Health, Safety and Wellbeing

Build a school community where everyone contributes to health, safety, and wellbeing. Understand and implement the fundamentals of effective occupational health and safety management.   

Program overview

This full-day workshop provides practical tools and strategies to create a positive safety culture and manage risks to contribute to staff and student safety and wellbeing.

What you’ll gain

• An understanding of a positive safety and wellbeing culture: explore strategies and tools to foster a safe and supportive school environment
• Leadership confidence: learn the skills, tools and concepts to become an effective wellbeing leader and to utilise the principles of ‘promote, prevent, respond, and recover’
• Risk management expertise: understand your health, safety and wellbeing responsibilities, including how to use tools and supports available to you to more effectively manage physical and psychological hazards in your school.  

You’ll leave feeling confident, connected to key supports, and ready to lead a strong school community where a focus on health, safety and wellbeing makes a real difference.

Participant feedback

"Presenters were engaging and training was interactive."

"Best OHS course I have ever been on" 

"Great overall coverage" 

"Engaging presenters. The idea of having a principal presenting and delivering on her experiences should be encouraged. Well thought through.”

Program highlights

• Network and learn from other school leaders across Victoria
• Prepare for Occupational Health and Safety Assurance visits by understanding the OHS Management System
• Use the Safe and Well in Education Framework to understand accountability and safety responsibilities at all levels
• Learn how to access the department’s new OHS Services Team for hands-on support to complete OHS and Emergency Management tasks
• Reflect on your self-care and wellbeing strategies as leaders, and strengthen your skills in supportive conversations
• Update your schools OHS risk register (hazards and controls) during the session
• Review your schools OHS activities calendar to identify key personnel and scheduling of required OHS activities.   

Audience

Designed for Victorian government school leadership cohort including principals, assistant principals, aspiring principals, business managers and OHS delegates.

This workshop is useful for schools who are scheduled to undertake their OHS Assurance visit. 

This program is not suitable for participants from outside the government school sector.

Facilitator

This workshop has been co-developed by the Department of Education’s Employee Safety, Wellbeing and Inclusion Division and experts at Ernst & Young.

Facilitators:

• Christine Finighan – Recently retired school principal
• Master facilitator – Ernst & Young

Structure of program

This is a full-day workshop that runs online or in person. Post-workshop support and resources are provided.

• 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Pre-workshop preparation

• Locate and familiarise yourself with your school’s OHS risk register and OHS activities calendar. Templates are available on the Policy and Advisory Library. 
• Come to the workshop with an OHS issue to explore.

Learning outcomes

• Gain knowledge of how to create a shared culture of responsibility
• Contribute to your health, safety, and wellbeing support network
• Develop skills to prevent and respond to health and safety risks and challenges
• Understand how to promote positive mental health and wellbeing in your school community.

Fees and financial support

Fully subsidised by the Department of Education for Victorian government school participants.