Supporting Those Who Shape Futures: When Health Expertise Meets Education
Sarah Szabo: Board Director Xstitch Health; Expert in quality assurance & risk management
Dr Sasha Mealing: Member Xstitch Health; Paediatric gastroenterologist and former school teacher
Photo by Kelli Tungay on Unsplash
The Hidden Crisis in Education
Australia's education sector stands at a critical crossroads. Teachers, the backbone of our social infrastructure, are facing unprecedented challenges that threaten not just individual wellbeing, but the entire educational ecosystem. Recent data paints a stark picture: the psychosocial safety of educators is under strain.
Psychosocial safety refers to a workplace environment that protects employees from psychological harm. The total cost to Australian employers with poor psychosocial safety is approximately $6 billion per year, mostly due to employee sick days and performance loss (Becher & Dollard 2016)
According to the Australian Catholic University's 2023 Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey (Dicke et al, 2024), the statistics are alarming:
Over half (53.9%) of educators report being subjected to threats of violence, an increase from 48.8% in 2022
Nearly half (48.2%) have experienced physical violence, up from 44.0% in the previous year
This is a systemic failure that demands immediate, strategic intervention.
The Evolution of Educational Demands
The demands and pressures on teachers have significantly changed over time, creating a perfect storm for psychosocial hazards:
Curriculum and Assessment Transformation: With the introduction of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) in 2008, and increasing emphasis on standardised assessments like NAPLAN, teachers now spend unprecedented time on administrative tasks, data collection and curriculum mapping. What were designed as diagnostic tools have morphed into accountability measures, creating a constant pressure to "perform" for external metrics with little flexibility to adapt to students' actual needs.
Professional Development Burden: Changes to Mandatory Professional Development Plans, Performance Reviews and Evidence-based standards (AITSL) have shifted the profession from trust-based to compliance-based micromanagement. While some find benefit, many experience increased administrative burden and stress to continuously "prove" their effectiveness.
Inclusion Without Adequate Support: Strong inclusion policies for students with additional needs have not been matched with corresponding funding or training. Teachers are expected to manage increasingly complex behavioural and learning needs without adequate preparation, often feeling "set up to fail" and suffering from compassion fatigue.
Eroding Professional Respect: Social narratives in media and politics frequently blame teachers for academic or behavioural issues, diminishing their social status and public trust. This demoralisation is compounded by rising instances of parental aggression and student violence, leading to heightened anxiety and fear in the workplace.
Role Expansion Through Underfunding: Resource disparities force teachers to fill multiple roles, like educator, social worker and behavioural specialist. This is in the context of adapting to rapid technological changes with minimal support, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic's push toward digital learning.
Hyper-surveillance and Accountability Culture: Classroom recording policies, constant digital communication with parents, and an accountability framework that holds teachers responsible for outcomes beyond their control create an environment of constant scrutiny and unrealistic expectations.
Defining Psychosocial Hazards
Drawing from the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice (2022), a psychosocial hazard is any workplace factor with the potential to cause psychological harm. In schools, these aren't abstract concepts, they're daily realities. From managing high-risk behaviours to navigating emotionally charged interactions, teachers face constant psychological challenges.
Acton's 2024 study on psychosocial safety in school workforces provides an understanding of how to address hazards:
Identification: Comprehensively map psychosocial hazards
Risk Assessment: Evaluate potential psychological impacts
Strategic Control: Develop targeted intervention strategies
Continuous Review: Implement ongoing evaluation mechanisms
The Legal and Ethical Imperative
Work Health and Safety legislation places a clear, non-negotiable duty on employers. The primary obligation is straightforward: ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers. In Queensland for example, the stakes are high, with potential penalties reaching up to $3 million for corporations and $600,000 or five years' jail for individuals.
But this is more than a legal checkbox. It's about recognising the profound psychological impact of workplace environments on our educators.
The Real Cost of Inaction
Research by Heffernan et al. (2022) reveals the human toll: educators are struggling with unsustainable workloads and emotional exhaustion. The phrase "I cannot sustain the workload and the emotional toll" echoes a sector-wide burnout crisis.
This is more than individual teacher experiences. It's about the systemic undermining of educational quality and our broader social infrastructure.
What Psychological Safety Looks Like for Teachers
True psychological safety in educational settings requires fundamental shifts:
Leadership that listens and protects, prioritising teacher wellbeing as a systemic responsibility
Time and space for reflective practice, acknowledging this as essential professional development
Freedom to innovate without fear of non-compliance or pressures to teach solely for external assessments
Trust in teacher judgment and professional expertise
Systemic responses to violence, not individualised coping plans that place the burden on teachers
Recognition of the emotional labour inherent in teaching
Changing the foundation to support teachers rather than focusing on individual resilience
Innovative Solutions: Beyond Traditional Approaches
Enter the era of smart, purpose-driven interventions. Organisations like Xstitch Health are pioneering approaches that reimagine workplace safety. By creating evidence-based solutions that address systemic limitations, Xstitch Health offers a path forward that supports compliance with psychosocial safety requirements.
The key is moving from reactive problem management to proactive capability building by using health sector knowledge to inform school management plans including comprehensive de-escalation strategies, holistic behaviour management planning and creating supportive ecosystems that prioritise teacher wellbeing.
According to the "Improving Outcomes For All" report (2023), successful interventions should consider:
Early identification and intervention, improving information on child development for all stakeholders to better support the transition into school
Leveraging cultural and linguistic factors as strengths by producing bilateral resources (written by community for providers, and vice versa)
Implementing collaborative ways of working for health professionals and educators, with a focus on rapid dispersion of knowledge
Utilising digital technology effectively to connect stakeholders in collective management, addressing the current underutilisation despite technological advances
A Call to Action for Education Leaders
The future of education depends on our willingness to transform workplace culture. This requires:
Recognising psychosocial safety as a strategic priority
Investing in comprehensive support systems
Developing robust, evidence-based intervention strategies
Measuring and continuously improving workplace psychological conditions
The Xstitch Health Approach
Psychosocial safety is a fundamental requirement for a resilient, high-performing education system.
Xstitch Health offers education leaders a strategy for enhancing teacher psychosocial safety. By using evidence-based research from the health sector to provide training to teachers, individualised classroom behaviour support and models of care for challenging behaviours, we provide targeted interventions that address root causes, not just symptoms.
Our approach emphasises collaborative models between health and education professionals, creating sustainable systems that support teachers' psychological wellbeing while improving educational outcomes for all students.
If you’re passionate about improving the education sector, contact us for a conversation and our “Work With Us” guide for schools.
References
Acton, R. (2024). Re-envisaging psychosocial safety in school workforces through intentional job design. Australian Educational Leader, 46(1), 42-45.
Becher, H., & Dollard, M. (2016). Psychosocial safety climate and better productivity in Australian workplaces: costs, productivity, presenteeism, absenteeism. Safe Work Australia, University of South Australia.
Dicke, T., Kidson, P., Marsh, H., (2024). The Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey (IPPE Report). Sydney: Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, Australian Catholic University.
Heffernan, A., Bright, D., Kim, M., Longmuir, F., & Magyar, B. (2022). 'I cannot sustain the workload and the emotional toll': reasons behind Australian teachers' intentions to leave the profession. Australian Journal of Education, 66(2), 196-209.
Improving Outcomes for All: Australian Government Summary Report of the Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System (2023). Department of Education, Australian Government
Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work: Code of Practice (2022). Safe Work Australia.
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld). Queensland Legislation
Work Health and Safety Amendment Regulation 2022 (Qld). Queensland Legislation