SuperFriendIncluding 2015/16 Annual Report

4WHO IS SUPERFRIEND AND WHY DO WE EXIST?

16BUILDING CAPACITY WITHIN OUR PARTNERS AND THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

20HOW HAS SUPERFRIEND IMPROVED WORKPLACE MENTAL WELLBEING SO FAR?

8PARTNERING WITH SUPERFRIEND

24HOW CAN SUPERFRIEND HELP YOU TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL WELLBEING OF YOUR WORKPLACE?

34ACQUIRING AND INTERPRETING KNOWLEDGE

362015-2016 ANNUAL REPORT

30INFLUENCING AND ADVOCATING FOR WIDESPREAD SYSTEM CHANGE IN WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH

WHO IS SUPERFRIEND AND WHY DO WE EXIST?

4

SuperFriend is a national mental health promotion foundation focused on creating mentally healthy workplaces to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness on individuals and organisations.

We are the only mental health organisation partnering

with all profit to member superannuation funds and

insurers to gain knowledge of the Financial Services

Industry’s needs and respond with a tailored approach

regarding workplace mental health and wellbeing.

Through these unique relationships, SuperFriend has

access to embed mental health and wellbeing best-

practices into 750,000 workplaces and more than half

of Australia’s 11 million-strong workforce.

SuperFriend provides solutions to support workplaces

to look after their people. Rather than only supporting

the one in five workers who will experience a mental

health issue this year, SuperFriend promotes positive

mental health to ensure that five in five workers have the

opportunity to thrive in their workplace. The benefits of

this is a reduction in cost and an increase in:

T engagement and wellbeing

T productivity

T profitability

SuperFriend was established by the Industry Funds

Forum (IFF) in 2007.

HOW DOES SUPERFRIEND AIM TO REDUCE THE INCIDENCE OF SUICIDE AND THE IMPACT OF MENTAL ILLNESS? BY:

T Developing and delivering best-practice workplace

mental health and wellbeing programs and

resources that are practical and easy-to-use

T Building the mental health and wellbeing capacity

of organisations in the Financial Services Industry

by working with them to tailor solutions to their

specific needs

T Advocating for widespread system change through

regulation, policy and practice by working within

our collaborations to influence government,

business leaders and industry to create mentally

healthy workplaces

T Acquiring and interpreting meaningful workplace

mental health data and insights and using it to

identify trends for workplaces, government and

industry and influence change.

5

WHY IS OUR WORK SO IMPORTANT?

Almost 1 in 2 Australians will experience

a mental illness in their lifetime1

References:

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Social Trends, 2009.

2. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Causes of Death Australia, 2014.

3. 2015 Work in Progress Survey, SuperFriend.

4. Estimating the economic benefits of eliminating job strain as a risk factor for depression Report, (2010), VicHealth.

20% of workers will experience

a mental health condition in a year1

Mental illness is the biggest barrier

to workforce participation

20%

6

More than 3,000 Australians die by suicide every year2 $8,000 is the average cost to business annually,

per person experiencing mental illness4

Suicide is the leading cause of death

for Australians aged 15-442

90% of employees think mental health is an

important issue for business, but only 50%

believe their workplace is mentally healthy3

$8,000

50% 90%

7

PARTNERING WITH SUPERFRIEND

8

With the generous support of our 21 Partner Funds and eight Partner Group Insurers, SuperFriend continues to work hard to improve the mental health of working Australians through their workplaces.

We could not do our valuable work without these Partners and would like to sincerely thank them for their commitment to SuperFriend and the mental health of their employees and members.

SUPERFRIEND WORKS CLOSELY WITH EACH OF OUR PARTNERS TO SUPPORT THEM TO:

T Improve the mental health of their own staff and

workplace culture

T Provide their employer organisations with

opportunities to improve the mental health of their

staff and workplace culture.

BY PARTNERING WITH SUPERFRIEND, FUNDS ARE ABLE TO ADD VALUE TO THEIR EMPLOYER AND MEMBER RELATIONSHIPS BY OFFERING:

T Multi-employer events which provide an

opportunity for funds to invite employers to learn

more about SuperFriend and the benefits of a

mentally healthy workplace

T Relationship Manager Briefings for employer

services Relationship Managers, to keep them

informed of SuperFriend’s latest offerings.

These briefings are followed-up with electronic

resources to support the introduction of

SuperFriend to employers.

T The latest tips and advice on workplace mental

health and wellbeing through SuperFriend’s

monthly e-newsletter, SuperFriend News

(sign-up here) and our social media sites:

@SuperFriendMHF

SuperFriendMHF

linkedin.com/company/superfriend

A number of SuperFriend programs are available to

SuperFriend Partners free of charge. In addition, Partners

are also able to provide feedback and input into the

development of SuperFriend’s programs to suit their

specific needs or respond to their members who are

most at risk of poor mental health.

9

PARTNER FUNDS

10

PARTNER GROUP INSURERS

11

Program/Resource Partner FundPartner Group

InsurerAssociated Employer

Administrator (Fund team staff)

Access to free, unlimited SuperFriend Mental Health & Wellbeing Training

x x x

Free workplace assessment: Wellbeing Works

x x x x

Mental health and wellbeing presentations x x x x

Free Managing Bereavement, Grief & Loss online module

x x

Free resources to support the mental health of individuals and workplaces

x x x x

Free access to SuperFriend’s content library for member/staff communications and education

x x x

Access to the latest international workplace mental health research & insights

x x x x

Opportunities for participation in program development

x x

Employer visits and events x

SuperFriend Mental Health & Wellbeing Training and support for RelationshipManagers

x

Dedicated Relationship Manager x x

Half-yearly Partner reporting and Board presentation

x x

BENEFITS OF PARTNERINGSuperFriend greatly appreciates the generous contributions, ongoing support and collaborative relationships with the Industry Funds Forum (IFF) and our Partners.Partnership with SuperFriend is open to all

profit-to-member superannuation funds in Australia.

The Partnership is funded by the Partner

Group Insurer through a percentage of Partner

Fund premium that is paid to SuperFriend.

For more information, please email

partners@superfriend.com.au.

THE BENEFITS OF PARTNERING WITH SUPERFRIEND FOR PARTNER GROUP INSURERS, FUNDS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED EMPLOYERS AND ADMINISTRATORS (FUND TEAM STAFF):

12

13

THANK YOU TO OUR PRO-BONO SUPPORTERS SuperFriend could not do its valuable work without the help of Supporters who provide us with financial and pro-bono support. We work closely with these organisations on a regular

basis and thank them for their support of SuperFriend.

