australian principals federation -...
TRANSCRIPT
Victorian Branch, Members Update/Issue No.125 15/05/2018
1
Suite 1315A 401 Docklands Drive Docklands Vic 3008
Tel: +613 8566 7627
email:[email protected]
The industrial organisation for the Principal Class
Australian Principals Federation President’s Message—Julie Podbury
Launch of the Principal Health & Wellbeing Strategy 2018-2021 The Minister launched this strategy last Thursday. On Friday at our Council meeting we were delighted to welcome Deputy Secretary, People Services, Kate Rattigan, and members of the Strategy team, Jed Gilbert, Director, Employee Health, Safety and Wellbeing and Melissa Gaddie, Strategy Leader to discuss this with us. The whole strategy is one of the most significant pieces of work ever undertaken
by the DET, in respect to the principal class. It finally recognises that the job is huge; demanding to the point of undoable, and that the role has a capacity to break people. The strategy team has listened clearly to the multitude of feedback provided by all stakeholders, including the APF, and have framed a response to address as many of these issues as possible.
The Department of Education and Training has released this new strategy aiming to protect and promote the mental and physical health and wellbeing of Victorian school principals, and is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for school leaders to be their best.
The Principal Health and Wellbeing Strategy promotes positive health and wellbeing outcomes for principals across Victoria.
The Principal Health and Wellbeing Strategy defines an integrated framework of supports that can work together to promote and sustain principals’ health and wellbeing. The strategy maps existing supports across the system, fills gaps, and encourages everyone who works with principals to consider health and wellbeing in everything they do.
This approach will ensure an effective team around the principal to support their health and wellbeing.
The strategy is made up of seven initiatives:
School Policy Templates Portal, to minimise administrative workload…(although I would claim that
The School Delivery Unit should also be listed, as it is significant in reducing workload)
Principal Mentor Program, to reduce isolation and build social capital (and support those struggling
with difficult challenges)
Regional Capability Building, to improve the support received from regional leaders and staff
Proactive Wellbeing Supervision, to provide opportunities to debrief with experienced psychologists
and new principal check-ins. This is currently being piloted in the Nillumbik/Banyule and Beachside
networks
Principal Health Checks, free and confidential proactive health consultations
Complex Matter Support Team, to minimise workload and stress associated with managing and
responding to complex cases
Early Intervention Program, to provide proactive access to professional support to prevent health and
wellbeing risks from escalating.
For more information, or to provide welcome feedback on all aspects of the strategy, please contact the Department at [email protected]
The 2 page poster, which is a good summary of the 7 key initiatives is included with this newsletter for you.
APF Elections Results Congratulations to Andrew Cock, Principal, Blackburn PS, who is the new Primary Representative
NE Region; and Colin Simpson, Principal, Richmond HS, the new Secondary Representative for NW
Region. We welcome you both to the State Council of the Victorian Branch of the APF.
APF Annual PD & AGM
Thursday 15th
November
9.30am—6.00pm
Ass. Prof. Phil Riley will be
unpacking his latest
Principal H&WB results to
quantify the depth of the
issue.
Stephen McDonald and
Smiling Minds will be
proposing solutions in respect
to this issue.
Lunch provided and the day
concludes with a drink and nibbles.
4 Points by Sheraton
443 Docklands Dve. Docklands
In this issue:
Principal Health &
Wellbeing Strategy
APF Election Results
APF Legal Services
Burnout
School Law 30th & 31st May
Complaints against PCE
Treasurer
Victorian Branch, Members Update/Issue No.125 15/05/2018
2
The industrial organisation for the Principal Class
Coaching, Mentoring and Support Panel
The APF has established an outstanding panel of re-tired Principals, SEILs, Assis-tant Regional Directors, and Regional Directors who are available to offer individual Principal support, coaching and or mentoring.
These highly skilled individ-uals are able to assist you in a variety of ways. We will match you with the most suitable individual, however it will be up to you to nego-tiate the terms and condi-tions.
The individual school will need to make all necessary arrangements and pay on invoice. Should a school not be in a position to afford this please contact Janine Blachford for infor-mation about how to ac-cess the Mentoring/Support fund.
This Panel has expertise in school improvement and effectiveness, managing difficult people, building effective teams, policy de-velopment, school develop-ment, curriculum develop-ment, Autism Spectrum Disorder and students with Special needs; Their collec-tive and individual expertise is incredibly valuable for your school and for you.
Contact the APF for a referral, or contact Ja-nine Blachford, program coordinator.
Or phone 0401 992 272
APF Legal Services
After 2 decades of outstanding service to the APF Victorian Branch, Philip Gardner, formerly of RCT, has retired from formal practice. His part-time status with Gordon Legal produced a Conflict of Interest, so we have reluctantly parted company. Philip has been a guiding light to the APF in our evolution as an Industrial Organisation, during our Federal Registration and in negotiating various Agreements. We are deeply appreciative of his wise counsel over such a long period of time and wish him well for the future.
We have subsequently negotiated with and engaged a new firm of Legal Practitioners.
Our new lawyers, Davies Lawyers, are very experienced in Employment Law, Industrial Relations and Litigation. Tonia Sakkas and Tracey Davies are the Principals.
