On Tuesday 20 October the PSA launched the Safe Staff Safe Kids Campaign.
Your union launched this important campaign during Mental Health Month because the biggest workplace issue facing you and other child protection workers right now is mental health and wellbeing.
We know this because earlier this year the PSA commissioned a research project to identify the parts of your work that most impact you and develop a best practice model for mental health and wellbeing specific to the context of child protection. The outcomes of this project showed that psychological injury in your agency was higher than that in Ambulance and Police.
This project lead to the development of the Safe Staff Safe Kids Campaign.
We encourage you to watch the campaign video of Stewart Little, General Secretary of the PSA, talk about this campaign and how proud we are to be your union.
And please like and share the Facebook post HERE.
Safe Staff Safe Kids Campaign: Understanding, Prevention + Protection, Support, Recovery
The Safe Staff Safe Kids Campaign calls on the NSW Government and the Department of Communities and Justice to implement all the PSA recommendations from PSA’s best practice model for mental health and wellbeing below:
- Cultural and organisational change
- Peer Support Program
- Mental health and wellbeing are key strategic priorities
- Appointment of Chief Psychologist and a team of psychologists
- Clinical/professional supervision
- Dedicated time away from frontline child protection work
- Complete overhaul/reform of recover at work program
- Hotline for caseworkers
- Panel of secular and non-secular chaplains
- Child protection workforce strategy
- Annual well-being checks for all caseworkers, MCSs and MCWs
- Partnerships with mental health NGOs – Beyond Blue and Black Dog Institute
Download the Best Practice Model for Mental Health and Wellbeing HERE.
Do you know someone who still needs to join the PSA?
You can support the work of the PSA and delegates to get better outcomes for everyone just by asking your colleagues to join the PSA at www.psa.asn.au/join.
Be part of the campaign to make positive change by encouraging others in your workplace to join.