14

15

BUILDING CAPACITY WITHIN OUR PARTNERS AND THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

16

The Financial Services Industry (FSI) experiences one

of the highest rates of mental ill-health in the workforce,

with 33 percent of its workers living with a mental

health condition5. Within the industries insured by the

super-based group insurance industry, the incidence of

mental health-related claims is on the rise with mental

illness accounting for 15 percent of overall claim rates

but resulting in 50 percent of claim costs. Mental ill-

health is impacting the FSI in both those working within

the industry and those reliant upon it in one of their

times of greatest need, during the claims process.

SuperFriend is the only mental health organisation partnering with a financial sector to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their people and organisations by customising solutions to suit their specific needs.

We are committed to ensuring our initiatives have the

most impact possible by using our unique relationships

with Partners and the FSI to gain access to key

mental health data. This de-identified data, relating

to insurance and superannuation, provides us with

unprecedented insight into trends such as:

T People are likely to contact insurers before

attempting suicide

T Mental illness-related Total and Permanent

Disablement (TPD) claim rates peak for males

aged 50-54 and females aged 55-59

T Victoria and Queensland had claim rates for suicide

that were almost double the claim rates of other

locations6.

We use this data along with information provided by

our Partners and the mental health sector to develop

best-practice programs, resources and research reports

to support financial organisations to improve their

mental health and wellbeing practices and policies.

Two good examples of this are SuperFriend’s

SuperSPAN and REconnect projects which you can

read more about on pages 46 and 48.

5: 2014 Return on investment analysis, PwC Report

6: 2014 SuperMIND Report, SuperFriend

17

DEVELOPING THE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL CLAIMS

OPTIMISING CLAIMS MANAGEMENT TEAMS

BRINGING EVIDENCE TO TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION

EFFECTIVE DECISION-MAKING SUPPORTED BY ANALYTICS AND AUTOMATION

TAILORED SUPPORT FOR THE PERSON ON CLAIM

TRANSFORMING PRODUCT DESIGN

ENGAGING EMPLOYERS IN STAY AT WORK / RETURN TO WORK

RECORDING PROGRESS

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE:

COMING SOON:

TO BE DEVELOPED:

SuperFriend’s programs, projects and resources that build capacity within Partners and the Financial Services Industry include:

TAKING ACTION: BRINGING BEST PRACTICE TO CLAIMS MANAGEMENTMaking an insurance claim can be a confusing experience,

during an often distressing time in someone’s life. When

managed well the claims process will provide a pillar of

support to the person on claim during their time of

greatest need. However; if managed poorly, the claims

process may impact a person on claim’s ongoing

psychological recovery resulting in poor outcomes for

both the person making the claim and the Insurer tasked

with supporting them.

In partnership with the Australian and International Life

Insurance industry, SuperFriend has created a Framework

for the Group Insurance and broader Personal Injury

Sectors to manage mental health claims. TAKING

ACTION – A Best Practice Framework for the

Management of Psychological Claims, released in late

2015, and its eight Action Area guidelines provide a

roadmap of practical recommendations to improve the

outcomes for the person on claim and the insurer.

The first two Actions Areas are currently available and the

remaining six will be released as they are developed.

TAKING ACTIONA Best Practice Framework for the Management of Psychological Claims

A SuperFriend Initiative

18

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING TRAINING FOR THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

SuperFriend offers a range of practical industry specific Mental Health & Wellbeing Training (MH&W Training) for the Financial Services Sector including Call Centre staff, Financial Planners and Advisors and Insurance claim staff.The MH&W Training builds non-technical, but essential

skills, in staff who are often working in roles where

they are regularly interacting with members who are

distressed or experiencing mental ill-health.

Training equips staff with the confidence to better

support the member, achieve improved customer

service and business outcomes as a result, and

importantly, look after themselves and their colleagues

in the process.

KEY TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE: T Mental illness signs and symptoms

T What to do and what not to do

T Handling difficult telephone calls

T Handling crisis calls

T Identifying people at risk of suicide and what to do

T Talking to someone experiencing grief or

bereavement

T Building rapport and empathy

T Listening skills

T Debriefing staff after difficult discussions

with members

T Psychosocial responsibilities in the workplace

T The how, who, and where of referring

T Supporting staff and keeping people at work.

SuperFriend’s Mental Health & Wellbeing Training for

the Financial Services Industry is delivered by a

specialist training provider, CommuniCorp Group.

All modules are facilitated by qualified psychologists,

and can be delivered throughout Australia.

MENTAL HEALTH CLAIM DATA – SUPERMINDSuperMIND is a 2014 report of the findings of a

five-year study of suicide and mental health-related

claims in 13 superannuation funds and their group

insurers. The report helped the organisations

to understand claim trends and target support

for members. To view findings, visit our website

superfriend.com.au.

19

HOW HAS SUPERFRIEND IMPROVED WORKPLACE MENTAL WELLBEING SO FAR?

20

SuperFriend has the potential to positively impact more than half of Australia’s 11 million workers through our Partner Funds and their 750,000 associated employers. SuperFriend educates, advises and spreads

awareness of workplace mental health and

wellbeing to a combined monthly audience of more

than 250,000 through our online platforms and social

media channels.

Since 2012, more than 8,000 people have increased their knowledge and skills around mental health and wellbeing in the workplace by participating in SuperFriend’s programs and initiatives.For every dollar invested in SuperFriend’s Mental

Health & Wellbeing Training, it is calculated that

there is a return in social value of between $3.10-

$3.60.

“This isn’t just important business. It’s important for business.”“Organisations like SuperFriend can do a great deal in the space of work and mental health. SuperFriend can bring knowledge and expertise, provide practical guidance and tools, bring people together, influence government, and collaborate in alliances – numerous things that will make a huge difference”

Dame Carol Black DBE, FRCP, Senior Policy Advisor on work and health to the British Government

“There is compelling evidence that good work is good for people’s health and wellbeing, including their mental health. Keeping people in work, or returning them to work sooner, with the right supports and rehabilitation, is the best outcome for all involved. I believe that workplaces have a tremendous opportunity to foster organisational health and employee health, and by doing so, make a real difference in people’s lives, as well as to the business bottom line. This is particularly true in providing the best supports available to people when they are unwell and to facilitate effective rehabilitation to achieve early return to work. We still have a lot to learn and require true leadership and collaboration to get even better outcomes.”

Margo Lydon, CEO, SuperFriend

21

TESTIMONIALS “Our Fund has experienced firsthand the benefits of partnering with SuperFriend. Staff from our contact centre, administration team and client relationship managers across the country have all experienced the value of attending the Mental Health & Wellbeing Training. The specialised modules have provided our staff with the skills and confidence to deal with our members who are living with mental illness.

