Workforce Wellbeing in Family and Community Services (2018-2019)

Funding

Family and Community Services, $204,394

Researchers/investigators

Associate Professor Russell Roberts, Dr Larissa Bamberry, Dr Arnela Ceric, Associate Professor Gene Hodgins and Dr Tamara Cumming

Research Theme

Rural and Regional Communities

Description

Caseworkers are a specific group of employees who are exposed to traumatic events in their job, from reading documents and listening to children’s and adults’ experience of violence, abuse and maltreatment, to protecting children who are living in violent homes.  In the course of their work caseworkers can experience harmful consequences to their wellbeing and professional effectiveness including secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout.

The overall aim of this project was to conduct research into workforce wellness in NSW Human Services examining contributing factors, key challenges, develop pilot and measures of workforce wellness within a large sample of human service professionals.

The project team of 10 CSU staff conducted research to:

• examine the key issues, challenges, and enablers of workforce wellness in FACS
• develop appropriate evidence-based indicators and measures of workforce wellness
• pilot test and refine measures and survey methods on a selected sample of staff
• administer these benchmarked measures of workforce wellness across agreed occupational groups and districts

Outcomes

The development and implementation of a workforce wellness indicator suitable for use in NSW Human Services is expected to provide a benchmark of what the department's current workforce wellness so the impact of future interventions in this area can be measured.

Contact

Associate Professor Russell Roberts Email
CSU Bathurst

Dr Larissa Bamberry Email
CSU Albury-Wodonga

March 2020