Staff Wellbeing and Safety
Our board is responsible for the health and safety of all staff. We aim to create a safe physical and emotional environment, and a positive, inclusive culture to support effective teaching and learning. Our school monitors the health of workers as part of its primary duty of care.
At St Joseph's School:
- we provide appropriate induction and professional guidance
- workplace harassment or bullying is not tolerated
- staff may request leave as required
- staff may request access to professional development and mentoring, as required, to increase competency and confidence and reduce stress
- staff may apply for flexible working arrangements to be considered
- we recognise stress in the workplace as a hazard, work to manage it, and encourage staff to speak up if they need support
- we have guidelines for the use of social media to protect staff and students
- we understand the increased risk from working alone.
To support staff wellbeing and safety, we ensure that:
- staff are made aware of our emergency management and health support procedures
- if a staff member is a subject of a concern or complaint, they are informed about the concerns and complaints process and are offered appropriate support
- if a staff member is involved in a confrontation (physical or verbal), they are offered support appropriate to the situation, which may include an incident debriefing.
Staff are encouraged to report any health or wellbeing concerns to the principal and senior management. Counselling may be available through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or a general practitioner (GP) can help to organise a counselling service.
We encourage staff to support each other. Staff with concerns about the mental health of a colleague can raise this with the principal or an appropriate staff member. If a staff member becomes aware that a colleague is at risk of self-harm or suicide, they should consult with the principal or an appropriate staff member. In the case of the imminent threat of suicide, we ensure the person's immediate safety and ring 111 or our regional crisis assessment team 
.
If a staff member has an accident, injury, or illness at work, we follow the procedures in Managing Injuries and Illness and Recording and Reporting Injuries and Illness. Our delegated person is responsible for promoting the interests of staff who have suffered illness or injury at work, including support for returning to work.
Support for returning to work
Support and rehabilitation is an important part of our safety management system. St Joseph's School understands that staff who have been on leave may require support to return to the workplace. We follow Ministry guidance to offer support to staff. This includes:
- addressing relevant workplace hazards (including psychosocial)
- agreeing to an effective
return to work planA return to work plan may include:
- suitable duties being offered including modified or alternative duties
- frequency and duration of hours of work and work breaks
- support, aids, or modifications to the workplace
- time off for medical appointments
- special needs and conditions, and how the school can help (e.g. assistance with transport)
- timeframes
- monitoring and reviewing progress so that problems can be identified and managed early.
Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga: Injury and illness (see Creating a return-to-work plan) .
- working with all parties as appropriate.
Parties may include the employee's family/whānau, board, the employee's manager or coworkers, the delegated person, ACC, or treatment providers.
Related policies
Legislation
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
Resources
: Term 4 2022, Term 3 2022, Term 3 2020
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