VFBV

Have your say on the mental health of police and emergency services

The world’s largest study on mental health across emergency services personnel is happening right here, right now. 

Some of you have been invited to participate, with the aim of the beyondblue Answering the Call survey to collect invaluable information about the issues affecting the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel.

The data will give beyondblue the evidence it needs to determine the best ways to provide support.

The survey investigates the prevalence of common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide risk.

It will also collect important information about stigma, use of support services and programs, and factors that impact on the mental health of police and emergency services personnel.

Since October 2017, about 100,000 current and former employees and volunteers in police and emergency services agencies across Australia have been invited to participate.

Even the most resilient police and emergency services worker and volunteer can be affected by stress and trauma. That’s why VFBV is supporting Answering the call – beyondblue’s National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Police and Emergency Services Personnel.

We are working with beyondblue and CFA on a world-first national study to provide clear evidence about the issues affecting the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and identify the best ways to provide support.

Employees, volunteers and former employees from police, fire and rescue, ambulance and emergency services across Australia are being invited to participate in a short survey. In Victoria, VFBV has strongly advocated and supported CFA to be involved, and volunteers were sent invitations to participate on Friday 2nd February 2018.  If you receive an invitation we encourage you to participate.

beyondblue and VFBV is committed to working with organisations in the police and emergency services sector to ensure the survey results are used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel.

The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. Agencies will not see anyone’s individual responses, as the online survey is being hosted by independent research organisation, Roy Morgan Research, and analysed independently by The University of Western Australia. No individual responses will be provided to CFA or VFBV.

A representative random sample  of CFA volunteers is being invited to participate in the survey. Participants have been selected at random and not on the basis of their wellbeing. This is to provide a representation of the needs of the whole police and emergency services sector. If you were randomly selected, you will have received an email at the email address recorded on CFA’s RMS system. For further information on the survey, please visit beyondblue.org.au/pesresearch and click on the ‘FAQs for participants’ link. You can also phone the research team on 1800 677 248 or email answeringthecall@roymorgan.com 

Don’t miss out on having your say! Check your email to start the survey. Double check your SPAM or JUNK folders to see if you received it. The invitation were emailed on Friday 2nd February, and would have been sent from this address: (Beyond Blue PE Survey) beyondBluePESurvey@cfa.vic.gov.au

A Frequently Asked Questions document can be found here

National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services

Project Overview

beyondblue is currently undertaking the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services (Study). The Study aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel and reduce their risk of suicide by identifying evidence-based strategies focused on change at individual, organisational and systems levels. The findings of the completed Study will be used to inform the work of the beyondblue PES Program and influence policy and practice within police and emergency services and among governments responsible for these frontline services.

Rationale for the Study

Existing prevalence research on police and emergency services workforces in countries outside Australia shows that police and emergency services employees have higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety and PTSD, when compared with the general population. Research comparing police and emergency services’ suicide rates with general population suicide rates varies widely in its findings.

In Australia, a range of studies have been conducted to establish prevalence data and environmental data. Australian research has generally focused on a single population group (e.g. police officers in one agency), or issue (e.g. PTSD among fire-fighters in a given State). There is a lack of robust prevalence data examining the full range of common mental health issues and the spectrum of suicide risk (e.g. ideation, suicide attempts) experienced by police and emergency services personnel, including issues of co-morbidity of mental health conditions, and mental health conditions with substance misuse and physical health. Nor do we know which police and emergency services personnel are at greatest risk of experiencing a mental health condition or of experiencing suicidality or dying by suicide. There is also a dearth of data on the knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors of police and emergency services personnel that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions and that enables associations to be drawn about the individual, organisational and systems level risk and protective factors for mental health conditions and suicide. Measures of mental wellbeing are also lacking, and little is known about the influence of, and impact on, personal relationships and families.

The lack of appropriate data makes it difficult to understand the true nature of the mental health and wellbeing of this workforce (both serving and former), commonalities across and within specific cohorts, and the malleable factors that can be impacted on through appropriate interventions. These evidence gaps present critical risks for the development, implementation and evaluation of existing approaches within police and emergency services agencies that aim to improve mental health and reduce suicide risk among police and emergency services personnel.

There is a need for a comprehensive national dataset to establish essential baseline prevalence measures, individual knowledge, identify attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking, and establish risk and protective factors for mental health, including the organisational policies and practices associated with mental health and suicide among police and emergency services personnel. This dataset is also required to design and develop appropriate interventions at an individual, organisational and systemic level.

The Study aims to fill this evidence gap in a way that ensures the police and emergency services sector is able to translate the research findings into practical actions that will lead to better mental health and decreased suicide risk for police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The key components of the Study are:

- Mapping of existing research (complete)
- Advisory Group
- Phase 1: personal stories (complete)
- Phase 2: nationally representative survey
- Phase 3A: developing a knowledge translation plan
- Phase 3B: implementing the knowledge translation plan

Key components of the Study

Mapping of existing research The complex array of factors affecting the mental health of police and emergency services personnel, and long-standing recognition of the high-risk nature of their roles, means they are a heavily surveyed population. In order to ensure the Study fills existing knowledge gaps effectively, and avoids duplication and survey fatigue, beyondblue engaged Phoenix Australia to undertake a rapid mapping exercise of recent research relating to the mental health and suicide of police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The mapping will be used to inform the approach to Phases 2 and 3 of the Study and enable beyondblue and the Study research team to more effectively engage with key researchers and agencies already contributing to the knowledge base in this field.

