Western Australia’s public school principals will be trained to perform mental health checks on teachers as part of an initiative from the state’s education department.
The aim of the training, which comprises of a 30 minute online course, is to determine if there are any systemic issues within the workplace that could be contributing to poor mental health and wellbeing.
The WA Education Department said the new training is not directly related to any specific mental health claims, but rather a proactive approach to maintaining the positive wellbeing of staff.
Advice is provided on how to access help and support if an individual requires it following an incident in the work environment.
Reports show that mental stress claims by public servants – including teachers – related to work pressure, harassment and exposure to violence have spiked 40% to $28m in the past two years.
“We know that people are more productive, work together more effectively and are generally happier if they are working in a positive environment,” Damien Stewart, executive director Workforce, Department of Education, told The Educator.
“This new training is just one of many proactive approaches we are taking to ensure that we are consistently monitoring and assessing the mental health and wellbeing of staff in schools and regional and central offices.”
Stewart said all staff across the Department are encouraged to access the online resource to “proactively identify” any issues that have the potential to create risks to their mental health and wellbeing.
“Additionally, staff will take part in the training if they are dealing with conflict in the workplace, mental health issues, stress or any other similar problems, or if a staff member they manage is dealing with these issues,” he said.
Armando Giglia, president of the Western Australian Secondary School Executives Association (WASSEA), said the initiative will help the state’s principals improve on existing processes around mental health in schools.
“The training package itself is simple enough and, although it has the potential to take up a bit of time, so is the first form for investigating and reporting on incidents or situations that have occurred,” Giglia told The Educator.
“These are about hindsight and what could be done better in the future.”
However, Giglia said he considers the second proactive “risk assessment” form as more problematic.
“How that form will be inferred by the vast range of school leaders is the real dilemma. Identifying what is a potential risk will vary in the eyes of the individual, so getting a consistent approach is what would worry me – as does the added pressure on our school leaders,” Giglia said.
“Who will be looking after their wellbeing and ensuring that the workplace is safe for them too?”
Giglia said he is also concerned that the Department’s initiative will add to the stress of staff carrying out assessments.
“This is about bringing about an improvement in the workplace – but will come at a cost. Resourcing it adequately costs money; adding another layer and not resourcing it adequately costs wellbeing,” he said.
Giglia said that as more and more is asked of educators, the increase in the incidence of staff mental health issues will continue to rise.
“Perhaps easing the bureaucratic burden and letting schools get on with teaching and learning would help build resilience and do more for mental wellbeing in our workplace,” he said.