CFA members now have easy access to mental health advice at any time of the day or night thanks to a new online tool that can be accessed from any internet-enabled mobile or computer.
The HeadsUp online tool provides access to a range of information and tip sheets to help CFA members deal with psychological health and safety issues.
These factors include mental health, potentially traumatic events (also referred to as critical incidents), bullying, harassment and discrimination, and interpersonal conflict.
To access HeadsUP go to the following link: www.cfa.vic.gov.au/headsup.
(Instructions on how to create a favourites tab on your phone so that you can quickly and easily access HeadsUP at any time are contained in the images below this article.)
Creating a safe and healthy workplace is a shared responsibility and incorporates both physical and psychological factors.
At CFA this means that all members including leaders, managers and the organisation as a whole need to take appropriate steps to identify actions that adversely affect the mental health of its members and to reduce the impacts of these actions.
Certain practices have been identified as top priorities for creating a psychologically healthy workplace (Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, 2010). As an organisation, CFA has made a commitment to address these priorities for creating a psychologically healthy environment for its members, including:
- Providing Management Training
- Providing Mental Health Awareness
- Identifying hazards, assessing risks and implementing controls
- Creating Policies, Programs and Procedures that support a psychologically healthy environment.
As a result, the Organisational Wellbeing team with support from both the Volunteer Welfare Support and Volunteer Support Program projects and Online Services, developed HeadsUp for all members and their families.
HeadsUP will continue to be updated with new information as it becomes available. A feedback option is also available at various points throughout the tool and we encourage all users to tell us what they think.
CFA also provides a range of welfare services to support members and their families including:
- Peer support can be accessed through the Rostered Duty Officer, Office in Charge, Line Manager or the Peer Coordinator
- Psychologists/Counsellors can be contacted directly via the Member Assistance Program on 1300 795 711
- Chaplains can be contacted directly or via Converge International on 1800 337 068
These services together with HeadsUP enable members to select from a range of options to support them in managing their mental health.
If you have any queries about HeadsUP or psychological health and safety at CFA in general, please feel free to contact Organisational Wellbeing on 9262 8836 or via email at org.wellbeing@cfa.vic.gov.au