DGD13-027
Policy
Employee Assistance Program
Policy Statement
ACT Health is committed to the health and well being of all employees by establishing and
maintaining a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that supports its employees.
When accessing the EAP:
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There is no requirement to give details of the reasons for attendance only that the
employee is attending.
The first appointment will be considered to be on duty, provided that the approval
for the absence has been obtained from the manager.
All subsequent appointments will be made under existing leave provisions or in the
employees own time.
Employees must notify their manager and seek approval if they are leaving the
workplace during core hours.
Purpose
ACT Health, through Enterprise Agreements (EA), supports employees and their immediate
family by providing access to an independent, confidential and professional counselling
service at no cost to the employee.
Scope
The EAP is a service that provides employees with confidential and professional counselling
and related services to assist them in resolving issues that may be work related or of a
personal nature.
All employees and members of their immediate family can access the EAP service free of
charge. The employee is not required to seek approval before accessing the EAP service and
there is no obligation to advise anyone that they have attended.
Roles & Responsibilities
People Strategy and Services Branch (PSSB) is responsible for:
 Notifying the EAP provider of any critical incidents which may affect an increased
number of employees who may be likely to access their service;
 Managing the EAP contract with the provider;
 Implementing this policy, including disseminating information about the program;
Doc Number
DGD13-027
Issued
June 2013
Review Date
June 2016
Area Responsible
PSSB
Page
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DGD13-027
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Advising managers of the management of the policy;
Advising employees of the details of the policy as it relates to them; and
Monitoring cases and trends, evaluating and reporting on the overall operation of the
program.
Managers are responsible for;
 Ensuring employees are aware of the EAP program and how they can access it;
 Ensuring that staff are encouraged to access the EAP when required;
 Ensuring that any information gained through their position relating to an employee
attending the EAP is kept confidential;
 Managing difficult situations in the workplace professionally and as soon as
practicable, including ensuring that appropriate debriefing and support is provided to
staff affected by an adverse and/or unexpected event; and
 Supporting employees through difficult situations in the workplace.
Employees are responsible for;
 Managing their well being and recognising the need for assistance;
 Attending the EAP when an appointment has been made and if circumstances change
and they are unable to attend, advising the EAP service as soon as practicable;
 Advising their manager and seeking approval if they are leaving the workplace during
core hours; and
 Completing leave forms for absences during core hours to attend appointments with
the EAP.
Evaluation
Outcome Measures
 ACT Health maintains an EAP that is utilised by staff.
Method
 ACT Health will review the EAP at the end of each contract period with the service
provider.
Related Legislation, Policies and Standards
Legislation
Human Rights Act 2004
Fair Work Act 2009
Discrimination Act (ACT) 1991
Sex Discrimination Act 1984
Racial Discrimination Act 1975
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (Transitional Provisions & Consequential
Amendments) Act 1986
Disability Act 1992
Work Health and Safety Act 2011
Health Directorate Enterprise Agreement, 2011 – 2013
Health Directorate (Health Professionals) Enterprise Agreement, 2011 - 2013
Health Directorate (Medical Practitioners) Enterprise Agreement, 2011 – 2013
Doc Number
DGD13-027
Issued
June 2013
Review Date
June 2016
Area Responsible
PSSB
Page
2 of 3
DGD13-027
Health Directorate (Nursing and Midwifery) Enterprise Agreement, 2011 - 2013
Policies
Anti Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying SOP
Violence and Aggression by Patients Consumers or Visitors SOP 2 - Managing an Incident
Violence and Aggression by Patients Consumers or Visitors SOP 1 - Environmental and
Workplace Risk Management
Violence and Aggression by Patients Consumers or Visitors Prevention and Management
Security Guidelines
Women's Health Service - Clinical Supervision and Debriefing for WHS Counselling Staff
RACC SW, Psychology, Counselling Involvement in Emergency Responses
Definition of Terms
Immediate Family means a person who is:
a) a domestic partner (including a former domestic partner);
b) a child or an adult child (including an adopted child, a step child or an ex nuptial
child), parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of the employee or domestic
partner of the employee;
c) a person related to the employee by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander kinship
structures; or
d) a child through a care and protection order.
Additionally, the Director General may consider that the definition of ‘immediate family’ be
extended for a particular decision involving an employee where exceptional circumstances
exist. This might 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.
Attachments
Standard Operating Procedure Employee Assistance Program – procedural instructions for
employees and managers.
Disclaimer: This document has been developed by ACT Health, Strategy & Corporate/ People Strategy &
Services Branch specifically for its own use. Use of this document and any reliance on the information contained
therein by any third party is at his or her own risk and ACT Health assumes no responsibility whatsoever.
Doc Number
DGD13-027
Issued
June 2013
Review Date
June 2016
Area Responsible
PSSB
Page
3 of 3