It should be noted a sizeable consultation process was undertaken to inform the design of the Study. This included interviews with 13 expert academics, 18 sector representatives, and 3 other stakeholders with relevant expertise, to seek advice on how to approach a range of aspects of the research such as the Study design, comparative datasets, target populations, stakeholder engagement, recruitment and administration, sampling, response rate, and knowledge translation. The three-phase Study design and all planned approach to the project have been shaped by this expert advice and influenced by beyondblue’s engagement with the police and emergency services sector.

Phase 1
Phase 1 was an exploratory qualitative Study designed to understand the experiences of current and former employees of police and emergency services, and their partners and families, in respect of factors that contribute to positive and negative mental health outcomes. Data gathered will inform the approach to the next phases of the Study, as well as provide a source of personal stories to facilitate engagement with the Study and the PES Program more broadly. This phase was undertaken by Whereto Research and completed in November 2016.

Advisory Group
beyondblue is committed to working collaboratively on the Study and ensure it is informed by the diversity and depth of expertise in the police and emergency services sector. An Advisory Group has been formed to provide strategic guidance for the Study. This group had its first meeting on 20 February 2017. The is chaired by Ken Lay AO APM, Chairman of Ambulance Victoria and former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, and includes representatives from agencies, unions and community groups, clinicians and academics, a former police officer and family member of an emergency services employee.

Phase 2
beyondblue has engaged The University of Western Australia and Roy Morgan Research to undertake Phase 2 of the Study which is a knowledge generation project involving a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The national survey will examine a broad range of issues relating to both the prevalence of wellbeing and the prevalence of common mental health conditions, help-seeking behaviours, and risk and protective factors in police and emergency services workplaces. This will form the bulk of the data collected for the Study.

The aim of Phase 2 of the Study is to establish a comprehensive understanding of the mental health and wellbeing of current police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The objectives of this Phase are to:
- establish high-quality, national baseline measures for mental wellbeing, common mental health conditions, suicidality and associated substance use and/or physical health comorbidities in police and emergency services personnel;
- examine a broad range of risk and protective factors associated with mental health and mental illhealth among police and emergency services personnel in Australia;
- increase the evidence base on the influence of policies and practices aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing among police and emergency services personnel; and
- identify the knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions among police and emergency services personnel.

This phase of the Study will address the following research questions:

- What is the prevalance of mental wellbeing, common mental health conditions, suicidality and associated substance use and/or physical health comorbidities among police and emergency services personnel?;
- Are there any demographic, geographic or sector sub-groups at higher or lower risk of mental health conditions or suicidality?;
- What are the individual and organisational risk and protective factors associated with mental health and mental ill-health among police and emergency services personnel in Australia?; and,
- What are the individual knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions among police and emergency services personnel?

A rigorous sampling strategy is critical for Phase 2 of the Study in order to increase the likelihood of achieving a representative sample. beyondblue’s preferred approach for Phase 2 is to adopt a stratified, random sampling strategy for selecting current police and emergency services personnel to participate. This approach aims to maximise the quality of the data gathered by allowing for identification of any possible biases within the sample and developing appropriate post-hoc analyses to control for these. It relies on systematic engagement with every single police and emergency services agency in Australia.

Volunteers and former police and emergency services personnel will be included in Phase 2, in order to fill long-standing knowledge gaps. Modified sampling strategies may be used in consideration of difficulties in accessing these cohorts. Due to the difficulty of accessing family members in a way that produces quality data, this group is not within scope for Phase 2 of the Study.

An important consideration for beyondblue is using survey measures that may be employed again in the future by police and emergency services agencies seeking to conduct further research in future years, to build upon the baseline measures established by this survey.

The Phase 2 survey will be administered online, with a limited number of hard copies available if requested. A comprehensive communications plan has been developing to secure executive support for the project within agencies, and drive participation among individual police and emergency services personnel. The survey will be branded with beyondblue’s logo and marks.

Phase 3

Phase 3 is a collaborative ‘evidence to action’ project intended to draw on a range of perspectives from the police and emergency services sector on how the findings from Phases 1 and 2 can best be translated into practical improvements in the mental health of police and emergency services personnel across Australia. This Phase is essential for the Study to provide real value and impact. This Phase has two sub-phases – 3A and 3B – which are described below.

The knowledge translation objectives of Phase 3 of the Study are to:

- work with the police and emergency services sector to identify the practical actions they can take to improve mental health and wellbeing in police and emergency services personnel;
- increase the capability of police and emergency services organisations to know how to effectively promote good mental health and reduce suicide risk in the police and emergency services workforce;
- guide change at individual, organisational and systems levels to improve the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and reduce their risk of suicide;
- develop mechanisms to support the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of these strategies; and
- provide a platform for beyondblue to advocate for improved programs and support to protect and promote the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and their families, and reduce their risk of suicide. 

Detailed research questions are being developed for Phase 3 to explore the following key themes:

- What are stakeholders’ views on the implications of the findings from Phases 1 and 2 of the Study for police and emergency services agencies? What are the priorities for action?

- Drawing on the results of Phases 1 and 2, what are the most appropriate and effective ways to promote the mental health of current police and emergency services personnel through police and emergency services agencies and prevent the development of mental health conditions and suicide risk in police and emergency services personnel? How can those activities best be implemented in each organisation? What are the primary barriers and enabling factors for the implementation and impact of these activities and how can those be overcome or built upon? What are the critical factors for success? What is required to deliver on those strategies?

