Stress, bullies are on the rise

BULLYING by staff, heavy workloads and the stress of the Black Saturday
bushfires have caused at least 250 teachers to seek counselling in six months.
Younger teachers are reporting arguments in staffrooms and a lack of help from
older colleagues, while others say they are struggling to cope because society
expects them to be de facto parents to their students.

Documents released under Freedom of Information show 250 teachers sought
counselling from the Education Department's registered service from October 1
last year to March 31 this year.

One graduate teacher, who asked not to be named, said bullying of young
teachers was common in Victorian schools.
"The older teachers just run you down," the teacher said.

There was a 30 per cent rise in teacher WorkCover stress claims last year,
compared with 2006. Many claims were from secondary school teachers.
Keeping teachers on stress leave has left a $13 million hole in state coffers
in the past three years.

Australian Education Union state president Mary Bluett said the rate of
teachers seeking counselling was higher than in the general population.
"There are violent, threatening and bullying students," she said.
"It can be a cumulative build-up of workload and teachers just feeling they
may not be able to cope." Teachers looking after Black Saturday bushfire
victims had sought counselling, she said.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said the State Government had invested in
more integration aides and school nurses to ease teachers' workloads.

Ref: Herald Sun

NEW INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE SAFETY FOR WORKERS

From the Minister for Mental Health
Thursday, 04 September 2008

Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria (VICSERV) will have safer
workplaces thanks to a $200,000 Brumby Government funding boost,
announced today by Mental Health Minister Lisa Neville.

Speaking at an Australian Services Union Social and Community Workers
conference in Melbourne yesterday, Ms Neville announced the funding
would be given to Psychiatric Disability Services of Victoria (VICSERV)
by WorkSafe Victoria as part of an initiative aimed at improving Occupational
Health and Safety in the community services.

VICSERV is the peak body for a large number of psychiatric disability
rehabilitation services (PDRSs) throughout VictoriaMs Neville said that
the project would provide VICSERV with an opportunity to assist
community based rehabilitation and support services to understand their
Occupational Health and Safety duties and put action plans in place to
prevent OHS risks to their staff and others. “The Brumby Government values
the partnership it has with the non-government sector and believes in
supporting safe workplaces for these workers,” Ms Neville said.
“We know that the bulk of Psychiatric Disability Rehabilitation and Support
Services are small businesses, often with very few staff, and many
responsibilities,” Ms Neville said.

The community based rehabilitation sector is a sub-sector of community
services, which WorkSafe estimates comprises almost 4,000 organisations
across 6,500 workplaces.“The main causes of injuries and illnesses in the
community based rehabilitation service sector are stress, passive cigarette
smoking, manual handling and vehicle accidents,” Ms Neville said.“This
project gives us an opportunity to work with the peak body, VICSERV to
make OHS simpler for small organisations within the sector and to have an
independent consultant give CEOs and Managers advice about how they can
efficiently control OHS risks at their workplaces.“CBRS directors, managers
and project coordinators will be targeted through VICSERVs CEO and
coordinator networks to be involved in the OH&S strategy and training in
their workplaces.”