Members will be entitled to the preferential APF rates we have negotiated if they engage the firm themselves. Where we refer member’s matters to them, they will provide the first half hour at no charge. If it is determined that there is a matter to pursue, and this has been approved by the APF Victorian Branch Executive/Council, the APF will pay the first $5000 of any costs.
Extinguished and anguished: what is burnout and what can we do
about it? The Conversation, Gabriela Tavella, Gordon Parker, UNSW, May 11, 2018,
Feeling “burnt out” is a pretty common phrase in daily parlance, but we’re starting to learn more about its longer-term destructive effects. Sufferers often describe feeling exhausted and disconnected, and as though they’re “going through the motions” without motivation or meaning.
Burnout can have serious consequences, including reduced work performance and life satisfaction, and has been associated with other mental health conditions. For instance, it has been linked to depression, as both conditions share a number of symptoms such as fatigue, social withdrawal and decreased work performance.
Burnout is usually seen as a consequence of a chronic stressful work environment, emerging as a work-place concern in the 1970s when American researchers found many human services workers were not coping with their jobs and felt “burnt out”.
The workers reported:
emotional exhaustion: becoming emotionally drained and fatigued • depersonalisation: a loss of empathy towards clients • reduced personal accomplishment: feeling incompetent and inept at work.
Since then, burnout research has expanded across other occupations and its definition modified to in-clude cynicism towards work.
However most research still focuses on work-related burnout. But people from all walks of life may ex-perience burnout, and not just from work. For example, burnout may also be experienced by students who are overwhelmed by their study commitments, or a mother (or carer) caring for a severely disabled child.
The risk of burnout for those in caring roles is not a new phenomenon. Records from Christian monks of the 4th Century outline what they call “acedia” (a Greek word which translates as “non-caring”), a state probably akin to burnout. After decades of caring for others, the monks were said to have doubted whether they were doing anything useful and judged each day as “grey”.
Burnout appears to occur across a range of contexts, but we do not know enough about its causes and how to diagnose and manage it successfully.
Causes We know job-related burnout can be triggered by exposure to multiple and continuing work
stressors. While such stressors may differ across occupations, they relate to the demanding and unre-lenting nature of a job, combined with a toxic mix of lack of resources and support.
Victorian Branch, Members Update/Issue No.125 15/05/2018
3
Suite 1315A 401 Docklands Drive Docklands Vic 3008
Tel: +613 8566 7627
email:[email protected]
Angela Stefani
APF Executive
Officer
Thank you to our
members.
One of the most
pleasant features or
my role is enrolling
new members.
JOIN NOW
Join the APF
www.apf.net.au Forms can be
completed on line.
Burnout can also be triggered by certain personality traits. For instance, research has linked burnout to a person’s evaluation of themselves and their abilities, a trait known as core self-evaluation.
Low core self-evaluation is when someone has negative views about their own skills and ability to control situations. People with low core self-evaluation are susceptible to burnout as they likely view difficult work assignments as threatening or overwhelming, rather than achievable challenges. Perfectionists are also at greater risk of burnout, as they tend to set excessively high performance stand-ards they inevitably fail to meet, thus diminishing their sense of personal accomplishment.
Measurement and diagnosis The main tool used in research studies to measure burnout is called
the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), a survey that requires individuals to answer several questions re-lating to emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation/cynicism and reduced personal accomplishment.
But it has been widely criticised due to concerns it doesn’t accurately capture the concept of burnout, is not culturally sensitive for use outside of the United States, and was designed to measure burnout in indi-viduals still in the workforce – not those who have stopped working as a consequence of clinical burnout. In addition to the issues surrounding measuring burnout in a research context, it is also difficult to diag-nose in clinical settings. This is because the condition is not recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, used internationally to diagnose mental health disorders. So there is no set of indicative criteria for mental health professionals to use to diagnose people suffering from clinically significant burnout.
This in turn influences treatment, as without a concrete diagnosis it’s difficult for mental health profes-sionals and their patients to make decisions about appropriate treatment.
Management Management strategies remain quite unclear, however should be targeted to individual
sufferers. This means addressing the unique stressors that contribute to burnout in each person.
Management strategies should also acknowledge the individual’s personality style. Strategies that work to remove external stressors (such as taking a month off work and lying on a beach) might assist some sufferers, but might further stress others whose personalities don’t allow them to “switch off” outside the office.
Personality styles are generally thought to be unchangeable across a person’s lifespan. So for those who have personality traits that put them at extra risk of burnout, it has been suggested they be taught tech-niques that help them cope more effectively with external stressors, rather than trying to change their personality.
Successful interventions to prevent and treat burnout depend on a more complete understanding of the condition. Our team at the Black Dog Institute is currently conducting a study that should assist in defin-ing and measuring burnout and its principal causes. You can participate in our study here.
School Law VIC 2018
Once again, LawSense have developed their outstanding and comprehensive SCHOOL LAW VIC seminar, for 30 May 2018 at the RACV City Club, 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne, featuring: tailored employment law streams; and presen-tations by the Commission for Children and Young People and the Office of the eSafety Commission.