We have had a number of real scenarios whereby the Mental Health & Wellbeing Training has better prepared our staff in dealing with very stressful situations often leading to successful outcomes for our members.”

Partner Fund – Head of Marketing and Business Development.

SuperFriend has a portfolio of evidence-based programs that have proven their effectiveness in creating successful workplaces with workers who are thriving.

“Our association with SuperFriend has strengthened our relationships with key decision-makers within each employer group and made the fund more relevant to their day to day operations, providing an edge over competitor super funds.”

Partner Fund – Relationship Manager

“I am so glad that I have been nominated to be part of the SuperFit Mates program. In the Mental Health & Wellbeing Training, we’ve identified mental health issues and how important of balancing the work and life demands. We are here to help and support our colleagues about mental health issues and the life challenges.”

Training participant

22

SuperFriend was created to help Australians live better, longer and more mentally healthy lives.

SuperFriend is a national mental health promotion foundation that helps ‘all profit to member’ superannuation funds to promote and support improved mental health and wellbeing for their members, through the workplace.

“SuperFriend has allowed our fund to assist our key employer groups with their workforce planning around developing mentally healthy workplaces and promoting the flow on benefits of staff wellbeing, increased productivity, staff retention and reducing absenteeism and presenteeism.”

23

HOW CAN SUPERFRIEND HELP YOU TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL WELLBEING OF YOUR WORKPLACE?

24

SuperFriend’s suite of programs and resources apply proven approaches to creating positive, supportive workplace cultures where employees can thrive. Each can be added to your wellbeing toolkit to serve a different function:T Educating and upskilling employers and employees

about mental health

T Improving culture and staff engagement

T Creating mental wellbeing policies, practices and

strategies

T Measuring success based on the characteristics of

a mentally healthy workplace

T Encouraging peer-to-peer support.

The following SuperFriend programs and resources

will support you to improve the mental health and

wellbeing of your workplace in three key ways:

1 | Providing you with information, advice and

strategies to help you get started

2 | Creating a strong workplace culture through

employee engagement and education

3 | Supporting employees on an individual level by

encouraging peer-to-peer support.

40%

51%

40 percent have stayed in a job longer because

the environment was mentally healthy.3

51 percent of Australians have left a job

because of poor mental health conditions3

To book/order or learn more about any of the

following programs and resources:

Email: programs@superfriend.com.au

Phone: (03) 9615 8661

Website: superfriend.com.au

3. 2015, Work in Progress Survey, SuperFriend

25

PROMOTING POSITIVE MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE (RESOURCE)

Traditional approaches to mental

wellbeing in the workplace have

focused on the negative impact

work can have on employees and

organisations. Positive mental health

focuses on developing environments

where employees can flourish

and reach their optimal potential, resulting in greater

employee engagement and productivity.

SuperFriend, along with Deakin University and the

University of Melbourne, developed guidelines that

organisations can use to promote positive mental

health in the workplace.

This resource:

T Explains why positive mental health is important in

the workplace

T Provides practical tips and actionable strategies

for developing a work environment that promotes

positive mental health

T Outlines strategies that lead to a positive leadership

style

T Provides information about positive communication

and healthy job design.

WELLBEING WORKS (PROGRAM)In this interactive 90-minute workshop, SuperFriend

will work with a cross section of your organisation in

a guided conversation to help you to:

T Assess your workplace’s current activities to gain

an understanding of its strengths and areas for

improvement

T Build knowledge of mental health promotion,

focusing on five key areas: framework and

workplace policies, leadership, organisational

capability, culture and connectedness

T Identify simple methods for promoting mental health.

Following the workshop, SuperFriend will provide your

organisation with a Wellbeing Works report, which

identifies the key opportunities for development, key

strengths and next steps to promoting positive mental

health and wellbeing in your workplace.

1 | GETTING STARTED

26

MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING TRAINING FOR STAFF AND MANAGERS (PROGRAM)With one in five Australians experiencing mental illness

in any given year, it is likely that you are working with

or managing someone in need of support. Having the

skills and confidence to recognise the warning signs

of a mental health issue and provide appropriate

support will:

T Encourage prevention and early intervention

of mental illness

T Reduce the potential impact of mental illness

T Improve team cohesion

T Improve culture and encourage positive mental

health and wellbeing in the workplace.

The training also builds the capacity of individuals to look

after themselves using tools to improve their self-care,

resiliency and positive mental health. SuperFriend’s

Mental Health & Wellbeing Training for staff and

managers is delivered by registered psychologists

in your workplace. It provides employees with the

confidence, skills, strategies and tools to ensure they are

supported, safe and productive at work.

A SuperFriend Initiative

TEAMTOPIA (PROGRAM)Statistically, companies with highly engaged workforces

outperform peers by 147 percent in earnings per share.

However, only 87 percent of employees worldwide are

actually engaged at work7.

Teamtopia is an innovative, online and face-to-face

program that increases employee engagement to

improve organisational culture using the scientific

principles of positive psychology.

2 | IMPROVING WORKPLACE CULTURETeamtopia builds the capacity of individuals and

teams to promote:

T Team connectedness and cohesion

T Resilience

T Employee engagement.

Teamtopia is a five-week program centred on an

evidence-based approach called the Five Ways to

Wellbeing, with each week dedicated to one of the five

ways: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning

and Give.

Participants will see an improvement in their team’s

health and wellbeing, organisational relationships and

group functioning. The program combines:

T Team-based competition

T A highly interactive online website

T Management coaching

T Evidence-based wellbeing model.

7: State of the Global Workplace Report (2013) Gallup

27

One of the greatest barriers to being mentally healthy is the social stigma around mental ill-health and a lack of skills to communicate about it - preventing people from having potentially life-saving conversations. Many people spend a large amount of their time in the

workplace and therefore, this is an ideal environment

to observe changes in someone’s behaviour or make

vital connections with people who may be in need of

support.

The following programs and resources encourage

peer-to-peer support and promote positive

communication in the workplace.

PEER SUPPORT BOOKLET (RESOURCE)SuperFriend’s Peer Support Booklet

provides practical suggestions for

listening to and supporting work

colleagues who may be experiencing

mental health challenges.

The booklet helps to increase

employees’ communication skills and support

strategies to foster a mentally healthy workplace

culture. It includes:

T An overview of what a mental illness is and how

it can affect people

T The role that stigma plays in mental health and

how we can reduce this

T Why the workplace is the perfect opportunity to

support people’s mental health and wellbeing

T The steps you can take to support a colleague

T What to do when someone wants to talk about

their mental health.

