Step in. Be in. Reach out.

Leading a service in the sexual assault, women’s health and wellbeing and domestic violence sector is complex.  The sector is driven by crisis, high demand, risk management and the expectations of funding providers and clients. Leaders report both the challenges and the benefits of leading strong teams of advocates, of keeping people well and of working within the confinements of organisational systems and structures.  And yet, our data tells us that leaders stay, driven by a high commitment to end domestic violence and keep women and children safe.

When WorkUP Queensland undertook workforce planning during 2019 we found that the sector has a highly experienced, long term pool of leaders.  We wondered what succession plans were in place to find and grow the leaders of the future and we learnt that many leaders are developed from within.  This transition from service delivery to leadership comes with a range of challenges including the juggle of the dual role that includes leading and service delivery and of leading a team of people who were previously peers.

In response to these challenges and opportunities WorkUP Queensland is offering a range of leadership programs throughout 2020.  These programs aim to provide professional development at a range of levels and through a mix of facilitated peer learning and skills development opportunities.

If you’re an emerging leader we invite you to join us for Growing in Leadership.  There is strength in deliberately choosing the leader that you want to be.  This flexible, bite sized program will enable emerging leaders to fine tune their own leadership style and learn more about managing teams in largely crisis focused organisations including the importance of workplace culture and taking care of themselves as leaders.

If you’re an existing leader we invite you to join us for Developing Advanced leadership.  This program has a focus on the development of advanced leadership skills, attributes and behaviours that support the complex nature of executive leadership.  Leaders will have the opportunity to come together with other experienced leaders to explore the complexities of leadership at this level and learn from each other in a facilitated environment.

We also look forward to offering several Leadership Masterclass skills development workshops later in 2020.  These include Conflict Intelligence, Difficult Conversations and Leading Mindfully.

We believe that emerging and existing leaders can grow in capability and that workforce leadership capacity can be enhanced by connecting emerging and existing leaders.  We look forward to working with the sector to develop a Leadership Mentoring Program in the next phase of our leadership offerings in 2021.

Lastly, we want to hear and share your stories.  We are soon to commence development of a series of leadership vignettes featuring emerging and existing leaders.

For more information about WorkUP Queensland leadership offerings please contact Christine at christine@healingfoundation.org.au or on 0400 999 184.


Practice Studios: Introduction to round two webinar

Introduction to round two webinar

WorkUP Qld is pleased to announce the launch of the second round of practice studios. Practice studios take current and emerging research and seek to implement them in real world practice settings.

WorkUP Queensland will be hosting a webinar on Thursday 23 July to introduce you to the new list of practice studio topics and explain how organisations can submit an EOI to become practice studio hosts.  The list of topics was generated through consultation with the WorkUP Queensland Reference Group and a review of current and emerging research.

In the webinar we will introduce each topic on the list and discuss the ways it might be implemented as a practice studio. Michele Robinson (Director, Evidence to Action, ANROWS) will provide additional background about the research projects and some key lessons learned.

You will also get to hear from the current practice studio hosts about their projects and their experience so far.  Talia van Giles from Gympie Community Action will talk about how her team has begun to implement the Social Entrapment Framework, a tool designed to tell women’s stories holistically and contribute to better justice outcomes.  Marta Barnes, from Cairns Sexual Assault Service will talk about the Trauma and Violence Informed Care Framework and how they intend to use it to improve service user experiences.

This webinar is for the domestic and family violence, sexual assault and women’s health and wellbeing workforce and would be of interest to anyone considering hosting a practice studio, or just wanting to know more about current and emerging evidence. You will have an opportunity to pose questions to the presenters.

We hope you can join us for this event on Thursday 23 July at 12pm.

See more information about the EOI process here and the full list of topics here


You don't have to fly solo

You don't have to fly solo

Being part of a small community can feel incredibly empowering and isolating at the same time. As a community service professional, you are highly visible – everyone knows who you are, and people associate you with your professional role.

Walking into a community event to be welcomed by all, can feel like a big warm hug. However, it can also be very uncomfortable when having had a challenging counselling session with a client, later that day you then bump into that client with her family at the supermarket.

This is compounded by your professional ethics. Literally, there is no one appropriate in your community to talk to, debrief with, get advice or to simply chew the fat and decompress with.

We know that a problem shared is a problem halved but realistically in small regional and remote communities, your options for sharing may be limited.

The kind of support you need is the ‘human’ kind – it’s not about stretching or improving or making you better at what you do – it’s about authentic support, having conversations with someone who gets you and shares your experience of being a professional in a rural or remote community.

Flying solo can feel great for a short while. It can also get tiring, but you don’t have to keep doing it alone. Peer mentoring that is scaffolded by a flexible program based on your needs could make the world of difference for your happiness, well-being and your capacity to keep bringing your best self to your role.

Connecting Across the Land is a flexible program designed to meet a need expressed by sexual violence, women’s health and wellbeing and domestic violence workers across remote areas of Queensland.  The program will be tailored to meet the needs of participants who will work together to build authentic connections that continue long after the semi-structured phase of the program is complete.

If you’re curious we would like to invite you to join us for the Connecting Across the Land information session on 30 July.  You can register here https://workupqld.org.au/whats-on/

Contact Christine at WorkUP Queensland for more information: christine@healingfoundation.org.au or phone on 0400 999 184.

We would love to have you. You don’t have to fly solo!