EMERGENCY SERVICES FOUNDATION FAMILIES GUIDE | 5 | EMERGENCY SERVICES FOUNDATION FAMILIES GUIDE 4 Understand how family can support Victoria Police employees. Recognise the signs of mental distress. Support and talk to your children about Victoria Police employees. Support and talk to the Victoria Police employees in your family about how they have been impacted by the work they do. Know where to go for help if you or the Victoria Police employees in your family needs it. Introduction Families play a vital role in supporting Victoria Police employees to be mentally fit for the important work they do in serving our community. This Guide is intended to support families of Victoria Police employees. It has been developed with input from partners, children and other relatives who have experience living with a Victoria Police employee. We listened to their stories and have tried to address their needs and concerns in a practical way. No one is an island. We know the stress and strain from trying to integrate many roles can have a negative ripple effect into family life, yet Victoria Police employees often rely on their family to support them to do important Victoria Police work, whether it be in preparing the community, responding to disaster, or supporting the recovery process. ESF has spoken to many Victoria Police employees, and has learned that despite the challenges, most who serve as Victoria Police employees are strongly committed to their community and their role. Families share their commitment and are usually keen to support their family members who are Victoria Police employees. They often feel a real sense of pride in the work their loved one does, and they generally want to know more about how they can support the wellbeing of their family member. Families of Victoria Police employees live with unpredictability, call outs, deployment, and the fear of major incidents. There is growing recognition that what affects the Victoria Police employee invariably affects their relationships with partners, children, and other family members. Families are often left to keep the domestic show on the road when the Victoria Police employee is absent on callouts, deployments, training or shift work, often with no advance notice – in this way, families serve too! ESF’s research showed that more needs to be done to support families and this is just the start. This guide will help you to: 1 2 4 3 5
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