SUPERFIT MATES (PROGRAM)SuperFit Mates is an innovative

workplace peer support training

program that teaches and empowers

employees to become mentors to

support the mental health of their

colleagues and promote positive

wellbeing in the organisation.

The program is run over a five-months and is structured

in three parts:

1 | Mentor training

2 | Mentor debrief

3 | Ongoing support

SuperFit Mates generates a number of positive

outcomes to:

T Build the organisation’s capability and capacity

to support employees in need

T Create opportunities for early intervention and

better outcomes

T Affect positive cultural change in the workplace

through increased communication

T Increase mental health literacy, de-stigmatisation

of mental illness and knowledge of mental health

services.

3 | SUPPORTING EMPLOYEES

28

MANAGING BEREAVEMENT, GRIEF AND LOSS (ONLINE E-LEARNING MODULE)

Everyone experiences

bereavement, grief and loss

at some points in their life,

whether it be through the

loss of a loved one, a house,

a relationship or the after-

effects of a traumatic event. If left unaddressed, grief

can have a major impact on an individual’s ability to

function and carry out their work.

There are people experiencing loss in every workplace

and the support of others can be essential to help

them during this time. Unfortunately, it can be a difficult

subject to broach in the workplace, leaving concerned

managers and colleagues too afraid of saying the

wrong thing to provide the support that’s needed.

SuperFriend’s Managing Bereavement, Grief and Loss

is an easy-to-use, 20-minute online e-learning module

which equips employees and employers with the skills

and confidence to support themselves and colleagues

experiencing loss.

The module educates about the helpful and harmful

actions to take during such a time and creates greater

connectedness in the workplace, leading to reduced

stress from isolation, and a healthier, empowered and

resilient workforce.

PLANNING FOR A MENTALLY HEALTHY RETIREMENT (SEMINAR)

Transitioning into

retirement can provoke

feelings of excitement and

apprehension for many

people. Not only do people require education on financial

and physical health, but also on how to prepare mentally

when transitioning to retirement.

The SuperFriend Planning for a Mentally Healthy

Retirement Seminar was developed in conjunction with

the Australian Psychological Society and is delivered by

accredited psychologists to support people to protect

against poor mental health during retirement by helping

them to:

T Form realistic expectations about retirement by

understanding the link between expectations,

satisfaction and wellbeing

T Learn which factors contribute to adjusting well and

poorly to retirement

T Understand the importance of planning a mentally

healthy retirement (not just financially) and how to use

the SuperFriend planning tool to do this effectively

T Understand the ‘Five Ways to Wellbeing’ and learn

strategies to foster wellbeing during retirement.

29

INFLUENCING AND ADVOCATING FOR WIDESPREAD SYSTEM CHANGE IN WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH

30

A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CHANGEOne of the ways SuperFriend is working to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness on individuals and organisations is by advocating for widespread system change in regulation, policy and practices . We do this by working within collaborations and strategic alliances to influence government, business leaders and industry to create mentally healthy workplaces.

Health promotion goes far beyond educating and

enabling individuals and organisations to take better

care of themselves. It puts health on the agenda of

policy-makers in all sectors and at all levels, directing

them to be aware of the health consequences of

their decisions and to accept their influence on the

determinants of health.

In the extensive consultations with stakeholders

and influential sector-based individuals to inform the

development of SuperFriend’s 2014 – 2020 Strategy,

SuperFriend was encouraged to undertake a role in

partnering with other organisations as an advocate for

evidence-based change. Our role in health promotion,

as a bridge between the Mental Health Sector and the

Financial Services Industry enables SuperFriend to

approach systems change from a uniquely beneficial

position.

Rather than seeing policy as one single, discrete

decision, SuperFriend recognises that it is a series of

processes, activities, and actions that can be informed

through knowledge exchange. Some key dimensions

of possible policy impact are:

T Attitudinal change (framing debates and getting

issues onto the political agenda)

T Encouraging discussion which affects language

and rhetoric

T Securing procedural change which changes the

processes by which policy decisions are made

T Affecting policy content through research

T Influencing behaviour change at various levels.

SuperFriend, by developing a reputation as a trusted

advisor, networker and thought-leader, has chosen to

work closely with decision-makers, while remaining

active in the practical application of knowledge through

Partners and workplaces.

To this end SuperFriend has invested in expanding

its influence through formal and informal collaborations

and alliances.

31

KEY STRATEGIC ALLIANCES AND COLLABORATIONS

SUICIDE PREVENTION AUSTRALIA & THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTIONSuperFriend is a member of both Suicide Prevention

Australia, and the National Coalition for Suicide

Prevention (NCSP), alongside 45 other organisations,

including Mates in Construction, the Hunter Institute of

Mental Health, Movember Foundation, National LGBTI

Health Alliance, R U OK? Ltd, ReachOut Australia, Living

Works Australia, and Lifeline.

The NCSP has agreed to adopt the principles of

collective impact which requires organisations within

the diverse suicide prevention and mental health

sectors, as well as business and government (cross-

portfolio), to commit to a common agenda, shared

goals and measures and a reporting framework under

which all participants operate. Importantly participating

organisations align their programs to this agenda

resulting in a greater voice and ensuring accelerated

progress towards the agreed goals and resolution.

A key achievement of the NCSP has been during the

2015 Federal election, where SuperFriend added its

voice to SPA and NCSP advocacy which saw, for the

first time, all major party’s policies and plans specifically

include suicide prevention.

32

MENTALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE ALLIANCEThe National Mental Health Commission established the

Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance (the Alliance) to

make sure all people in the workplace, including those

who experience mental health difficulties, their families

and those who support them, are supported. This

includes minimising harm, promoting protective factors,

and having positive cultures that are conducive to

mental wellbeing. In addition to SuperFriend and the

Commission Alliance members include: Australian

Council of Trade Unions, The Australian Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Australian Industry

Group, The Australian Psychological Society Ltd,

beyondblue, Black Dog Institute, Business Council of

Australia, Comcare, Council of Small Business Australia,

Mental Health Australia, Safe Work Australia, SANE, and

the University of New South Wales.

All members share a commitment to supporting

Australian workplaces to take active steps to create

workplaces that are mentally healthy. As a member of

the Alliance, SuperFriend has played a strong role, in

leading a project, in collaboration with beyondblue, to

develop a stakeholder informed discussion paper on an

Australian Workplace Mental Health Framework.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF GOOD WORKAs a signatory to the Health Benefits of Good

Work (HBGW) Consensus Statement, SuperFriend

has committed to actively implement the principles

articulated in the Consensus Statement to create

a safe, healthy workplace within SuperFriend.

