Your delegates advised PSA staff about the Department’s last minute communication to School Psychologists working during the school holidays, that they could be required to attend to ‘critical incidents’ that may arise during the break.

The PSA wrote to Employee Relations and requested an urgent meeting with the Director, Child and Mental Health Services to discuss the expectation of School Psychologists doing this work during the vacation period.  PSA Industrial Officer and your delegates attended a meeting on 10 September 2021 with Pauline Kotselas and Anne Reddie to raise a number of concerns including:

• Poor communication to school psychologists about the vacation counselling service and what is expected when attending to critical incidents
• Lack of training on managing critical incidents
• Lack of information about the processes to access supervision, escalate serious matters, debrief after dealing with a critical incident
• Lack of access to client management systems
• Lack of information about referral services and follow up processes

Outcomes provided to the Association in writing, include the following actions and information:

• The Department confirmed the purpose of the vacation counselling service is only to provide initial support to students when a critical incident occurs.
• School psychologists will not be required to provide further follow-up support beyond the student vacation period. It is anticipated the demand on the service will be infrequent during the vacation period.
• The School principal will at all times coordinate the response, once notified of a critical incident and a Departmental psychologist in a leadership position, will provide the required professional supervision to the school psychologist
• Once notified, the School Principal will advise the student’s family about the counselling service, and the student can contact the service via a dedicated telephone line. The student will give their name and school to the intake officer, who will then confirm the student’s details.   The student’s details will be forwarded to the school psychologist.  The school principal will at all times be responsible for managing the response, and their contact details will be available to the School Psychologist during the vacation period.
• The Department will review its practices, to ensure future communications to school psychologists appropriately reflect the type of work that will be performed.
• The Department will arrange a method of feedback for school psychologists who participate in the vacation counselling service. The Department will take into account comments from school psychologists received as part of the feedback period at the end of the Term 3 vacation.
• The Feedback will be available for school psychologists in Term 4, 2021.
• The Department will engage in further meetings with the Association in Term 4 to discuss the outcome of any feedback received
• The Department has recently developed professional learning for school counselling staff on managing and responding to critical incidents. This training will be available to school psychologists and school counsellors during Term 4, 2021

The Director, Child and Mental Health Services conveyed appreciation that PSA feedback will improve communication, professionalism and support for the important work that School Psychologists do in assisting students.  Going forward, PSA staff and delegates will continue to engage with the Department and raise matters of concern and interest to our PSA School Psychologist members, at agreed regular consultative meetings.

If you have collective workplace issues you would like raised contact your PSA delegate or log it with the PSA Member Support Centre  on 1300 772 679.

Know someone who isn’t a member of the PSA?

Encourage your colleagues to join the PSA  at psa.asn.au/join/ to add to the collective strength of your union, so we can continue to advance and protect your interests.