ESF has a program focus on early intervention and transition to retirement and works in collaboration to address shared issues and raise standards or practice.
Mental Health Matters
This program, adapted from the workshops presented earlier in 2021, is a Mental Health Matters Program designed so you can learn about how to help yourself and others, with your partner or colleague so you can both benefit from discussing what you learn.
Family Matters
There is widespread recognition that families of emergency service workers are key to their wellbeing and operational sustainability. Over recent years ESF has undertaken various studies to understand more fully how families can be best supported.
Learning Network
The ESF Learning Network connects organisations and experts to share ideas and knowledge to collaboratively design and implement workplace initiatives that create long term, sustainable and organisation-wide change for safe and mentally healthy work environments.
Leading for Better Mental Health
The Learning Network determined that leaders in the sector need better support to help them nurture mentally healthy workplaces and they designed a pilot development program.
Early Intervention
Research shows that mindfulness meditation literally rewires the brain, strengthening our ability to stay focused even when things are stressful, unpredictable and constantly changing.
Transition to Retirement
There is a call for better mental health support for first responders leaving employment (Beyond Blue 2018; Senate Inquiry 2019; Vic. Police 2019) and McCleary (2019) with recommendations for better targeted programs for this cohort.
Residential Wellbeing Program
ESF will begin to pilot a Residential Wellbeing Program in April 2024. This will involve six groups of ten people in residence for four days on the Mornington Peninsula to work with mental health counselors familiar with the emergency services environment.