To further support the movement, SuperFriend is

currently implementing promotion of the movement

into SuperFriend workplace programs initiatives.

One element of this is to collaborate with the HBGW

Signatory Sub-Committee on three Initiatives:

T Develop HBGW resources for a range of

stakeholders.

T Establish alliances and partnerships with community

based agencies, human services, and education

sectors.

T Build the HBGW brand and profile.

VICTORIAN WORKPLACE MENTAL WELLBEING COLLABORATIONSuperFriend collaborates with Victorian Health

Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) and WorkSafe

Victoria (WorkSafe) to promote positive workplace

mental wellbeing as part of the Victorian Workplace

Mental Wellbeing Collaboration (the Collaboration).

The Collaboration’s unique expertise in mental

wellbeing, health promotion, and occupational health

and safety enables us to take an integrated approach

to testing innovative products and resources to

workplaces, to promote mental wellbeing, developing

and sharing world-class resources and value-adding for

Victorian workplaces.

The Collaboration conducts Leadership Breakfasts,

documents case studies of workplaces and their

various journeys towards positive mental health,

maintains the leadingwellvic.org.au website which

focuses exclusively on promotion of positive mental

health by developing the positive aspects of work as

well as worker strengths and positive capacities.

Victorian WorkplaceMental WellbeingCollaboration

33

ACQUIRING AND INTERPRETING KNOWLEDGE

34

Part of SuperFriend’s work to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness is through acquiring and interpreting meaningful workplace mental health data and insights and sharing that with internal and external stakeholders. The purpose of this is to maintain currency with

emerging trends, information, and research with the

aim of building capacity for behaviour change and

improved policies and practices within our Partners and

their associated employers.

SuperFriend attends and presents at national

conferences to keep abreast of latest trends in the

areas of mental illness, suicide, health promotion,

financial services, business and impact measurement.

These insights help us to address gaps and identify

new projects and initiatives.

SuperFriend research has provided valuable

information for workplaces, government, industry and

our peers, and contributed to the wider understanding

of workplace mental health. One of SuperFriend’s

ongoing activities in this area is our annual WORK IN

PROGRESS report, which provides a national snapshot

of workplace wellbeing and an auditable, measurable

way of tracking the success of workplace wellbeing.

MEASURING SUCCESS – WHAT DOES A MENTALLY HEALTHY WORKPLACE LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACES COMPARE? SuperFriend’s annual WORK IN PROGRESS report

provides a snapshot of Australian workplace wellbeing

and identifies for the first time:

1 | the 38 characteristics which indicate the ‘desired

state’ of a mentally healthy workplace, such as:

‘People greet each other in the morning,

smile, make eye contact, and say thank you’.

These indicators can be used by organisations to

measure their own progress towards a mentally

healthy workplace by conducting an annual WORK

IN PROGRESS survey internally and comparing

results year on year.

2 | The progress of Australian workplaces towards the

desired-state of a workplace with optimal mental

health. To gather this information, SuperFriend

conducts an annual national workforce survey of

over 1,000 respondents at all levels from small,

medium and large businesses (and a mix of

industries). By actively monitoring the wellbeing

of Australian workplaces from year to year, the

WORK IN PROGRESS provides valuable data about

workplace mental health, such as:

82% of people don’t feel confident that people

with known mental health issues would have an

equal chance of employment or promotion in

their workplace.

35

ANNUAL REPORT2015–2016

36

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CHAIR AND CEOSuperFriend has had another strong year of growth and change. Collaboratively, with our Partners, service providers and other key stakeholders supporting our work, SuperFriend has successfully delivered a number of unique initiatives, projects and programs all focused on improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes for members and employers.

Across 2015-16, SuperFriend’s work has continued to

achieve strong progress towards increasing our reach

and impact into Australian workplaces.

The 2015-16 year was centred around the ‘growth’ of

SuperFriend’s:

T Engagement with Partners to tailor solutions to

meet their specific needs and the needs of their

employer and member groups

T Work with strategic collaborators to bring about

widespread system and policy change

T Capacity to deliver programs to more and more

workplaces, and

T Profile within the financial services and mental

health sectors.

The year-end financial result maintains stability in

SuperFriend’s financial position.

A significant achievement for the Foundation has been the successful renewal of all eight Partner Group Insurers for a further five-year funding agreement, through to 2020.

With all Partner Group Insurers committing to recurrent

funding and the increased focus in strategic Partner

engagement, the Foundation’s future is looking very

optimistic. SuperFriend also gained two new Partner

Funds this year and we warmly welcome Concept One

and Meat Industry Employees’ Superannuation Fund

(MIESF).

One of our most influential achievements of this year

was the release of SuperFriend’s TAKING ACTION:

A Best Practice Framework for the Management of

Psychological Claims. This is the first roadmap for

improving the claims experience from the person on

claims’ perspective, during an often distressing time in

their lives, as well as for the person managing the claim

for the fund and insurer. It is the culmination of a huge

amount of work and collaboration across the sector

and was quickly followed by the release of its first two

Action Areas:

1 | Developing the Management Practices for

Psychological Claims

2 | Optimising Claims Management Teams

Ultimately, SuperFriend aspires to see this Framework

being implemented in all Australian superannuation

and insurance organisations to improve the wellbeing

and financial outcomes for the person on claim, the

fund, the employer and the insurer. The Framework

is already making an impact within the industry.

SuperFriend is also currently working with Safe Work

Australia in adapting the TAKING ACTION Framework,

on a national scale, to all the worker’s compensation

jurisdictions.

Overall it has been a very successful year for our

Programs & Initiatives team with 2,929 people

participating in our programs. The launch of our online

platform for SuperFriend’s Managing Bereavement,

Grief and Loss (BGL) program in February 2016

resulted in the delivery of 14 programs in only its first

four months.

37

Damian Hill

Chair, SuperFriend Board of Directors

Chief Executive Officer, REST Industry Super

Margo Lydon

Chief Executive Officer and Company

Secretary, SuperFriend

Managing Bereavement, Grief and Loss is a low-cost, easy-to-use program which only requires a minimal time investment, and yet delivers real impact in improving skills to support an employee experiencing grief or loss.

In the past 12 months, SuperFriend has continued to

improve many of its internal systems and processes

to support enhanced management, governance and

compliance requirements, risks, issues and the analysis

and reporting of all financial matters. As one example,

the implementation by the Board and Management

of the 2016 Governance Policy and Framework has

set clear expectations for improved accountability,

transparency, reporting and role clarity.

