❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Minister for Education about support for principals facing critical incidents. The Minister responds by outlining existing support systems and future initiatives, referencing the 'better and fairer schools agreement'.
AnsweredQoN 885Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOLS — CRITICAL INCIDENTS
885. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
Alarming research from the
Australian Catholic University reveals that WA school principals are grappling
with the highest rate of severe critical incidents in the country, with nearly
79 per cent classified as high or extreme.
(1) With WA
principals facing repeated violent assaults, mental health crises and suicidal
threats in school, what immediate actions will the minister take to ensure
their safety and wellbeing?
(2) Why has the
minister failed to deliver meaningful support for school leaders despite
commitments made by state education ministers six months ago to address these
wellbeing concerns?
885. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Minister for Education:
Alarming research from the
Australian Catholic University reveals that WA school principals are grappling
with the highest rate of severe critical incidents in the country, with nearly
79 per cent classified as high or extreme.
(1) With WA
principals facing repeated violent assaults, mental health crises and suicidal
threats in school, what immediate actions will the minister take to ensure
their safety and wellbeing?
(2) Why has the
minister failed to deliver meaningful support for school leaders despite
commitments made by state education ministers six months ago to address these
wellbeing concerns?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) It
is finally good to get a question from the member for Roe on education. It is
the sixth I have received since the winter recess. It is a very important
question. I thank the member for raising it.
I will start by thanking our
dedicated principals in the Western Australian education system for the
wonderful job they do. It is an incredibly demanding job. I will just go
through some of the issues raised in the survey reported in The West
Australian this morning from the Australian Catholic University.
We know that schools will, from time
to time, have serious incidents of violence, medical issues, emergencies and
natural disasters et cetera. I think we are looking at 130-odd public schools,
and if we add all the private schools, that
is over 1 000 schools throughout Western Australia. They cater for a diverse
demographic in diverse geographical situations.
To
assist principals and schools to deal with these incidents, the department
established the dedicated incident support
unit in 2021. That unit supports schools with managing emergencies, natural
disasters and matters involving the Western Australia Police Force, and links
schools with other agencies to provide appropriate services when needed. The
department also has a service response branch that works with the incident support
unit to coordinate psychological support for school communities affected by
significant incidents.
In addition, the Coordinator Regional
Operations and other staff have regional officers based around the state to
also play a part in supporting principals to manage incidents in conjunction
with the incident support unit. Principals also have access to a range of
supports, including the Department of Education Principal health and
wellbeing strategy 2023–2027 , the employee and manager assistance
program and collegial principal support. In addition, they can access the
principal chaplaincy program, which has been extended beyond its original
envisaged end date of 31 December this year.
The
principal health and wellbeing strategy is centred around three pillars:
trusted to lead, supported to lead and connected to lead. These key
elements are designed to prioritise health and wellbeing, highlighting a culture of self-care; building personal and
professional wellbeing knowledge skills and capabilities across leadership career stages; enhancing support at
local, regional and system levels; and strengthening collegiate engagement to build trust, confidence and capability.
A key reform area of the better and fairer
schools agreement—which the member still has not said whether he supports or not—that we signed with the
federal Albanese government relates to a strong and sustainable workforce. One
of the initiatives that we are looking at is how we can provide even more
support for teachers returning to class following incidents. One measure could
be providing additional post-incident coordinators and work, health and safety coordinators on top of
our existing team to provide enhanced support. We have a very good
relationship with the peak bodies that represent principals in Western Australia.
is finally good to get a question from the member for Roe on education. It is
the sixth I have received since the winter recess. It is a very important
question. I thank the member for raising it.
I will start by thanking our
dedicated principals in the Western Australian education system for the
wonderful job they do. It is an incredibly demanding job. I will just go
through some of the issues raised in the survey reported in The West
Australian this morning from the Australian Catholic University.
We know that schools will, from time
to time, have serious incidents of violence, medical issues, emergencies and
natural disasters et cetera. I think we are looking at 130-odd public schools,
and if we add all the private schools, that
is over 1 000 schools throughout Western Australia. They cater for a diverse
demographic in diverse geographical situations.
To
assist principals and schools to deal with these incidents, the department
established the dedicated incident support
unit in 2021. That unit supports schools with managing emergencies, natural
disasters and matters involving the Western Australia Police Force, and links
schools with other agencies to provide appropriate services when needed. The
department also has a service response branch that works with the incident support
unit to coordinate psychological support for school communities affected by
significant incidents.
In addition, the Coordinator Regional
Operations and other staff have regional officers based around the state to
also play a part in supporting principals to manage incidents in conjunction
with the incident support unit. Principals also have access to a range of
supports, including the Department of Education Principal health and
wellbeing strategy 2023–2027 , the employee and manager assistance
program and collegial principal support. In addition, they can access the
principal chaplaincy program, which has been extended beyond its original
envisaged end date of 31 December this year.
The
principal health and wellbeing strategy is centred around three pillars:
trusted to lead, supported to lead and connected to lead. These key
elements are designed to prioritise health and wellbeing, highlighting a culture of self-care; building personal and
professional wellbeing knowledge skills and capabilities across leadership career stages; enhancing support at
local, regional and system levels; and strengthening collegiate engagement to build trust, confidence and capability.
A key reform area of the better and fairer
schools agreement—which the member still has not said whether he supports or not—that we signed with the
federal Albanese government relates to a strong and sustainable workforce. One
of the initiatives that we are looking at is how we can provide even more
support for teachers returning to class following incidents. One measure could
be providing additional post-incident coordinators and work, health and safety coordinators on top of
our existing team to provide enhanced support. We have a very good
relationship with the peak bodies that represent principals in Western Australia.
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