SCHOOL LAW features tailored ‘employment law’ streams, one aimed exclusively at state schools, so that you can derive maximum benefit from the information presented. In the afternoon, you too have choice:
attend the stream dealing with perennial issues, such as: the Reportable Conduct Scheme presented by Com-missioner Liana Buchanan at the CCYP; students misusing social media presented by the Office of the eSafety Commission; and how to manage parental separation in the initial stages
alternatively, you can attend a revised SCHOOL SPORTS LAW seminar, or send your colleagues
The second day, 31st May, aimed at Business Managers, will address: the changes required following the Royal Com-mission and the redress scheme; leasing out school facilities; avoiding discriminating against students with learning and behavioural disabilities; reviewing the duties of the Board; dismissing staff; and managing risk with international students in light of recent changes to the code.
LawSense are offering all APF members a further 10% off the price. Simply email [email protected] with your details and advise them of your APF membership.
Review the program online at SCHOOL LAW VIC
Victorian Branch, Members Update/Issue No.125 15/05/2018
4
If confronted with a complaint or allega-tions from the Regional Office
DO: Immediately contact the APF for advice and sup-port. We’ll immediately write to your Regional Director and inform them that we are acting on your behalf.
Take a deep breath. Alle-gations are just that and are absolutely not a statement of fact.
Keep all documentation relating to the complain-ant readily available.
Observe confidentiality. Widespread debate about a complaints situa-tion helps no-one. (Note that you are entitled to seek personal and profes-sional support and advice from the APF and this obviously involves full disclosure of the allega-tions, etc.)
Continue to behave in a professional manner to all, despite the hurt you may well be feeling.
Send a copy of all rele-vant documentation through to us.
DON’T: Panic.
Respond to anything at all and certainly not in writing until we have worked with you on the response.
Approach witnesses or the complainant to dis-cuss the details of the complaint or investiga-tion.
Complaints Against Principal Class Employees, Mark Arkinstall
For a Principal or Assistant Principal to be confronted with a series of allegations that questions not only their competence as a school leader, but also their personal integrity and character, is one of the most challenging events you can face in your career. For people who have devoted their working lives to their school communities, while working tirelessly for our system of education, it is a crushing experience. Often the first a Principal hears of the allegations is in the form of a letter from their regional office with the allegations attached.
However, it may be a phone call summoning the Principal to a meeting with a Senior Regional Officer at which the allegations are presented. The pressure on the Principal is enormous and it’s no surprise that most people in this situation feel totally overwhelmed and in need of immediate support.
The sooner you contact us at the APF the better! Note you have the right to have a support person/representative present at meetings with your manager in these matters. It is also important to note that anyone can find themselves the subject of an attack by a vexatious parent or staff member, regardless of how highly skilled, dedicated or experienced you are.
We frequently see vexatious complainants who will do anything and everything within their power to discredit the Principal and/or the Assistant Principal. Some demonstrate a relentless obsession with destroying the career of the school leaders involved and rarely conduct themselves with even the slightest bit of decency or integrity. The process in working through this is both time consuming and emotionally draining, however our members have the APF to support and guide them with a high level of experience and expertise. Please don’t hesitate to contact us should you find yourself in this space, we’re here to help!
Complaints against Principal Class – A Case Study
As an Assistant Principal I had been required to respond to many calls from the Regional Community Liaison Officer regarding general complaints from parents. In the time before the restructure this was generally a reasonable process – the person in the role was experienced, knew the school and its context and never gave off a feeling that the school or individual was guilty until proven innocent.
However as a Principal I was involved in an issue recently that has definitely changed my whole outlook. From the beginning the parent involved was given full reign to have any complaints no matter how frivolous followed up in a manner that in some ways endorsed them. The issue progressed to an investigation and this resulted in many hours of work. From providing an 8000 word response to an equally long complaint which clearly included many frivolous claims to being involved in formal investigation, interviews and subsequent review of these records. This extra work toll was considerable by itself but what was even more considerable was the toll this took on my emotional wellbeing. From questioning every aspect of my work to the emotional drain it placed on my family life to the considerable impact it had on my mental health. The process was simply exhausting and unfortunately depleted my faith in the organisation that I have worked so hard and so long for. An organisation that I had previously felt was one of high level collegiality and support.
Without the ongoing support and advice of the APF throughout this ordeal I am not sure if I could have seen it through. Whilst the issue still bubbles away now because still to this point the department have not been strong enough in saying enough is enough, I do at least feel some sense of it being over soon. However as I have said this is solely due to the work of the APF and their support for its members. Never could I endorse membership to the APF more than right now and it is most definitely something I will continue throughout my career in this most demanding of professions.
Importantly, the APF is able to provide expert advice, support, advocacy and intervention in relation to com-
plaints made against Principal Class Employees, from senior DET personnel, staff, parents and other members
of the public.
While the APF strongly believes that a culture that promotes high standards of conduct and encourages per-formance improvement in school education is critical, we also believe that our Principal Class Employees de-serve at the very least the presumption of innocence and a level support that reflects the duty of care the department has for its employees.
The industrial organisation for the Principal Class