SuperFriend has continued to apply its learnings, from

all its business activities, to improve the outcomes

and impacts that support our strategic objectives and

mission and to make a real difference in workplace

mental health and wellbeing.

This has been supported by the development of a

Strategic Logic and Evaluation Framework, scheduled

for completion in September 2016. This Framework

will provide an overarching approach to monitoring,

measuring and reporting on the outcomes and impacts

of SuperFriend’s initiatives for stakeholders.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has just announced

preliminary statistics showing that 3,027 Australians

died by suicide in 2015. This is 163 more than in 2014

and, along with the impacts that mental ill-health

continues to have, demonstrates the continual need

for SuperFriend’s work in educating and upskilling

employees and employers. SuperFriend is well placed

to destigmatise mental health issues, increase peer

support and bring about widespread and sustained

change in workplace mental health and wellbeing.

There have been many highlights throughout the year

due to the dedication, hard work and tenacity of the

SuperFriend Board, Program Committee and team.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the

SuperFriend Team, we thank all those involved in

SuperFriend’s work and driving the necessary change

for more mentally healthy workplaces nationally.

Thank you for your continued partnership

and ongoing support of this important work.

38

39

HIGHLIGHTS2015–2016

40

DEVELOPING AND DELIVERING EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES

2,929 people participated in SuperFriend’s

mental health and wellbeing programs

483 people are now better equipped with the skills

and confidence to support the mental health of their

colleagues after undertaking our Mental Health &

Wellbeing Training  

1,225 people have a better understanding of mental

health and wellbeing in the workplace after attending

a SuperFriend Mental Health Literacy presentation

483 1,2252,929

41

19 workplaces have a better understanding

of their current strengths and opportunities 

and a clear strategic pathway for their organisation’s

mental health and wellbeing after completing

a Wellbeing Works assessment

143 people have improved their own self-care

capabilities and been supported to increase positive

engagement with their teams and organisation through

SuperFriend’s Teamtopia program

912 people are more prepared to adjust well during

the transition into retirement after attending one of

SuperFriend’s Planning for a Mentally Healthy

Retirement seminars

1439

12

42

44 people have been trained as wellbeing mentors

to support the mental health of their colleagues

through SuperFriend’s SuperFit Mates program

14 organisations have now received the new look 

Managing Bereavement, Grief and Loss program, 

helping to increase support of the emotional wellbeing

of employees during times of grief and bereavement

A SuperSPAN pilot was

conducted with overwhelmingly

positive feedback from

participants, many of whom

have already had multiple

opportunities to use the suicide

prevention and mental health

support skills they gained

Wave 1 of the REconnect program

was successfully piloted with

Cbus and 71 people experiencing

job loss were provided with

practical tools and resources for

gaining fulfilling employment and

maintaining mental health

14

43

ACQUIRING & INTERPRETING KNOWLEDGESuperFriend is committed to supporting research and an evidence-based approach to improving workplace mental health for the benefit of individuals and the organisations in which they work.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A NATIONAL SNAPSHOT OF WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEINGIn November 2015, SuperFriend released its inaugural

WORK IN PROGRESS report which provides an

annual snapshot of Australian workplace wellbeing

and identifies for the first time

the ‘desired state’ of a mentally

healthy workplace.

All employers are encouraged

to consider integrating the 38

desired-state characteristics

into their metrics within their

organisations.

Over 500 copies of the 2015 WORK IN PROGRESS

have been distributed. The 2016 WORK IN PROGRESS,

which will provide a comparison to the 2015

benchmark, will be released in late 2016.

Learn more about the WORK IN PROGRESS on page 35.

RESEARCH INTO YOUNG PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCE OF THE WORKFORCE SuperFriend wanted to learn more about young

peoples’ experiences at work to provide workplaces

with useful evidence so they could improve the

experience of young people entering the workforce.

We enlisted BehaviourWorks to collect results from

relevant systematic research reviews. The results were

surprising, uncovering a lack of evidence to support the

validity of grouping employees or customers according

to their generation and instead showing the need for

tailored, individualised interventions.

The review produced useful results for organisations

to consider:

T Stereotyping staff or customers by their generation

is not a practice that’s supported by research

evidence and may actually have adverse effects on

the psychological wellbeing of employees

T There are only minor differences between

generations relating to workplace attitudes and

experiences

T Improved psychological outcomes and reduced

intention to quit can be the result of mentoring

relationships in the workplace

T Two key aspects of a successful mentoring

relationship were identified, regular contact and

deep-level similarity. Therefore, a mentoring

program that does not incorporate these is unlikely

to produce any tangible benefits for the protégé.

SuperFriend has shared these findings with our

networks through our various communication channels

and will review other potential applications for their use.

44

BUILDING CAPACITY WITHIN OUR PARTNERS AND THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY SuperFriend successfully renewed all eight Partner Group Insurers for a further five-year funding agreement, through to 2020. SuperFriend is extremely grateful for the continued support of our Partners and their commitment to the mental health of their staff and members.

SuperFriend also gained two new Partner Funds this year

and we warmly welcome Concept One and Meat Industry

Employees’ Superannuation Fund (MIESF), and their

respective Group Insurers, Hannover Re of Australasia

and MLC.

PARTNER ACTIVITY MULTI-EMPLOYER EVENTS A number of our Partner Funds hosted multi-employer

events, enabling us to raise awareness of SuperFriend,

mental health generally and ways to promote a healthy

workplace.

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER BRIEFINGS

Briefings were held for employer services relationship

managers at 14 Partner Funds to provide them with an

up to date overview of SuperFriend and its employer

offerings. These briefings were followed up with

electronic resources to support the introduction of

SuperFriend to employers.

RELEASE OF TAKING ACTION – A BEST PRACTICE FRAMEWORK FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CLAIMSSuperFriend launched the first best-practice roadmap

to support Group Insurance and broader Personal Injury

Sectors to manage mental health claims. The Framework

and its first two (of eight) Action Area guidelines were

developed in close collaboration with the Financial Services

Industry and Mental Health Sector and released in late 2015.

Over 1,600 copies of the Framework have been distributed

and SuperFriend has begun working with Safe Work

Australia to adapt the Framework, on a national scale, to all

the worker’s compensation jurisdictions.

Thank you to Partner Fund Australian Super and group

Insurers, MLC, TAL, Hannover Re of Australasia (HLRA),

Beazley Group, MetLife and AIA who were instrumental in

helping us to deliver this resource. We are also grateful for

the assistance of RGA and Swiss Re.

