Your how-to: Engaging external experts in mental health policy development and review
Engaging external experts in mental health policy development and review refers to the active involvement of external mental health professionals in company policy formation and review processes to ensure the adequate upkeep of employee mental well-being. This could take many forms such as inviting psychiatrists, psychologists, or social workers for consultations or integrating a mental health advisory board into the company's existing HR structure.
Their role is to assist in the creation, implementation, and regular evaluating of a comprehensive mental health strategy. This includes identifying potential mental health risks within the workplace, recommending preventative measures, ensuring that activities align with the recommendations of the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice around psychological health and safety, and fostering a supportive work environment.
Step by step instructions
Understand the need and establish clear objectives: You need to recognise the need for external mental health experts in your workplace. Establish clear objectives for engaging these specialists. This could be creating a more inclusive workplace, reducing the number of mental health issues among employees, or simply complying with the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice around psychological health and safety.
Make Initial Contact: Reach out to the experts you have identified. A formal letter or email indicating your interest in establishing a relationship would be an appropriate method. Be sure to state your objectives and your interest in their expert knowledge on mental health.
Develop Collaboratively: Work in partnership with the external experts to develop or refine your mental health policy. They can offer valuable insights into areas such as potential mental health risks in the workplace and possible preventative measures.
Regular Review: A key part of ensuring the effectiveness of your mental health policy is undertaking regular reviews. Not only does this allow for amendments to be made when needed, but it also facilitates continuous cooperation with your external experts, keeping your organisation informed about current best practice in mental health.
Identify Potential Experts: Consider who the best individuals or organisations would be to engage for expert advice around mental health in your workplace. They might be clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health nurses, social workers or specialist mental health organisations.
Set the Terms of Engagement: Once the experts show interest, discuss and agree on the terms of engagement. This might involve agreements on payment, schedules, responsibilities, and the duration of the partnership.
Implementation: Once the policy has been developed, work with the experts on an implementation strategy. This might include training staff to recognise signs of poor mental health in themselves and others, providing mental health-awareness seminars or creating safer and more inclusive spaces where staff can feel comfortable discussing these issues.
Training and Education This step is crucial in promoting a stigma-free environment. Engage the experts in delivering comprehensive training and educational workshops on mental health literacy to your employees. This will also ensure alignment with the recommendations of the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
Engaging external experts without conducting proper background and credential checks can compromise the quality and credibility of your policy development and reviews. Ensure you verify their qualifications, expertise in mental health policy frameworks and previous track record.
While the insight of external experts is essential, it's equally important to consider the perspectives of your team. Ignoring staff input could result in policies that lack practical applicability.
It's a common pitfall to rush the process of policy development and review due to time constraints. Avoid making this mistake as it could lead to superficial results that don't meet your needs or those of your staff.
Communication breakdown can often occur through unclear expectations or guidelines. Ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the expert are clearly defined, and that they understand the outcomes you expect from their engagement.
It's imperative to maintain ethical standards when sharing sensitive information with external experts. Ensure they understand and adhere to the relevant laws such as the Australian Privacy Act 1988.
Once the external expert has submitted their input or recommendations, it’s crucial to evaluate them critically. Forgetting to do this could lead to adopting ineffective or unsuitable policies.