ESF acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government to deliver a new initiative in 2025: Volunteer Leaders: Safeguarding Mentally Healthy Teams.
ESF identified a need to better support volunteer leaders meet obligations for psychological safety. This new program designed specifically for volunteers has been informed by ESF’s popular Leading for Better Mental Health program and is designed to better equip volunteer leaders to lead their teams with a psychological safety lens, improve mental health literacy, whilst building local inter-agency connections.
Three programs will be offered in 2025.
Each program involves two dates and participants are expected to attend both and apply their learning between sessions, reflect and report back on day two.
The program dates and locations are as follows:
- Program A – Mt Macedon – 3 May & 21 June
- Program B – Caribbean Park – 14 June & 9 August
- Program C – Shepparton – 26 July & 6 September
Registration is free. Numbers are limited.
Who is the program for?
This program is for emerging and existing volunteer leaders from any Victorian emergency service agency. It aims to provide them with the knowledge and skills to address the key business issue for every frontline agency of psychosocial safety necessary to sustain the health and wellbeing of its volunteers.
The program will provide participants with the unique benefit of being able to come together to learn and network with people from a range of agencies who share the same leadership challenges. The enormous benefit of such multi agency learning is positive feedback ESF consistently receives.
Why is it needed?
The need for this program is based on findings of the Beyond Blue Answering the Call
Report and ESFs own research on stigma and help-seeking and in preparation for
new Psychological Health Regulations. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (OHS Act), employers must provide and maintain a working environment for their employees, including contractors and volunteers, that is safe and without risks to health, so far as reasonably practicable. In Section 5 of the OHS Act, health is defined as including psychological health. The proposed regulations recognise that hazards that pose a risk to psychological health are no less harmful to safety and wellbeing than physical hazards.
This program is essentially an early intervention that gives volunteer leaders the skills they need to build psychological safety in a team environment. There is a strong focus on treatment of mental injury being applied at community and sector level. ESF is in a unique position to support work being undertaken by agencies by delivering important evidence informed upstream mental health programs. This program will serve to help local volunteer leaders who struggle with managing mental health concerns at brigade/unit/club level.
Participants can expect to:
- Appreciate the power of vulnerability and storytelling in leading people
- Learn how listening builds connection and is an important leadership skill for creating psychological safety
- Realise they can make a difference
- Gain an understanding of psychosocial hazards and psychological safety
- Understand empathy and why it is an important leadership capability
- Get creative ideas for implementing change in their team
- Celebrate each other’s successes
- Understand the importance of psychological safety in helping people process difficult events
- Understand the difference between PTSD, burnout, moral injury, anxiety, depression, and grief
- Understand the value of a support crew
Who will lead the program?
Dr Shannon Hood is a CFA volunteer, counsellor and clinical supervisor specialising in emergency services. Shannon was also embedded with volunteer fire fighting teams during multiple Black Saturday deployments and has an extensive career supporting the sector in NSW, the ACT, SA and now Victoria. He was also a SES volunteer for over a decade in South Australia.
Melisa Sincock has extensive experience working within and supporting many government organisations for the past 30 years, including being a retained firefighter with Fire Rescue NSW for 18 years. Since becoming a counsellor she has specialised in supporting members from various emergency service organisations with individual and group setting support.
