Workplace Aware
Prepare Respond Support
Workplace Aware – Prepare Respond Support is an evidence-based program addressing WHS legislation by equipping workplaces to address the overlooked psychosocial hazards associated with staff exposure to suicide and sudden death.
Data shows that the stress and trauma of staff exposure to suicide and other types of sudden death is an overlooked risk which is associated with a range of psychosocial harms, including secondary and post-traumatic stress and an increased risk of dying by suicide.
Designed over 6 years with frontline staff from not-for-profit, government, and private sector workplaces ranging in size from 100 to over 57,000 staff, our program empowers workplaces through tailored training, co-designed response protocols and localised support pathways.
The program has been academically evaluated as improving staff and workplace awareness, preparedness, and confidence with responding to suicide and sudden death, and our approach is currently being utilised by the NHS in the UK.
We Provide
Training:
For managers and staff required to coordinate responses to incidents of suicide and sudden death;
For managers and staff required to support staff impacted by suicide and sudden death;
For staff required to respond to clients impacted by suicide or sudden death.
Workshops:
Facilitating workplace planning using an evidence-based approach to mitigating the psychosocial harms of staff exposure to suicide and sudden death.
Workplace Toolkits
1
Needs Assessment
We assess your current staff exposure, risk and the preparedness of your WHS systems.
2
Alignment
We identify any gaps using relevant research evidence and best practice approaches to inform options to improve your preparedness and response.
3
Co-Design
We facilitate co-design workshops with your team to tailor best practice solutions to best-fit your needs and context.
4
Implementation
We support you through the implementation, embedding and ongoing improvement process.
Participant Feedback
In a 2023 evaluation participants reported that:
The program is effective in engaging staff and managers in the design and implementation of a systemic approach to workplace postvention.
The collaborative risk identification process, together with co-designed training, protocols and supports improved participant awareness, preparedness and confidence with suicide postvention.
The time allocated by their workplace was an acknowledgement of their roles, the impact of suicide and the value of their work.
The postvention tools were effective because they responded directly to their context and needs.
Testimonials
“This room should have been FILLED with management!”
“Thanks, it’s raised lot of process related issues from management perspective.”
“Recommended for those responsible for designing and implementing policy.”
“Good opportunity to map out what we have and what we need in our workplace to support staff and the organisation.”
“Very informative and practical.”
PRIMARY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
“Great course, well-paced, great resources.”
“Resources and content very relevant, helpful and concise.”
“Thank you for the workshop, I enjoyed the practical aspects and group activities.”
“Good conversation and have quite a few takeaways.”
“Very informative.”
TERTIARY EDUCATION PROVIDERS
“The program has been invaluable to our staff. Managing funerals brings with it an emotional load which is heightened in the case of suicide, as a result, staff retention is an industry challenge and programs like this have a significant impact in ensuring health and wellbeing for employees.”
FUNERAL DIRECTOR
“Invaluable – will support us to support our staff and other first responder agencies – fantastic!”
FIRST RESPONDER
“[We are] really excited with this [Program] because [in the past] it’s been very much a case of reacting.”
COMMUNITY HOUSING WORKER
“I found the content valuable and the self-assessment tools will be implemented into my supervision with my supervisees from now on. When I am teaching students, the Toolkit will be a useful start to conversations.”
FINANCIAL COUNSELLOR
Academic Evidence Base
Following publication of the case study (2022) further research and trials of the program model (now TM as Workplace Aware Prepare Respond Support) were funded by Neami National and conducted in Perth, Western Australia .
The 2023 study conducted by the University of Western Australia in 22 workplaces (government, not for profit and commercial sectors) ranging in size from 100 to 57 000 staff, revealed the widespread psychosocial harms resulting from staff exposure to suicide and sudden loss and the effectiveness of the program model in mitigating risk.
Summary Results:
Staff exposure to suicide and sudden death was widespread, with all staff in the sample having one or more experiences of this type of death in the course of their work.
These incidents had a range of significant negative impacts on staff wellbeing, including stress, trauma and suicidal ideation.
Only one of the 22 workplaces had provided training or adopted procedures to mitigate these psychosocial harms.
A series of trial projects showed that the program model and approach effectively empowered workplaces to be better prepared to respond to and support staff and clients impacted by suicide and sudden death.
The tailored program training and tools improved staff and manager awareness and confidence with mitigating the psychosocial harms relating to suicide and sudden death.
See the links to Latest Research for more information
Improve skills, embed safe practice and support staff wellbeing
Alison.clements@uwa.edu.au