- What are the most appropriate and effective ways to support police and emergency services personnel who may be experiencing a mental health condition or suicide risk, and their families? How can those activities best be implemented in each organisation? What are the primary barriers to the implementation and impact of these activities and how can those barriers be overcome? What are the critical factors for success? What is required to deliver on those strategies?

- How should the proposed strategies for promotion, prevention and intervention be prioritised and by whom? Who should be responsible for co-ordinating efforts at the organisational and systems levels to implement these actions and how will they work in partnership with other police and emergency services stakeholders to achieve shared aims?

- What are the mechanisms that need to be put in place to support the ongoing routine monitoring and evaluation of the strategies identified by this Study? How will effectiveness be measured? Who will be responsible for implementing these mechanisms?

- What are the national indicators we should seek to monitor and how will this be done? How can the research instruments from Phase 2 of this Project be adapted and/or used by police and emergency services agencies seeking to measure the mental health and suicide risk of their workforces in the future?

Phase 3A: Developing a knowledge translation plan

beyondblue is seeking to apply best practice research methods to the Study and has engaged knowledge translation experts to lead the development of a knowledge translation, or ‘evidence to action’ plan for the Study. It is anticipated this plan will:

1. identify a broad range of goals, opportunities and activities which beyondblue and the police and emergency services sector could respond to, in order to translate the findings from Phases 1 and 2 of the Study, and other relevant research, into improved mental health and reduced suicide risk for police and emergency services personnel in Australia; and,

2. determine the core set of priority activities that will comprise Phase 3B of the Study and be undertaken by beyondblue and police and emergency services agencies and other key stakeholders.

Phase 3B: Implementing the knowledge translation plan

During Phase 3B, beyondblue and a dedicated team of researchers and other expert practitioners will support police and emergency services agencies and other key stakeholders to review the new evidence generated by the Study, and identify the best ways to respond. This will involve consulting with every agency regarding the findings of Phases 1 and 2 to figure out how to best interpret these findings, and apply them to meet the specific priorities and situation of each respective agency. Each agency operates within a unique context and the consultations will be informed by each organisation’s existing programs and services, specific needs, priorities, and network of partnerships and resources.

This stage of the Study aims to employ a collaborative, whole-of-sector approach to identify practical, evidence-based strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing within the individuals, organisations and systems that make up the Australian police and emergency services community. This will include agencies, unions and associations, insurers, regulators, relevant government departments, community and peer groups, individual employees and volunteers and family members.

For further information on the survey, please visit beyondblue.org.au/pesresearch and click on the ‘FAQs for participants’ link. You can also phone the research team on 1800 677 248 or email answeringthecall@roymorgan.com 

Have your say on the mental health of police and emergency services

The world’s largest study on mental health across emergency services personnel is happening right here, right now. 

Some of you have been invited to participate, with the aim of the beyondblue Answering the Call survey to collect invaluable information about the issues affecting the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel.

The data will give beyondblue the evidence it needs to determine the best ways to provide support.

The survey investigates the prevalence of common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide risk.

It will also collect important information about stigma, use of support services and programs, and factors that impact on the mental health of police and emergency services personnel.

Since October 2017, about 100,000 current and former employees and volunteers in police and emergency services agencies across Australia have been invited to participate.

Even the most resilient police and emergency services worker and volunteer can be affected by stress and trauma. That’s why VFBV is supporting Answering the call – beyondblue’s National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing of Police and Emergency Services Personnel.

We are working with beyondblue and CFA on a world-first national study to provide clear evidence about the issues affecting the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and identify the best ways to provide support.

Employees, volunteers and former employees from police, fire and rescue, ambulance and emergency services across Australia are being invited to participate in a short survey. In Victoria, VFBV has strongly advocated and supported CFA to be involved, and volunteers were sent invitations to participate on Friday 2nd February 2018.  If you receive an invitation we encourage you to participate.

beyondblue and VFBV is committed to working with organisations in the police and emergency services sector to ensure the survey results are used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel.

The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. Agencies will not see anyone’s individual responses, as the online survey is being hosted by independent research organisation, Roy Morgan Research, and analysed independently by The University of Western Australia. No individual responses will be provided to CFA or VFBV.

A representative random sample  of CFA volunteers is being invited to participate in the survey. Participants have been selected at random and not on the basis of their wellbeing. This is to provide a representation of the needs of the whole police and emergency services sector. If you were randomly selected, you will have received an email at the email address recorded on CFA’s RMS system. For further information on the survey, please visit beyondblue.org.au/pesresearch and click on the ‘FAQs for participants’ link. You can also phone the research team on 1800 677 248 or email answeringthecall@roymorgan.com 

Don’t miss out on having your say! Check your email to start the survey. Double check your SPAM or JUNK folders to see if you received it. The invitation were emailed on Friday 2nd February, and would have been sent from this address: (Beyond Blue PE Survey) beyondBluePESurvey@cfa.vic.gov.au

A Frequently Asked Questions document can be found here

National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services

Project Overview

beyondblue is currently undertaking the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services (Study). The Study aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of police and emergency services personnel and reduce their risk of suicide by identifying evidence-based strategies focused on change at individual, organisational and systems levels. The findings of the completed Study will be used to inform the work of the beyondblue PES Program and influence policy and practice within police and emergency services and among governments responsible for these frontline services.

