As you know the Helpline has recently attempted to remove Group Supervision without genuine and meaningful consultation.

Once staff were advised, delegates were immediately inundated with questions; “why is this happening?” and “what can be done about it?”  These concerns were brought to the Director and her response was that during a survey about consultation at the Helpline, feedback was received that Group Supervision was frequently cancelled and not fit for purpose.

The PSA lodged a dispute with the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) on 2 July 2024, due to the lack of meaningful consultation with staff or the union.

The Helpline has claimed that they sought feedback from various stakeholders (Helpline Senior Leaders, Helpline Aboriginal staff and OSP) and cited feedback that Group Supervision was a “difficult fit” for the Helpline and “Reflective Practice Coaching sessions could be a better fit”.

Additionally, the email asserted that the consultation survey feedback said Group Supervision is “regularly cancelled, lacked quality or purpose, it only touched surface level procedural topics and was not meeting the functions of group supervision”.

This is a massive discrepancy between the responses delegates have been receiving, and the purported feedback received in a survey which wasn’t about Group Supervision in first place.  It is also noted that management have not come to Helpline practitioners directly with these concerns and asked how WE felt about Group Supervision, and if it should be cancelled.

To gain further insight, the PSA have created a survey of three short questions HERE.

We ask that you respond, so we can get the actual views of CSOs, Helpline and DV Line Caseworkers and Team Managers to guide our position moving forward.

For more information contact your local delegate or contact the PSA on 1300 772 679 and ask for a member of the Communities Team.