Find support for yourself or your colleagues

For all staff

Employee Wellbeing Support Services

The Employee Wellbeing Support Services provide free and confidential advice to proactively support the wellbeing of eligible Department of Education staff. Converge International is the department’s external provider of Employee Wellbeing Support Services.

You can arrange to speak with a practitioner over the phone, via video, or in person (subject to availability) for the following services:

• Employee Assist provides support and counselling for personal and work-related issues.
• Manager Assist provides dedicated coaching support and advice to people managers on staff wellbeing matters, having difficult conversations, leading through change, developing leadership competencies and any other people management matters.
• Career Assist provides career development advice, interview skills support and vocational counselling.
• Nutrition & Lifestyle Assist provides specialist advice on nutrition, sleep, mindfulness, addictive behaviours and positive lifestyle changes.
• Conflict Assist provides strategies, tools and coaching to deal with difficult workplace and personal situations. This is not a replacement for the conflict resolution support service available to staff currently.
• Money Assist provides money management coaching to help staff address their financial wellbeing.
• Legal Assist provides confidential legal advice for personal and non-work-related issues in the following areas of law: personal family law, wills/probate, tenancy/renting, real estate and consumer disputes.
• Family Assist provides counselling for eligible staff and their immediate family members (aged 18 and over) needing support with personal concerns. Short-term counselling for small family groups (aged 18 and over) or couples is also available.

For people managers

Manager Assist

Manager Assist is a dedicated coaching support service for people managers.

It provides advice and coaching on a range of issues such as:

• approaching a difficult conversation with employees
• managing challenging team dynamics
• leading through uncertainty and change
• supporting staff at risk and
• managing the impact of mental health issues within the workplace.

People managers can book an appointment by calling 1300 291 071 or book online via the Converge International portal entering the organisational code mywellbeing

Medical Advisory Service

The Medical Advisory Service offers principals and people leaders with free advice on:

• managing employees experiencing physical or psychological health difficulties that impact on their ability to do their job.
• arranging independent medical examinations on behalf of the Department (note that this is at the cost of the workplace).

This service is managed by InjuryNet. Contact InjuryNet Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5.00pm (excluding public holidays):

• call 1300 495 559
• email det@injurynet.com.au
• complete the online form.

For principals

Principal health and wellbeing supports

Principal-class employees can access a range of programs and services that support their mental health and wellbeing, including:

• School Policy Templates Portal – provides school policy templates that meet legal, departmental policy and school registration requirements.
• Principal Mentor Program – To reduce isolation and build social capital.
• Proactive Wellbeing Support - provides opportunities to debrief with experienced psychologists and new principal check-ins.
• Principal Health Checks - free and confidential proactive health consultations
• Complex Matters Support Team – help to minimise workload and stress associated with managing and responding to complex cases
• Early Intervention Program - proactive access to professional support to prevent health and wellbeing risks from escalating.

For more information, visit Principal Health and Wellbeing.

Principal Welcome Pack

All new and acting principals will receive a Principal Welcome Pack (log-in required). This will help them get started in their new role by connecting principals to the right resources from the start.

Principals’ Page

The Principals' Page (log-in required) contains links to important information and resources that principals need to access regularly or urgently.

For bushfire-affected schools

The 2019-2020 Eastern Victorian bushfires had a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of communities in affected regions. To help improve the wellbeing of school staff in the local government areas of Alpine, Towong, and East Gippsland Shires, two additional services are available until June 2023.

The available services include:

• Early Intervention Program (log-in required):
  • call 1300 090 924
  • email bushfirewellbeing@cogentthinking.com.au
• Proactive Wellbeing Support Program (log-in required):
  • call 1300 326 941
  • email wellbeing@fbggroup.com.au.

Learn more about this initiative at Bushfire Recovery (log-required).