Rationale for the Study

Existing prevalence research on police and emergency services workforces in countries outside Australia shows that police and emergency services employees have higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety and PTSD, when compared with the general population. Research comparing police and emergency services’ suicide rates with general population suicide rates varies widely in its findings.

In Australia, a range of studies have been conducted to establish prevalence data and environmental data. Australian research has generally focused on a single population group (e.g. police officers in one agency), or issue (e.g. PTSD among fire-fighters in a given State). There is a lack of robust prevalence data examining the full range of common mental health issues and the spectrum of suicide risk (e.g. ideation, suicide attempts) experienced by police and emergency services personnel, including issues of co-morbidity of mental health conditions, and mental health conditions with substance misuse and physical health. Nor do we know which police and emergency services personnel are at greatest risk of experiencing a mental health condition or of experiencing suicidality or dying by suicide. There is also a dearth of data on the knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors of police and emergency services personnel that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions and that enables associations to be drawn about the individual, organisational and systems level risk and protective factors for mental health conditions and suicide. Measures of mental wellbeing are also lacking, and little is known about the influence of, and impact on, personal relationships and families.

The lack of appropriate data makes it difficult to understand the true nature of the mental health and wellbeing of this workforce (both serving and former), commonalities across and within specific cohorts, and the malleable factors that can be impacted on through appropriate interventions. These evidence gaps present critical risks for the development, implementation and evaluation of existing approaches within police and emergency services agencies that aim to improve mental health and reduce suicide risk among police and emergency services personnel.

There is a need for a comprehensive national dataset to establish essential baseline prevalence measures, individual knowledge, identify attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking, and establish risk and protective factors for mental health, including the organisational policies and practices associated with mental health and suicide among police and emergency services personnel. This dataset is also required to design and develop appropriate interventions at an individual, organisational and systemic level.

The Study aims to fill this evidence gap in a way that ensures the police and emergency services sector is able to translate the research findings into practical actions that will lead to better mental health and decreased suicide risk for police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The key components of the Study are:

- Mapping of existing research (complete)
- Advisory Group
- Phase 1: personal stories (complete)
- Phase 2: nationally representative survey
- Phase 3A: developing a knowledge translation plan
- Phase 3B: implementing the knowledge translation plan

Key components of the Study

Mapping of existing research The complex array of factors affecting the mental health of police and emergency services personnel, and long-standing recognition of the high-risk nature of their roles, means they are a heavily surveyed population. In order to ensure the Study fills existing knowledge gaps effectively, and avoids duplication and survey fatigue, beyondblue engaged Phoenix Australia to undertake a rapid mapping exercise of recent research relating to the mental health and suicide of police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The mapping will be used to inform the approach to Phases 2 and 3 of the Study and enable beyondblue and the Study research team to more effectively engage with key researchers and agencies already contributing to the knowledge base in this field.

It should be noted a sizeable consultation process was undertaken to inform the design of the Study. This included interviews with 13 expert academics, 18 sector representatives, and 3 other stakeholders with relevant expertise, to seek advice on how to approach a range of aspects of the research such as the Study design, comparative datasets, target populations, stakeholder engagement, recruitment and administration, sampling, response rate, and knowledge translation. The three-phase Study design and all planned approach to the project have been shaped by this expert advice and influenced by beyondblue’s engagement with the police and emergency services sector.

Phase 1
Phase 1 was an exploratory qualitative Study designed to understand the experiences of current and former employees of police and emergency services, and their partners and families, in respect of factors that contribute to positive and negative mental health outcomes. Data gathered will inform the approach to the next phases of the Study, as well as provide a source of personal stories to facilitate engagement with the Study and the PES Program more broadly. This phase was undertaken by Whereto Research and completed in November 2016.

Advisory Group
beyondblue is committed to working collaboratively on the Study and ensure it is informed by the diversity and depth of expertise in the police and emergency services sector. An Advisory Group has been formed to provide strategic guidance for the Study. This group had its first meeting on 20 February 2017. The is chaired by Ken Lay AO APM, Chairman of Ambulance Victoria and former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, and includes representatives from agencies, unions and community groups, clinicians and academics, a former police officer and family member of an emergency services employee.

Phase 2
beyondblue has engaged The University of Western Australia and Roy Morgan Research to undertake Phase 2 of the Study which is a knowledge generation project involving a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The national survey will examine a broad range of issues relating to both the prevalence of wellbeing and the prevalence of common mental health conditions, help-seeking behaviours, and risk and protective factors in police and emergency services workplaces. This will form the bulk of the data collected for the Study.

The aim of Phase 2 of the Study is to establish a comprehensive understanding of the mental health and wellbeing of current police and emergency services personnel in Australia.

The objectives of this Phase are to:
- establish high-quality, national baseline measures for mental wellbeing, common mental health conditions, suicidality and associated substance use and/or physical health comorbidities in police and emergency services personnel;
- examine a broad range of risk and protective factors associated with mental health and mental illhealth among police and emergency services personnel in Australia;
- increase the evidence base on the influence of policies and practices aimed at promoting mental health and wellbeing among police and emergency services personnel; and
- identify the knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions among police and emergency services personnel.

