Employee Assistance Program
Employee Assistance offers short term, solution focussed counselling and wellbeing support for ACT Government employees and their immediate families who are coping with challenges in their personal and or work lives. You are encouraged to access Employee Assistance as early as possible. The sooner you seek support, the less likely it is that it will impact on your personal or work life or escalate into something more serious. Your mental wellbeing is just as important as your physical wellbeing.
Who is an Employee?
An Employee is any individual, who is in the direct service of an Agency/Directorate in a paid or unpaid capacity except for engaged consultants and contractors (who have requirements for their own insurance provision). This includes paid employees, volunteer staff, and individuals engaged on periodic arrangements for specific functions (e.g.: committees, boards, jurors etc.).
Who are Immediate Family?
Immediate Family is a person who is:
- A domestic partner (including a former domestic partner) of the Employee.
- A child or an adult child (including an adopted child, a stepchild, or an ex nuptial child), parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the Employee or domestic partner of the Employee.
- A person related to the Employee by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander kinship structures.
- A child through a care and protection order.
- Such other person reasonably notified by the Territory to Converge as being an Immediate Family member for a particular individual, which may include other close family members or an Employee who lives alone and has no-one to nominate as ‘Immediate Family’, may nominate one person, in similar circumstances, for the purpose of caring circumstances.
How to Access the Service
An Employee or Immediate Family can access the EAP service by calling Converge on 1300 687 327 (1300 OUR EAP). This number is staffed 24 Hours a Day, seven days a week, every day of the year.
Converge Client Service officers will answer your call and talk to you to determine the following:
- That you are a Territory Employee or Immediate Family – this may include asking what Directorate and Division the Territory Employee works for – this information remains confidential – if you are Immediate Family you are not required to tell the Territory Employee that you are calling.
- The type of service you require.
- The nature of the referral.
- The urgency of your call (if you require assistance as an emergency or if you are wanting to book an appointment).
- Your practitioner preference e.g., gender, mobility, cultural and language considerations including coordinating interpreter services as required.
- The preferred office location to provide face to face support/ counselling as required.
Please note if you call Converge in crisis – let them know that you are in crisis, the team will assess and triage your call and connect you to a crisis practitioner for telephone counselling immediately.
If you are in immediate danger or it is an Emergency, please call Emergency Services directly on 000.
Referrals
A manager or immediate supervisor responsible for an Employee may suggest using the services to an Employee where the Employee exhibits observable signs of stress or declining work performance. Participation by users in EAP services is always voluntary.
Employees and Immediate Family under the age of 18 years
Converge defines a young person as an individual under the age of 18 years and requires the consent of at least one parent/guardian to counsel young persons with the following exceptions:
- A Territory Employee under the age of 18 seeking to access the EAP services and is deemed capable of informed consent; or
- Where it is believed that insisting on parental consent may be counterproductive to Converge’s duty of care to the minor and the young person is deemed capable of informed consent.
NOTE: If a young person does not wish to seek consent from their guardians, they are encouraged to call Kids Helpline – a free Australian telephone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 – 25 on 1800 55 1800 or ww.kidshelpline.com.au at any time, for any reason.
Delivery mediums
Counselling can be delivered in three different mediums:
- Telephone.
- Audio Visual Conferencing including Skype/ Zoom, Online, Video Counselling.
- Face to Face.
Appointment Timeframes
Converge practitioners are well trained and qualified to work with a diverse range of people no matter who they are, but if you would feel more comfortable you can request that your practitioner be male, female or be in some other way representative of you. In general, a practitioner should be available to have an appointment within the following timeframes:
Medium | Time to Service being Delivered |
Telephone | Within 2 business days |
Audio Visual Conferencing | Within 2 business days |
Face to Face | Within 5 business days |
Urgent Counselling (Phone, audio visual or face to face) | Immediate if life threatening or same day |
However, if you request that your practitioner is a particular gender or cultural group AND you would like a face-to-face appointment then this may impact on the timeframe for getting an appointment due to the availability of practitioners in the area.
Appointment reminders
To ensure you remember/ are aware of upcoming scheduled appointments, Converge have an appointment reminder service via email or short message service (text). The reminder is provided to you 48 hours prior to the appointment time.
Appointment Changes or Cancellations
If you need to cancel or change an appointment time you must give Converge 24 hours’ (or more) notice, otherwise your Directorate or Agency will be charged the full fee for your appointment and you will lose a session from your entitlement. The only exception to this is if you have a face-to-face session booked, and you are feeling unwell – you can ask to change the session to a telephone or audio-visual appointment prior to the session and this will not count as a cancellation.
