Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools

6. Employee Wellbeing Support Services

Employee Wellbeing Support Services provides free and confidential advice to proactively support Victorian government school staff wellbeing. Converge International is the department’s external provider of Employee Wellbeing Support Services.

Employee Wellbeing Support Services offerings

Eligible individuals 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 various personal and work-related issues.
• Manager Assist provides dedicated coaching support to people managers. Principal-class employees, business managers and other school leaders are encouraged to use Manager Assist for coaching and advice 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. Please refer to Legal Assist frequently asked questions (DOCX) for further information on the service.
• Family Assist provides counselling for eligible school 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.

Booking an Employee Wellbeing Support Services appointment

To make an appointment, call 1300 291 071 or book online via the Converge International portal entering the organisational code mywellbeing.

Staff may also book their appointment through the Converge mobile phone app for most services. For more information on how to download, refer to the mobile app flyer:

• Converge app flyer (DOCX)
• Converge app flyer (PDF)

Money Assist and some Nutrition and Lifestyle Assist appointment types are not currently available to book via the Converge mobile phone app or online booking portal. Please call 1300 291 071 to book into these types of services.

Services are confidential. The department does not receive, collect, or share information that identifies school staff who use the services.

Specialist helplines

There are 6 dedicated specialist helplines for eligible individuals who identify or are:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander: 1300 287 432
• LGBTIQA+: 1300 542 874
• experiencing domestic and or family violence: 1300 338 465
• caring for elderly loved ones: 1300 035 337
• living with disability, or caring for a person with disability: 1300 243 543
• seeking spiritual and pastoral care: 1300 772 435

Subject to availability, specialist support may include practitioners with lived experience or who are trained to respond to the needs of staff and their families who identify themselves as above, including cultural safety and the use of inclusive language.

Specialist helplines can be accessed through telephone, Converge live chat function or email: customerservice@convergeintl.com.au. Specialist helplines are not available to book via the Converge mobile phone app or online booking portal.

Eligible school staff can also access specialist helplines via the main service phone line at 1300 291 071. Simply let the Converge intake officer know which specialist helpline is desired.

Crisis support (emergency counselling)

Crisis support (emergency counselling) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week via telephone. Eligible individuals who are in distress or require urgent crisis counselling please call Converge International on 1300 291 071 – and press 2. A client support officer will attend to the call immediately.

Converge may also need to escalate to external emergency services if they are concerned for the caller or someone else’s safety.

Counsellors providing crisis support have specialist training in psychological risk assessment.

Service eligibility

Individuals eligible to access the department’s Employee Wellbeing Support Services include:

• employees directly employed by the department, including school and teaching service staff
• school council employees, including casual relief teachers employed directly by the school council
• elected school council members, excluding student members
• all personnel provided under the Technical Support to Schools Program
• pre-service teachers currently on a placement in a Victorian government school
• immediate family members (aged 18 years and older) of eligible department staff. Family members can access the Family Assist stream only.

Note that staff who leave the department can access the Employee Wellbeing Support Services for up to 3 months after their employment ends.

With the exception of support provided after a critical incident, the following are NOT eligible to access the services:

• external contractors, even if engaged by a Victorian government school, including casual relief teachers engaged through a private agency, allied health professionals engaged privately or through agencies other than the department, and so on
• students, parents/carers of students, or members of the school community not mentioned above
• staff of privately-run early childhood education centres or kindergartens
• volunteers or volunteer student workers.

Practitioner qualifications

The services are provided by experienced practitioners with recognised formal qualifications specific to the service component being offered. Degrees in Psychology, Social Work, Occupational Therapy (Mental Health), or Mental Health Nursing or a related field are mandatory for all counselling staff, as well as relevant professional affiliation or membership.

Managing Employee Wellbeing Support Services appointments

Number of support service sessions each year

Across all support service streams, eligible individuals have access to up to 4 sessions per issue per year except for:

• Legal Assist which offers 2 sessions per issue per year
• Manager Assist which provides unlimited sessions to people managers.

Cancelling Employee Wellbeing Support Services up to 24 hours in advance

If an individual needs to cancel or reschedule their confirmed Employee Wellbeing Support Services appointment booking, they will need to do so by providing at least 24 hours' notice to Converge International. If a session is cancelled within 24 hours or there is a no-show the department will be charged for the session and the session will be deducted from the individual’s session entitlement.

The department recognises that schools are fast-paced, agile environments. While schools will not be liable for the cost of no-shows or appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, it is important that all efforts are made to avoid the department paying for services that won’t be delivered wherever possible. Individuals can cancel or reschedule appointments by calling 1300 291 071 or by logging onto the online portal at least 24 hours prior to their confirmed booking.

Modes of access to Employee Wellbeing Support Services

An appointment with a practitioner can be arranged via phone or video conference.

Face-to-face appointments are also available for some services. Call Converge International on 1300 291 071 to check availability in the requested area.

Hours and availability

Appointments are available via telephone or online between the hours of 8 am to 9 pm Monday to Friday and face to face between 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

Urgent crisis phone support is available 24/7 by calling 1300 291 071 and selecting option 2.

Access during work hours

Accessing support for mental health and wellbeing enables school staff to be their best for their students, the people they work with, and their family and friends. If school staff are uncertain about whether they can schedule an appointment during their usual work hours, employees should speak with their principal or line manager.

What to do if there are no available appointments online or in the app

If there is not an available appointment which suits, the fastest way to check if there may be more bookings available is to call Converge on 1300 291 071.

Alternatively, contact Converge advising of your preferred date and time, via the following communication methods:

• use the live chat functionality on the Converge International website to organise a call back
• email customerservice@convergeintl.com.au

Face-to-face appointment availability

Converge International will aim to accommodate in-person sessions near an individual’s workplace, including in regional centres across Victoria. Unfortunately, there may be times where a practitioner is not available near the requested location.

Mobility access needs for a face-to-face appointment

Converge International will aim to accommodate any mobility requirements to ensure individuals can access a face-to-face appointment safely and comfortably. This can include any parking, ramp, restroom, or entrance requirements. For any questions about accessibility at the chosen location, call Converge International on 1300 291 071.

Data collection, privacy and complaints

Converge International requests personal information from its users for clinical and safety reasons, such as home address and date of birth. More information can be obtained by viewing the privacy policy on the Converge International website.

Services are confidential. The department does not receive, collect, or share information that identifies school staff who use the services.

How to make a complaint about the Employee Wellbeing Support Service to Converge International

To make a complaint directly to Converge International please complete the Converge International – Complaint Submission Form.

How to make a complaint about the Employee Wellbeing Support Services to the department

The department can also assist in following up complaints to Converge International. To alert the department of a complaint that requires following up, please be aware personal details and details of the complaint will need to be shared with the department’s Employee Safety, Wellbeing and Inclusion Division. To contact the team for assistance with following up a complaint please email employeehealth@education.vic.gov.au

For further information please refer to Data collection, privacy and complaints (DOCX).