This phase of the Study will address the following research questions:

- What is the prevalance of mental wellbeing, common mental health conditions, suicidality and associated substance use and/or physical health comorbidities among police and emergency services personnel?;
- Are there any demographic, geographic or sector sub-groups at higher or lower risk of mental health conditions or suicidality?;
- What are the individual and organisational risk and protective factors associated with mental health and mental ill-health among police and emergency services personnel in Australia?; and,
- What are the individual knowledge, attitudinal and behavioural factors that influence help-seeking for mental health conditions among police and emergency services personnel?

A rigorous sampling strategy is critical for Phase 2 of the Study in order to increase the likelihood of achieving a representative sample. beyondblue’s preferred approach for Phase 2 is to adopt a stratified, random sampling strategy for selecting current police and emergency services personnel to participate. This approach aims to maximise the quality of the data gathered by allowing for identification of any possible biases within the sample and developing appropriate post-hoc analyses to control for these. It relies on systematic engagement with every single police and emergency services agency in Australia.

Volunteers and former police and emergency services personnel will be included in Phase 2, in order to fill long-standing knowledge gaps. Modified sampling strategies may be used in consideration of difficulties in accessing these cohorts. Due to the difficulty of accessing family members in a way that produces quality data, this group is not within scope for Phase 2 of the Study.

An important consideration for beyondblue is using survey measures that may be employed again in the future by police and emergency services agencies seeking to conduct further research in future years, to build upon the baseline measures established by this survey.

The Phase 2 survey will be administered online, with a limited number of hard copies available if requested. A comprehensive communications plan has been developing to secure executive support for the project within agencies, and drive participation among individual police and emergency services personnel. The survey will be branded with beyondblue’s logo and marks.

Phase 3

Phase 3 is a collaborative ‘evidence to action’ project intended to draw on a range of perspectives from the police and emergency services sector on how the findings from Phases 1 and 2 can best be translated into practical improvements in the mental health of police and emergency services personnel across Australia. This Phase is essential for the Study to provide real value and impact. This Phase has two sub-phases – 3A and 3B – which are described below.

The knowledge translation objectives of Phase 3 of the Study are to:

- work with the police and emergency services sector to identify the practical actions they can take to improve mental health and wellbeing in police and emergency services personnel;
- increase the capability of police and emergency services organisations to know how to effectively promote good mental health and reduce suicide risk in the police and emergency services workforce;
- guide change at individual, organisational and systems levels to improve the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and reduce their risk of suicide;
- develop mechanisms to support the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of these strategies; and
- provide a platform for beyondblue to advocate for improved programs and support to protect and promote the mental health of police and emergency services personnel and their families, and reduce their risk of suicide. 

Detailed research questions are being developed for Phase 3 to explore the following key themes:

- What are stakeholders’ views on the implications of the findings from Phases 1 and 2 of the Study for police and emergency services agencies? What are the priorities for action?

- Drawing on the results of Phases 1 and 2, what are the most appropriate and effective ways to promote the mental health of current police and emergency services personnel through police and emergency services agencies and prevent the development of mental health conditions and suicide risk in police and emergency services personnel? How can those activities best be implemented in each organisation? What are the primary barriers and enabling factors for the implementation and impact of these activities and how can those be overcome or built upon? What are the critical factors for success? What is required to deliver on those strategies?

- What are the most appropriate and effective ways to support police and emergency services personnel who may be experiencing a mental health condition or suicide risk, and their families? How can those activities best be implemented in each organisation? What are the primary barriers to the implementation and impact of these activities and how can those barriers be overcome? What are the critical factors for success? What is required to deliver on those strategies?

- How should the proposed strategies for promotion, prevention and intervention be prioritised and by whom? Who should be responsible for co-ordinating efforts at the organisational and systems levels to implement these actions and how will they work in partnership with other police and emergency services stakeholders to achieve shared aims?

- What are the mechanisms that need to be put in place to support the ongoing routine monitoring and evaluation of the strategies identified by this Study? How will effectiveness be measured? Who will be responsible for implementing these mechanisms?

- What are the national indicators we should seek to monitor and how will this be done? How can the research instruments from Phase 2 of this Project be adapted and/or used by police and emergency services agencies seeking to measure the mental health and suicide risk of their workforces in the future?

Phase 3A: Developing a knowledge translation plan

beyondblue is seeking to apply best practice research methods to the Study and has engaged knowledge translation experts to lead the development of a knowledge translation, or ‘evidence to action’ plan for the Study. It is anticipated this plan will:

1. identify a broad range of goals, opportunities and activities which beyondblue and the police and emergency services sector could respond to, in order to translate the findings from Phases 1 and 2 of the Study, and other relevant research, into improved mental health and reduced suicide risk for police and emergency services personnel in Australia; and,

2. determine the core set of priority activities that will comprise Phase 3B of the Study and be undertaken by beyondblue and police and emergency services agencies and other key stakeholders.

Phase 3B: Implementing the knowledge translation plan

During Phase 3B, beyondblue and a dedicated team of researchers and other expert practitioners will support police and emergency services agencies and other key stakeholders to review the new evidence generated by the Study, and identify the best ways to respond. This will involve consulting with every agency regarding the findings of Phases 1 and 2 to figure out how to best interpret these findings, and apply them to meet the specific priorities and situation of each respective agency. Each agency operates within a unique context and the consultations will be informed by each organisation’s existing programs and services, specific needs, priorities, and network of partnerships and resources.

