectors. Without these structures, schools can only address health in an ad hoc manner with limited resources, capacity, and outcomes. Keywords: health promoting schools; school health. Citation: Bruce E, Klein R, Keleher H. Parliamentary inquiry into health promoting schools in Victoria: analysis of stakeholder views. J Sch Health. 2012; 82: 441-447. Received on August 4, 2011 Accepted on April 9, 2012 E very child has a right to education, health, safety, human rights, social and economic opportunity, and freedom from discrimination. 1 It follows that all education, health and social development agencies and systems have the responsibility to provide all children with equitable opportunity, programs, and services through schools. 2 The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a health promoting school as one that continuously strengthens its capacity as a healthy setting for living, working, and learning. 3 This definition is reflected in the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry Into the Potential for Developing Opportunities for Schools to Become a Focus for Promoting Healthy Community Living. 4 a Research Fellow, (bruce.emmaj@gmail.com), Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East 3145, Victoria, Australia. b Research Assistant, (ruth.klein@monash.edu), Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East 3145, Victoria, Australia. c Professor and Head, (Helen.Keleher@monash.edu), Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East 3145, Victoria, Australia. Address correspondence to: Emma Bruce, Research Fellow, (bruce.emmaj@gmail.com), Department of Health Social Science, Monash University, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East 3145, Victoria, Australia. Schools have long been regarded as important locations for the health and social development of children, and for health education and promotion. 5,6 The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) has formally recognized the unique potential and essential role of schools to promote health and education outcomes as well as human development. 7 The Health Promoting Schools Framework (HPSF) 8 has its origins in the Declaration of Alma-Ata for Primary Health Care and the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, 6,9,10 which inform the socio-ecological concepts and principles of the HPSF. The WHO HPSF reflects these principles through 6 key components; healthy school Journal of School Health • September 2012, Vol. 82, No. 9 •  2012, American School Health Association • 441