To download or order the TAKING ACTION Framework, visit

the SuperFriend website at: superfriend.com.au.

TAKING ACTIONA Best Practice Framework for the Management of Psychological Claims

45

PILOT PROGRAM LAUNCHED TO PREVENT SUICIDE IN RURAL AREAS

SuperSPAN (Suicide Prevention Assistance Network)

was an Australia-first pilot program conducted in

March 2016 to upskill and empower Partner Fund

Client Relationship Managers and Financial Planners to

support the mental health of their rural members who

may be at risk of suicide.

Bringing together specialist services, FarmLink and

Rural Adversity Mental Health Program, and a tailored

component, the pilot was created in response to

Client Relationship Managers and Financial Planners

who reported a lack of skills to support the increasing

number of rural members at risk of, or affected by,

suicide – particularly those in financial distress.

Participants developed capabilities in:

T Identifying regional support networks to promote

suicide prevention and early intervention

T Working with rural families and businesses at critical

times, with empathetic and effective communication

T Understanding the impact of rural adversity on

mental health, recognising when someone may

be at risk of suicide, and supporting them to seek

assistance.

As a result of the pilot, a SuperSPAN website

superspan.org.au was launched to provide information,

resources and referral networks for participants to use.

Recommendations for the future of the program will be

made based on the pilot’s evaluation which has shown

significant results.

Participant feedback has been very positive and pre/

post-program testing has shown a reduction in stigma

and increased knowledge about suicide. Participants

have also reported several instances where they have

used their SuperSPAN knowledge and skills to create

meaningful and positive mental health outcomes.

Thank you to our participants from SuperFriend’s

Partner Funds:

T AMIST

T Australian Catholic Super

T AustSafe Super

T Catholic Super

T Energy Super

T Equip

T Media Super

T MIESF

T Tasplan

Memorial rocks out the window of the SuperSPAN workshop in Port Macquarie

46

Fiona Livingston, Farmlink, Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health

Stacey Watson and Paul Meredith, AustSafe Super

PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK

“A significant shift has happened over time after the training, subtle thinking - eye opening - not straight away - I parked it and pulled it out across time.”

“The training took away my stigma. I used to think it was a failure if someone killed themselves – the training changed that.”

“I’d feel more confident if I had to broach these topics and now know some cues to look for and have some idea of what questions to ask, and what to say.”

“Clear message I received from the training “If you don’t have mental health you don’t have health!”

47

RECONNECT PILOT LAUNCHEDIn April 2016, SuperFriend and Partner Fund, Cbus,

piloted REconnect – a program which demonstrates

the potential benefits of a SuperFriend-Partner

collaboration.

Cbus approached SuperFriend to work together on a

project that maintained communication with members

experiencing job loss, in order to improve mental health

outcomes.

SuperFriend and Cbus worked together to develop

REconnect, a series of email communications providing

subscribers with practical tools and advice to help them

to look after their mental health and secure fulfilling

employment. Results from the pilot’s first wave have

been very encouraging, showing:

T REconnect improved participant’s understanding

of what resources were available to support them

during periods of job loss (from 25 percent pre-

program to 75 percent post program)

T REconnect improved participants’ willingness to

seek assistance (shift from six percent pre-program

to 44 percent post-program)

T 65 percent of participants felt supported by Cbus

throughout the program

T REconnect enabled four members to click through

from the registration email to Lifeline. While they

did not register for REconnect, these people

may have been in a period of crisis and the email

provided them with an opportunity to seek help.

In late 2016 the pilot will move into its second

wave which will also be evaluated before Cbus and

SuperFriend decide how to move forward with the

program.

4848

INFLUENCING AND ADVOCATING TO BRING ABOUT WIDESPREAD SYSTEM CHANGELEADERSHIP BREAKFASTSSuperFriend’s collaboration with WorkSafe Victoria and

the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth),

continued its focus on leadership and support

for positive workplace mental wellbeing through

successful leadership breakfasts as well as the launch

of a new Collaboration website and resource centre,

leadingwellvic.com.au.

The Collaboration (Victorian Workplace Mental

Wellbeing Collaboration) takes pride in inspiring

through examples of positive leadership and has been

fortunate to engage some excellent guest speakers

and motivating case studies. Speakers this year

included Dame Carol Black DBE, FRCP, the Principal

of Newnham College, Cambridge and Expert Adviser

on Health and Work to the Department of Health

England and to Public Health England, and Chairman

of the Nuffield Trust for health policy. Dame Carol spoke

not only of her knowledge of promoting positive mental

health in the workplace, but her own experiences as an

employer.

INITIATING A DISCUSSION PAPER ON A BEST-PRACTICE MENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY FRAMEWORK FOR AUSTRALIAN WORKPLACES Canada is one of the pacesetters for workplace

mental health having developed the ‘Standard for

Psychological Health & Safety in the Workplace’ –

available for all Canadian workplaces to adopt.

In September 2015, SuperFriend attended the Learning

Exchange at the International Initiative for Mental

Health Leadership Conference in Canada, which

focused on the standard. This enabled us to continue

our beneficial collaboration with the Mental Health

Commission of Canada (MHCC) and the Great West Life

Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace, and learn

from their experience of developing the Standard.

These discussions provided a starting point for

the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance (of which

SuperFriend is a member) to draft a discussion paper

aimed at identifying the best way forward for a

best-practice mental health approach to be developed

for Australian workplaces, which they could look to for

guidance. This guidance would provide workplaces Professor John Catford, Jerril Rechter, Dame Carol Black, Margo Lydon and Clare Amies.

49

with a clear understanding of what constitutes

‘best-practice’ when it comes to keeping their workplace

mentally healthy and safe.

In late 2015, Director of the MHCC’s Mental Health

Prevention and Promotion – Workplace Initiatives,

Sapna Mahajan visited SuperFriend and our exchange

of information and resources continued to inform the

direction of both organisations. We look forward to seeing

this constructive relationship create more opportunities in

the future to introduce SuperFriend to employers.

MEDIAThe public profile of SuperFriend continues to grow, with

a considerable increase in requests from media outlets

seeking SuperFriend’s commentary as part of broader

coverage, which demonstrates the increased influence

and awareness of the organisation.

SuperFriend was delighted to be part of the ABC’s 2015

#MentalAs (Mental Health Week) coverage, which

included a story on the 730 Report about the practical,

every day things workplaces can do to promote a

healthier workplace.

There was also substantial coverage of SuperFriend

successfully confirming continued funding with our

Partner Group Insurers for the next five years, especially in

Financial Services Industry-focussed publications (such as

Investment Magazine, Money Management and Investor

Strategy) further increasing the visibility and recognition of

SuperFriend.