This stage of the Study aims to employ a collaborative, whole-of-sector approach to identify practical, evidence-based strategies to improve mental health and wellbeing within the individuals, organisations and systems that make up the Australian police and emergency services community. This will include agencies, unions and associations, insurers, regulators, relevant government departments, community and peer groups, individual employees and volunteers and family members.

For further information on the survey, please visit beyondblue.org.au/pesresearch and click on the ‘FAQs for participants’ link. You can also phone the research team on 1800 677 248 or email answeringthecall@roymorgan.com 

Welcome to a new year and a time for refreshed effort
By Andrew Ford, VFBV Chief Executive Officer

As I write this editorial we head into the New Year festivities and recover from our Christmas celebrations.  Hopefully each of you have had a chance to relax (at least at some point) and enjoy Christmas with people you love or doing something you love. 

We head into 2018 after an interesting 2017 to say the least and as always there are heaps of issues on the go and/or emerging.  For now I want to focus on one key issue and that is welcoming the recently appointed CFA CEO Dr Paul Smith who will start work with CFA early in the New Year. 

Since the formation of CFA, volunteers have welcomed many a new leader to the organisation. As those that have come before, Paul will become a key custodian of our proud organisations hopes and legacy.  As volunteers, we have a proud record of embracing the new and looking positively to the future, knowing that it would take a very hard person indeed not to be touched by the wonderful community based organisation they are joining, I have no doubt that Paul’s commencement will mark a positive chapter in CFA’s long and proud history.

I personally look forward to a great collaborative relationship with Paul who brings a wealth of experience and from my networks a deserved reputation of being a values driven leader and person of high integrity.  Paul has experience with CFA and the emergency sector and on behalf of all volunteers I say welcome and congratulations on your appointment Paul.

2017 VFBV Volunteer Welfare & Efficiency Survey – Interim Results

As you can see the main feature of this month’s page is a summary of the 2017 VFBV Welfare and Efficiency Survey and I encourage you to take time to understand the key results.

This year’s VFBV Volunteer Welfare & Efficiency survey closed at the end of October, with analysis now underway to compile this year’s full results. The final detailed report will be provided very soon, but in the meantime, we are providing some interim, high level results.

This year was the sixth consecutive year we have conducted the survey. We would like to the thank the 2,653 CFA participants who completed the survey this year. This is an outstanding result and the survey remains the largest survey of its kind within CFA and probably across the emergency sector, eclipsing other survey response rates by a significant margin.

This was also the second year in a row that VFBV has managed the survey Nationally for fire agencies across the country, and also the second year VFBV has managed the survey across the Victorian emergency volunteer sector, including 6 emergency management agencies across the state to give a Victorian emergency sector perspective.  The annual survey broke a new record Nationally, with a total of 7,727 respondents across Australia. This represents the largest survey of emergency management volunteers across the country.

The VFBV Welfare and Efficiency survey is an important tool, used by us to work with CFA, government and key stakeholders to provide evidence based feedback on matters affecting the welfare and efficiency of CFA volunteers.  The survey continues to be valuable in providing feedback on what is going well and where things can be improved.

Back in 2012, armed with only an idea - we workshopped the survey’s design and structure with volunteers across the State, running a number of facilitated workshops and focus groups. By the end of this process, we had feedback and representation from volunteers from every single CFA District across the State.

The survey was designed by and for volunteers, to better understand the issues as volunteers see them and to measure and understand how satisfied volunteers are with arrangements in place to support, encourage and enable them to do their work. 

VFBV is extremely proud of the survey’s integrity and success, and we continue to devote considerable energy to the survey’s analysis, with the hope that CFA will continue to embrace the survey’s results and drive real improvement and tangible outcomes that directly address volunteers views and feedback.

The VFBV Welfare and Efficiency survey is making a difference and has certainly focussed attention of key policy and decision makers, sector leaders and volunteer support people to the issues seen as important to volunteers.  The survey has been instrumental in shaping significant investment in a range of recently announced volunteer support, training and engagement initiatives. 

One of the fundamental strengths of the survey is that it is a survey designed by and run by volunteers, providing an evidence based and unfiltered reflection of what volunteers are experiencing on the ground.  As the name suggests, because the VFBV Welfare and Efficiency Survey is run by VFBV, it provides a volunteers assessment of how things are, rather than someone else’s assessment of what they think volunteers are experiencing. 

It is VFBV’s legislated role to understand and bring to the attention of decision makers, issues affecting the welfare and efficiency of volunteers and this survey provides one of the most powerful tools for individual volunteers to communicate their assessment of how things are going to decision makers. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the survey this year and also in previous years.  The old adage of ‘what gets measured gets done’ holds true and the ongoing trends now available from this survey will become an ever more valuable tool to influence areas requiring improvement and for identifying and sharing things that are working well. 

VFBV will be running the survey again in 2018 so in addition to staying tuned for the detailed report, also make a note to participate again in the survey next year. 

Thanks again to everyone involved.

2017 VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey

Who participated

The VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey, to the best of our knowledge, is now one of the largest volunteer surveys ever conducted.  Participation is strengthened by the additional involvement of fire service volunteers in most States, the Victorian State Emergency Service Volunteer Association and other emergency management volunteer involving organisations in Victoria. 

CFA Respondents

1. 81% Male, 18% Female (nb: <1% indicated a different category).
   