Please note that Converge is entitled to charge a cancellation charge in the following circumstances:
- You re-schedule an appointment and give less than 24 hours’ notice; or
- You cancel a face-to-face appointment giving less than 24 hours’ notice and do not agree to an alternative delivery medium; or
- You fail to attend a scheduled appointment.
Will ACT Government or my manager know about my EAP sessions?
You do not have to tell anyone in your workplace that you want to access EAP. Unless you advise your manager that you are attending an EAP session, they will not be informed of your attendance. You must, however, notify your manager if you are leaving the workplace during core hours. You may also use the EAP in your own time.
Speciality Helplines
To minimise barriers related to special needs access, Converge has developed specialist helplines to cater for a diversity of service users. These include:
First Nations Helpline – 1300 287 432
Converge will ensure Territory Employees receive culturally respectful and sensitive services for indigenous peoples and other cultures through the provision of a dedicated First Nations Helpline to encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to seek support for personal, work and/ or mental health related issues.
Employees and Immediate Family will have access to specialist practitioners from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds on request for EAP. They will also be able to access specialist practitioners who have had comprehensive and current training in cross-cultural awareness. Through professional development in this area, Converge practitioners are elevated in their knowledge and skills to be able to provide a level of service with sensitivities to specific issues affecting this community.
LGBTQI+ Helpline – 1300 542 874
Converge acknowledges the importance of providing ethical and exceptional professional services to all clients. Employees and Immediate Family who identify as members, family and friends of the LGBTQI+ community can access upon request, support from appropriately qualified and experienced EAP practitioners who specialise in LGBTQI+ issues with an in-depth understanding of sensitivities and required approaches. These EAP practitioners can be quickly accessed, and appointments scheduled.
All Converge practitioners are required to adhere to ethical and “best” practice guidelines outlined specifically by the Australian Psychological Society in responding to the LGBTQI+ community.
Domestic and Family Violence Helpline – 1300 338 465
Converge will ensure sensitive services for clients at risk of domestic violence through the provision of a dedicated Domestic and Family Violence Helpline.
Territory Employees and Immediate Family will have access to specialist practitioners with family violence expertise who have had comprehensive and current training in conducting domestic violence assessments and are aware of reporting procedures and how best to support the individuals involved.
Eldercare Helpline – 1300 035 337
Converge are aware that there has been a rise in issues related to taking care of elderly parents or relatives. It often requires leave of absences from work and working with multiple health stakeholders, leading to increased strain on the Employee and employer. Through Converge Eldercare service, Employees and Immediate Family will have access to information and resources to assist in their decision making and support around this time. The service will assist with the presenting issue as well as the full range of services and support available to them regarding caring for elderly parents or relatives.
Disability and Carers Helpline – 1300 243 543
Specialist helpline for those Employees and Immediate Family wanting to talk about their role as a carer or assisting someone with a disability. The helpline is also for those Employees and Immediate Family who have a disability and would like some extra support or resources navigating a complex world of NDIS.
Converge have identified practitioners who have specific qualifications and experience to work in this space and if requested, can provide a match at intake. Converge practitioners will be able to ensure Employees and Immediate Family have access to information and resources to assist in their decision making and support around this time. The service will assist with the presenting issue as well as the full range of services and support available to them regarding caring for family members with a disability.
Youth and Student Helpline – 1300 687 399
Specialist helpline specifically targeting young people, staffed by young people who want to make a positive difference. There are many pressures on young people today. Whether they are in the senior years of their schooling, or commenced tertiary studies, or out in the world working toward building a fulfilling life, it can be tough sometimes. It can be lonely and hard to know who is in your corner. This is where this helpline comes in.
Spiritual and Pastoral Helpline – 1300 772 435
An individual’s spiritualism and journey can take on many guises. In accessing this specialist helpline, you will be offered connection with counsellors from a number of different specific faiths, or you may choose to speak to a counsellor who consults outside any specific faith-based context.
Entitlement
There is a limit of 6 appointments (via any of the delivery mediums listed above) per year, per issue for each Employee or Immediate Family member.
Confidentiality and its limits
When an Employee or Immediate Family access EAP support through Converge, the services provided to them are subject to the Information Privacy Act 2014 (Act) and must also comply with the Health Records (Privacy and Access) Act 1997 (Act).
Basically, it means that Converge must keep the information you discuss with them confidential and not release any information to any person or organisation (including the Territory) except under the following circumstances:
- You provide written authorisation for release of information using a consent form.
- A subpoena is received requesting information and Converge receives legal advice that they are required to provide the information.
- If Converge becomes aware that you and/ or other people are at risk to self or others or under serious threat.
- If Converge becomes aware of illegal activity and/or a reportable incident for example child abuse.