SA Senior Management Council signs the National Communications Charter

In support of the National Communications Charter (The Charter), the South Australian Government’s Senior Management Council (SMC) members all signed on Monday 9th September. SMC brings together chief executives of some of the largest South Australian Government agencies.

The Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Erma Ranieri, who is an SMC member, was pleased to speak with us on the importance of The Charter as well as SMC’s plans to embed it into public sector workplaces.

Why did the Senior Management Council sign the National Communications Charter?

As public sector leaders, supporting our people’s mental health and maximising wellbeing at work is essential. Signing The Charter shows our collective commitment to our people and building workplaces that support initiatives to openly discuss and address mental health and wellbeing.

As Commissioner for Public Sector Employment, I firmly believe our people are our strength. It’s our people who help us deliver for our diverse community. As leaders, it’s paramount we actively show our commitment to mental health and wellbeing, underpinned by our South Australian Public Sector Values.

Mental health is everyone’s responsibility and, as our sector’s leaders, it’s vital we show our strong commitment. I thank my colleagues for supporting The Charter and for their collective, continued and strong commitment to building mentally healthy workplaces across our sector.

How will The Charter be embedded into your organisation?

Each chief executive will embed The Charter into their respective agencies. The Senior Management Council will continue to collaborate to maximise sector-wide initiatives and programs to promote mentally healthy workplaces. This includes the roll-out of the I WORK FOR SA – Your Voice Survey 2019-20 Action Plan, which responds to our inaugural whole-of-government staff culture survey. The survey identified that mental health and wellbeing are critical areas for our people. The Action Plan includes tailored programs such as a Mentally Healthy Workplaces Framework and Toolkit, which will help us integrate practical tools and resources across the sector.

We are also continuing to roll out the sector-wide Mental Health First Aid Training, with more than 3000 people trained so far. We will work closely with the Premier’s Council on Suicide Prevention and its newly formed Issues Group to support its work in our community.

Through collaboration huge change is possible

At Monday’s event, the Premier’s Advocate on Suicide Prevention, the Hon. Mr Dawkins, shared more details on the role of the Premier’s Council on Suicide Prevention, the Issues Group on Suicide Prevention, and the purpose of the SA Suicide Prevention Networks, highlighting that by signing The Charter and continuing to work collaboratively, huge change is possible.

Everymind Suicide Prevention Project Lead, Simon Pont thanks Erma Ranieri and SMC for their support, explaining

“We all have a role to play in reducing stigma around mental ill-health and suicide, while promoting help-seeking behaviour through The Charter's guiding principles and messages,

“Signatories to The Charter agree to support its principles and key messages, which guide the way we talk about mental illness and suicide, and promote help-seeking and help-offering.”

The Charter is a guiding resource in providing a whole-of-government approach when implementing mental health and suicide prevention strategies.

To find out more on The Charter, visit: https://www.lifeinmindaustralia.com.au/the-charter