   
2. All age groups, roughly reflecting CFA’s age demographic, from long serving volunteers right through to those who’ve only been with the CFA for less than a year. 
   
   
3. Brigade Type: 
         
   1. 63% volunteers with rural brigades
   2. 29% volunteers with urban brigades
   3. 7% volunteers with integrated brigades
   4. <1% volunteers with a CFA Coast Guard brigade

Interim Results: Initial Findings

1. Volunteers are most satisfied, and expectations are closest to being met, at a local brigade level.
   
   
2. Volunteers feel the time they devote to CFA is productive and worthwhile.
   
   
3. Consultation with CFA volunteers at a Corporate and Regional level is where volunteer expectations are furthest from being met.
   
   
4. Volunteers would like to see an improvement in the accessibility and flexibility of training, but this has improved slightly since last year.
   
   
5. Acceptance of Diversity, no barriers to roles women can occupy within the brigade and a welcoming brigade are extremely important to CFA volunteers, and something they feel is done well.
   
   
6. CFA’s policies, leadership and workforce arrangements which support an effective volunteer based and fully integrated organisation scored poorly, particularly by volunteers with integrated brigades.
   
   
7. Recruitment and retention of younger volunteers continues to be seen as a challenge.
   
   
8. Results for respondents who indicated they are members of rural brigades recorded the highest performance results in all themes.
   
   
9. There is not a lot of difference in the results between the different genders, but females scored statements relating to brigade level slightly worse than males.
   
   
10. Respondents identifying as volunteer members with integrated brigades recorded the lowest results across the themes, particularly in the theme “People Management – My Brigade”
    1. The only exception was in the area of Training, where respondents from urban brigades were less satisfied.
       
       
11. Respondents to the survey with less than one year of service were most satisfied.  This satisfaction dropped significantly after one year, and then again after five years.

Interim Results: Satisfaction

The overall number of volunteers satisfied with being a CFA volunteer continues to decline.

Volunteers with Integrated brigades are significantly less content with only 57% indicating they are satisfied.  78% of volunteers with rural brigades and 74% of volunteers with urban brigades indicated they are satisfied.

70% of volunteers who identified as brigade members are satisfied, compared to 79% who identified as being in leadership roles.

Satisfaction with the way volunteers are treated by CFA is showing no sign of improvement and is a figure that should be of significant concern to CFA.

Lower than the overall rating, only 42% of volunteers in broader leadership roles indicated they are satisfied.

59% of females compared to 46% of males are satisfied with the way they volunteers are treated by CFA.

Only 38% of volunteers who identified as members of integrated brigades indicated they are satisfied, with 43% indicating they are dissatisfied.  Volunteers with rural brigades showed the highest satisfaction levels for this question with 53% indicating they are satisfied.  The number of volunteers with urban brigades who indicated they are satisfied was 42%.

Overall, there has been a slight improvement in those intending to continue their membership with CFA, however the results reviewed by brigade type is important to be understood.

Only 60% of volunteers with integrated brigades indicated they intend to continue volunteerimg, down from 66% in 2016.  This is in contrast with volunteers in rural brigades where 82% have indicated they intend to continue (up from 77% in 2016).  The ratings for volunteers with urban brigades remains consistent with 2016 at 77%.

Overall another slightly improved result with an increase in the percentage of volunteers who would recommend being a CFA volunteer to others.

Again, the results of volunteers with integrated brigades being least satisfied is evident here.  Only 50% of these volunteers indicated they would recommend being a CFA volunteer to others, this was 61% in 2016.  Results for volunteers with rural brigades has increased to 77% now recommending being a CFA volunteer, compared with 73% in 2016.  The results for volunteers with urban brigades remains steady at 70%.

Medium Tanker Survey Open

The Medium Tanker survey remains open, and volunteers are invited to provide feedback on the current Medium Tanker build.

An initiative of the Equipment & Infrastructure Committee - the purpose of the survey is to gather feedback from Brigades that have been issued with (or have familiarity with) the Medium Tankers and assess how the cab chassis, locker configuration and base equipment is operating, and if there are any areas of improvement that could be suggested for future builds.

The Committee is keen for feedback from any members who wish to provide their thoughts and experiences of how the Medium Tankers are working in the field.

If you have any feedback or design ideas that you think would benefit future builds – please get involved.

The survey can be found  art the top of the VFBV website.

NOTE TO MEMBERS – December 2017

Provided in this note to members are initial, high level results only.  Further briefings on the results of the VFBV Volunteer Welfare and Efficiency Survey will be provided in the coming months and a detailed report will be published soon.

Background

The VFBV volunteer welfare and efficiency survey has now been conducted for the sixth consecutive year for CFA volunteers.  The welfare and efficiency survey is an important tool, used by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria, to work with CFA, government and key stakeholders to provide evidence based feedback on matters affecting the welfare and efficiency of CFA volunteers.  The survey continues to be valuable in providing feedback on what is going well and where things can be improved.

The survey was developed and introduced by VFBV in 2012.  The survey was designed by and for volunteers, to better understand the issues as volunteers see them and to measure and understand how satisfied volunteers are with arrangements in place to support, encourage and enable them to do their work.  Fundamental to the survey’s integrity and success is its facilitation and analysis undertaken by their volunteer association.

Who participated

There is very good engagement with the survey and beyond CFA, participation is strengthened by the additional involvement of fire service volunteers in most States, the Victorian State Emergency Service Volunteer Association and other emergency management volunteer involving organisations in Victoria. 

