Individual resilience training will be regularly available. The self-care content in all programs, including Beginning Practice, will be reviewed and updated to ensure consistency with contemporary evidence-based practice. EAP providers will offer sessions on enhancing personal resilience. Reduced risk for the onset of mental health issues 2. Protect Protecting mental health and wellbeing by reducing work-related risk factors (such as job design, workload management; policy and procedures to prevent and address workplace bullying).20 What we will do Baseline Indicators Outcomes 2.1 Develop and embed a ‘just culture’ within child protection. Encourage and increase occupational health and safety incident early reporting. Develop a ‘just culture’ framework that defines the positive behaviours, reporting requirements, accountabilities and actions that will promote a continuous improvement culture. Current incident reporting data Psychological health and safety incident reporting data Reporting of bullying behaviours Worksafe psychological injury claim data Our workforce experiencing increased mental health protective factors including a reduction in the incidence of workplace behavioural issues that will help to buffer them against the onset of mental health issues 2.2 Strengthen, educate and embed clear health, safety and wellbeing requirements and accountability controls for the child protection workforce. Align the departmental health, safety and wellbeing management system to the child protection workforce by identifying the physical and psychological health and safety risks particular to child protection. Survey-based feedback such as via the People Matters survey and Emoji Work Issues and Wellbeing App survey OH&S incident reporting data Emoji work issues survey data People Matters survey data Leadership and mental health and wellbeing program participation Levels of participation in initiatives to reduce mental health stigma and encourage early help-seeking Psychological health and safety is viewed as an integral element of operational practice Systems of work are adjusted and updated in response to incident reporting data Increased understanding and decreased stigma attached to mental health across all levels of the organisation
Identify appropriate prevention and support mechanisms. Educate the child protection workforce about the department’s health and safety accountability framework. Ensure all serious incidents and are monitored, reported and investigated within the of the just culture framework. Staff and leader training will promote civility in all work relationships and a sense of fairness that all staff will be empowered to promote. Increase capability of leaders to develop more engaging and supportive team environments through supporting and training leaders to focus on the ‘team levers’ that increase team engagement and support. Promote and encourage self-reporting and general incident reporting, and reward instances this occurs. Conduct six-monthly ‘team wellbeing check-in meetings’ to help promote a ‘looking out for one another’ culture, collegiality and team connectedness through sharing challenges, problem-solving strategies and personal strategies ‘for staying on top of your game’. Introduce initiatives to reduce mental health stigma and encourage early help-seeking including on-site EAP service sessions with the Mental health and wellbeing is a workplace priority
same provider on a fortnightly to monthly basis. The provider will help reduce stigma and promote the importance of early help-seeking by offering occasional talks on relevant topics such as ‘early warning signs’, ‘improving sleep’ and ‘compassion fatigue’. 2.3 a psychological support model tailored to the child protection workforce. Reinforce the role of professional supervision as a mental health protective factor by ensuring the existing supervision policy is consistently implemented and develop relevant accountabilities to support this. The reasonable expectation of access to regular professional supervision will be clearly communicated to staff. Develop a communication plan that focuses on psychological support and includes: key health and safety messaging for leaders, managers and staff; appropriate channels of communication including the use of the child protection mobile app; and information for child protection practitioners about accessing mental, physical, social and emotional wellbeing supports. Strengthen the processes for supporting leaders and managers to attend the and wellbeing of their staff following critical or traumatic incidents. Current regular access to professional supervision Employee support data on critical or traumatic incident responses Practitioner feedback regarding access to regular supervision Reviews of incident report data Workplace mental health protective factors are created help-seeking behaviour is increased Rates of mental health issues and psychological injury are reduced There is a consistent incident response driven by a sector-wide triage approach