SuperFriend’s Strategic Collaborations Manager Deborah Kennedy and Communicorp Group’s Dr Laura Kirby, being photobombed by MHCC’s Sapna Mahajan.

50

SOCIAL MEDIASuperFriend has continued to significantly grow and

utilise its presence on social media, with exceptional

increases in followers, visibility, reach and engagement

across all platforms. These channels will continue to

be a valuable mechanisim for promoting the value of a

mentally healthy workplace and conducting campaigns

to drive awareness and uptake of SuperFriend

programs and resources.

JUNE 2015 JUNE 2016 INCREASE*

Followers 7,347 11,829 47%

Reach 8,568 71,587 736%

Engagement 865 9,187 962%

Followers 907 1,800 98%

Reach 6,895 132,700 1824%

Engagement rate 0.011% 0.02% 82%

Followers 189 611 223%

Reach 875 20,699 2265%

Click-throughs 8 237 2862%

*Percentage increase rounded

@SuperFriendMHF

SuperFriendMHF

linkedin.com/company/superfriend

51

DRIVING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN ORGANISATIONAL GOVERNANCE AND OPERATIONSSuperFriend has maintained its focus on governance and operational improvements. During the year, the organisation completed a strategic growth and workforce planning project which resulted in a new organisational structure to reflect the continued evolution of the Foundation.  

As SuperFriend increased its profile, suite of programs

and resources and national reach, it has been

necessary to realign resources to ensure that the

Partner experience continues to be enhanced and we

are streamlining our approach to program delivery.

In support of its ongoing commitment to good

governance, the Board of Directors endorsed a review

of the membership of both the Board and Program

Committee. This enabled SuperFriend to increase the

number of Directors to broaden the diversity of skills

and Partner representation.  In addition, the important

contribution and insights of Insurers continues to be

leveraged through the Program Committee and other

avenues.

SuperFriend has continued to invest in infrastructure

to support the work of the Foundation more efficiently.

This includes the ongoing utilisation of a Customer

Relationship Management system and migration the

XERO financial system.  We have engaged the services

of external HR consultants, HR Central, to provide

specialist HR expertise which entails regular onsite

visits.  SuperFriend has re-developed its HR policies

and processes with the support of HR Central.

SuperFriend was grateful for the ongoing support

from Holding Redlich for legal advice and Honner

Media for PR and media activity. PwC has again

provided pro-bono auditing expertise to ensure first

class governance practices. The support of these

organisations has been invaluable to the ongoing

development of SuperFriend.

52

SUPERFRIEND’S ‘STRATEGIC LOGIC’To enable SuperFriend to demonstrate impact

to stakeholders, Aspex Consulting was engaged

in February 2016 to develop an evidence-based

organisational Strategic Logic and evaluation

framework for the Foundation.

This project, which will be delivered in September

2016, will provide an overarching strategic approach

to measuring the output and outcomes of SuperFriend’s

projects and initiatives over the short, medium and

long terms.

This framework will articulate the activities, outcome

and impact measurements and methodologies to

enable SuperFriend to monitor and report on the

impact of its work to stakeholders.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board comprises Senior Executives from

SuperFriend’s Partner Funds. They meet at least four

times a year and also undertake an annual strategic

review.  The Board is accountable for overseeing the

financial sustainability, governance, organisational

culture and strategic direction of SuperFriend.  

We are fortunate to have a deeply-committed Board

who have been instrumental in supporting and guiding

the performance and growth of the organisation. 

Damian Hill (Chair) REST Industry Super, Chief Executive Officer

Teifi WhatleySunsuper, Executive General Manager Customer Experience & Insights

Stephen Spiller Cbus, Executive Manager Strategy & Performance

Paul Schroder AustralianSuper, Group Executive – Membership

PROGRAM COMMITTEESuperFriend’s Program Committee advises on the

scope and direction of our workplace programs and

with their support, ensures that our initiatives are

well-managed to achieve agreed objectives. 

Committee members are drawn from our Partner Funds,

Partner Group Insurers, the Mental Health Sector and

people with lived-experience. SuperFriend is grateful

for the guidance and support of all committee members

who actively advocate for improvements in workplace

mental health and wellbeing.

Teifi Whatley (Chair) Director

Damian Hill Director

Stephen Spiller Director

Paul Schroder Director

Tim Lowe Insurer Representative

Pat Cowley Insurer Representative

Dr Peter Cotton Mental Health Expert Representative

Prof. Eóin Killackey Mental Health Expert Representative

Jen Coulls Carer & Consumer Representative (until September 2015)

Joanne Warner Carer & Consumer Representative

Mark Davis Lived-experience representative (from December 2015)

53

FINANCIAL RESULTS SuperFriend delivered to expectations during the financial year 2015-16. This financial year saw the addition of two new Partners which contributed to an increase in revenue funding of five percent. The net surplus reported for the year-ended 30 June

2016 is $402,276. This positive result has strengthened

the Foundation’s overall financial position, ensuring

stability and growth for a range of projects and

initiatives in 2016-17.

The Special Purpose Financial Reports compiled by

SuperFriend for the year-ended 30 June 2016, have

been audited and assured by PwC.

Please refer to superfriend.com.au for the full

statutory accounts.

INFLOWSOURCE 2016 ACTUAL 2015 ACTUAL

Contributions $3,543,877 $3,379,127

Interest Income $117,484 $165,669

Other Income $136,096 $83,217

TOTAL $3,797,457 $3,628,013

COST CENTRE GROUPS 2016COST CENTRE 2016 ACTUAL 2015 ACTUAL

Operations & Governance $565,430 $423,769

Stakeholder $454,508 $309,583

Mental Health Communication & Promotion

$554,429 $521,980

Research $512,978 $320,839

Program Development $587,872 $571,778

Program Delivery $719,965 $532,525

TOTAL $3,395,182 $2,680,474

ANNUAL FINANCIAL RESULTS 2016

54

EXPENDITURE AS PERCENTAGE OF INFLOW

15%

MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION & PROMOTION

14%

RESEARCH

12%

STAKEHOLDER

15%

OPERATIONS & GOVERNANCE

34%

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & DELIVERY

11%

SURPLUS

55

E: info@superfriend.com.au T: 03 9615 8600 ABN: 75 123 196 663

@SuperFriendMHF

superfriend.com.au

SuperFriendMHF linkedin.com/company/superfriend

We thank you for your continued participation, engagement and support.

Please contact us for more information about how SuperFriend can support you and your organisation to make a real difference to workplace mental health and wellbeing.