CFA Respondents:

1. The number of participants in 2017 remains high and provides statistically robust results representing volunteer views – 2653 CFA volunteers participated.
2. 2017 had a higher percentage (18%) of female respondents compared to past surveys.
3. There was good participation across all age groups, roughly reflecting CFAs age demographic.
4. There was good representation from long serving volunteers right through to volunteers who have only been with the CFA for less than a year.
5. Most participants (63%) said they are with rural brigades, the balance with urban (29%) or integrated brigades (7%).    Less than 1% of those who responded indicated they were members of a CFA Coast Guard brigade.
6. Most participants in the survey were either brigade members or leaders within their brigade, with 18% indicating they are in a broader leadership role beyond brigade level.

Preliminary Results: By Theme

33 Welfare and Efficiency Survey statements are grouped into 7 themes (see graph below).  For each statement, participants provide a rating on the importance and performance on matters affecting volunteer welfare and efficiency. The size of the ‘gap’ between the two ratings is indicative of how closely volunteer expectations are being met (ie: the smaller the gap, the more closely volunteer expectations are to being met). 

Results by theme are consistent with previous years, with no change to themes performing the best or worst.

1. ‘People Management – My Brigade’ has the smallest gap of all themes.
2. Cooperation across CFA’ has the largest gap of all themes.

Respondents identified the best performing areas as those which related to matters primarily involving their volunteer activities at a local brigade level.   

Respondents judged areas relating to CFA organisational support/management, particularly around consultation and training, as the poorest performing.

Whilst ‘Training’ was again judged as the one of the worst performing areas, results indicate a slight improvement in scores when compared to previous years.

1. Results for respondents who indicated they are members of rural brigades showed the highest satisfaction in all themes.
2. Results when separated by gender showed little difference.  Overall, females tended to rate both importance and performance higher.  In most cases, the male respondents’ cohort had slightly worse results than those from the female cohort.  The exceptions were ‘Recruitment and Retention’ and ‘People Management’, where the statements were scored slightly worse by females.  (nb: the additional gender categories of: transgender; prefer not to say; and, other, only totaled 1.1% of respondents and therefore do not have their results reported separately)
3. Respondents identifying as volunteer members of integrated brigades rated performance in all themes the lowest, with the exception of Training.
   1. Training was rated lowest by volunteers with urban brigades when compared with volunteers from rural and integrated brigades. 
4. Whilst the theme ‘People Management – My Brigade’ is rated the best of all the themes overall, results for respondents identifying as volunteer members of integrated brigades showed significantly worse results in this area.
5. Volunteers who participated in the survey and identified as having leadership roles at a level broader than their brigade tended to be less satisfied with the performance across the themes when compared with those who identified as brigade members or leaders within their brigades.
6. The survey responses show that respondents with less than one year of service are most satisfied, but then there is a marked decrease in satisfaction recorded by those with between 1 and 5 years of service.  There is a further drop in satisfaction recorded for those in the 6 to 10 years’ service group.  

Preliminary Results: Survey Statements

Of the 33 statements in the survey, the below table represents those where volunteers’ expectations are closest to being met.

This is a very similar list to last year.

Of the 33 statements in the survey, the below table represents those where volunteers’ expectations are furthest from being met.

Whilst Q11 has improved slightly on last year, the ratings given by volunteers who identified as being members of integrated brigades worsened significantly.   

Statements relating to recruiting and retaining younger volunteers both recorded ratings which indicate performance is declining in this area. 

Preliminary Results: Satisfaction

The overall number of volunteers satisfied with being a CFA volunteer continues to decline.

Volunteers with Integrated brigades are significantly less content with only 57% indicating they are satisfied.  78% of volunteers with rural brigades and 74% of volunteers with urban brigades indicated they are satisfied.

70% of volunteers who identified as brigade members are satisfied, compared to 79% who identified as being in leadership roles.

Satisfaction with the way volunteers are treated by CFA is showing no sign of improvement and is a figure that should be of significant concern to CFA.

Lower than the overall rating, only 42% of volunteers in broader leadership roles indicated they are satisfied.

59% of females compared to 46% of males are satisfied with the way they volunteers are treated by CFA.

Only 38% of volunteers who identified as members of integrated brigades indicated they are satisfied, with 43% indicating they are dissatisfied.  Volunteers with rural brigades showed the highest levels for this question with 53% indicating they are satisfied.  The number of volunteers with urban brigades who indicated they are satisfied was 42%.

Overall, there has been a slight improvement in those intending to continue their membership with CFA, however the results reviewed by brigade type is important to be understood.

Only 60% of volunteers with integrated brigades indicated they intend to continue volunteers, down from 66% in 2016.  This is in contrast with volunteers in rural brigades where 82% have indicated they intend to continue (up from 77% in 2016).  The ratings for volunteers with urban brigades remains consistent with 2016 at 77%.

Overall another slightly improved result with an increase in the percentage of volunteers who would recommend being a CFA volunteer to others.

Again, the results of volunteers with integrated brigades being least satisfied is evident here.  Only 50% of these volunteers indicated they would recommend being a CFA volunteer to others, this was 61% in 2016.  Results for volunteers with rural brigades has increased to 77% now recommending being a CFA volunteer, compared with 73% in 2016.  The results for volunteers with urban brigades remains steady at 70%.