Our Wellbeing Team
Reach has a comprehensive wellbeing framework embedded throughout the organisation, headed by our Wellbeing team. All Reach Wellbeing Professionals are qualified social workers, psychologists, or Masters-level qualified counsellors. Reach Wellbeing Professionals have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in working with young people and have highly developed skills in understanding the developmental, social and emotional needs of young people, risk assessment, counselling and referral.
Inclusivity
Reach aims to create a culturally safe environment for young people of all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, gender identities, and abilities. Specific training is provided to Reach crew and to ensure the inclusion and safety of all young people, and risk assessments are completed during planning for all Reach workshops and events. The needs of disabled young people are addressed as part of these risk assessments, ensuring all activities are safe, accessible, and allow for equal participation.
Policies & Professional Standards
Our work adheres to Reach policies including the Reach Code of Conduct and the Reach Young Person’s Wellbeing Policy which are aligned with Child Safe Standards, together with relevant state legislation. Our work is also informed by the standards prescribed by the Australian Psychological Society Code of Ethics and the Australian Association of Social Work Code of Ethics. The team maintains confidentiality within appropriate limits and in consideration of relevant legislative responsibilities.
Crew Development & Training
Our Wellbeing Professionals are actively involved in the Learning and Development Program for Crew and staff, including collaborating to deliver specialized training around child safety and wellbeing topics such as child abuse, mental health, development and trauma. In addition, the wellbeing team provide support during the planning and delivery cycle to Crew including reviewing content, provision of supervision, interpersonal support and debriefing to ensure the programs are safe and effective.
How Reach Supports Young People
Our wellbeing framework ensures a comprehensive approach with support provided before, during and after participation in Reach workshops. This involves an integrated approach, contributing to the content and development of workshops, supporting young people during workshops, providing short-term intervention and referral where required, and providing support to the wider Reach team.
Community Workshops
Prior to the workshop
Each participant will complete and return a Medical & Consent form, which a Wellbeing Professional will review. If information on the form indicates a young person is experiencing behavioural, emotional or social challenges, a Wellbeing Professional will contact the young person and/or their parent/carer to discuss how we can support them during the program, and provide assessment, support and referral as required.
An overview of the needs and experiences within the group of participants are discussed with the facilitators to aide in their preparation, and this in turn helps us deliver the best workshop possible for the young people.
During the workshop
Reach Wellbeing professionals are always present during community-based workshops to provide support to participants where required.
At the beginning of the workshop, facilitators set up agreements regarding how to engage in the workshop safely and appropriately. These agreements include treating each other with respect, that participants choice in what they share & will not be forced to do anything they don’t want to, and ‘What’s Said In The Room Stays In The Room’.
While young people are encouraged to talk about their own experience of the workshop with their peers/family/carers, the ‘What’s Said In The Room Stays In The Room’ agreement highlights that participants are not to share what their others have discussed outside of the workshop. The exception to this agreement is if a participant shares something that leads the facilitators and/or a wellbeing professional to feel concerned about their safety or someone else’s safety. In this case, information may need to be shared with someone outside of the workshop in accordance with our duty of care (e.g. a parent/carer/police/child protection).
After the workshop
Where a young person’s engagement or something they have shared during the workshop indicates the presence of behavioural, emotional or social challenges, a wellbeing professional may provide short-term follow-up to the young person and their parent/carer to enable transition to ongoing support through referral or linking in with existing supports.