Setting up and leading a dynamic team of health and safety professional in a number of greenfield areas.

The College is a company under the Corporations Act 2001 not having share capital (not-for-profit). It is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors who are appointed at the Annual General Meeting.As a Director I was responsible for overseeing the governance of the College, including:Strategic decision-making, long-range planning, organisational development and review of financial and other performance measures.I was Chair of the Compliance and Audit Sub-Committee who had delegated responsibility for monitoring systems of internal control, risk management and legal compliance.

Responsible for managing a multi-disciplinary Rehabilitation Provider service accredited under NSW and Commonwealth legislation to provide services to assist workers injured in the course of their employment or injured in motor accidents.Responsibilities included:Managing a department of 20 staff, including human resource management, selection, induction training, financial and resource management and quality assurance.Establishing and managing relationships with employers, insurers and regulators to ensure the delivery of cost effective return to work and vocational counselling services when and where they were needed, at a competitive cost, with superior outcomes. Worked with staff to design multifaceted injury prevention and injury management solutions tailored to the needs of individual clients / businesses.Developed and managed a quality assurance program to monitor, assess and continuously improve the intervention, communication and reporting performance of each staff member. This included ensuring staff were able to demonstrate their ability to meet organisational capability standards, return to work service model principles and provider performance standards.Developed marketing and product strategies to respond to changing legislation including service delivery plans, marketing plans and staff and customer training plans.WorkCover approved trainer – Return To Work Coordinators.

This was a new position created to establish and manage a call centre and information service dealing with over 600 calls per day related to both workers compensation and OHS issues. Our customers included workers, doctors, insurers, employers, unions, rehabilitation providers and internal WorkCover personnel.Responsibilities included:Designed and set up the infrastructure for the call centre, including the environment, technology, staff facilities etc.Developed a quality based procedure manual detailing procedures for managing the Information Centre.Managed the operation of the call centre including; human resource management, selection, induction training, financial and resource management, scheduling and rostering of staff, monitoring service quality and performance against established standards.Provided policy advice on service delivery matters and emerging information issues to senior management. Instrumental in designing and populating a Frequently Asked Question data base used by Information Officers to provide concise and reliable information and for identifying when the caller needed to be referred to a subject matter expert.Designed a Discovery Learning Strategy to train high caliber staff capable of being both information providers and information seekers, able to identify issues of concern and seek answers.

This was a new position and I was appointed to establish and implement a training strategy for the Division and to set up the WorkCover Inspector Training Unit, a new service created in response to political & organisational renewal with a focus on competencies in response to the changing national training agenda. Responsibilities included:Recruited, trained and provided on-going leadership and mentoring to a team of five Regional Training and Development Officers.As a member of a consultative committee, developed a comprehensive set of Inspector competencies in line with the existing NTB framework.Led a team of trainers who developed and implemented a comprehensive competency based training and assessment strategy for WorkCover Inspectors and the OHS Division.Developed a comprehensive quality based Training and Development Manual detailing all procedures to be followed to plan, design, develop, deliver and evaluate the Inspector training program.Provided advice to senior management to assist in setting corporate direction and developing strategies to create a "learning culture" within WorkCover.Developed and implemented a one year competency based training program for new Inspectors and assisted WorkCover apply for and obtain RTO status.Instrumental in managing the process of having the Inspectors Training program accredited with VETAB as AQF Level 5 as the "Diploma in Injury Prevention and Management - Inspector" This program has since been recognised by all other State OHS jurisdictions and is now the Diploma (Government Inspectors).Responsible for chairing the Consultative Committee that established the Terms of Reference and content for the WorkCover accredited Rehabilitation Coordinator Training package, as well as a training package for insurers advising them of the 1998 amendments to the Workers Compensation Act.

Achievements included:Contract Occupational Therapist - developed and negotiated Return To Work Plans, conducted Workplace and Ergonomic Assessments, developed Suitable Duties Manuals. mentored new staff.Developed corporate rehabilitation and Return To Work policies and procedures and negotiated their endorsement and implementation with senior management, unions and rehabilitation service providers.Developed and delivered early return to work programs with sustainable outcomes for workers and employers.Developed strategies to monitor and evaluate the performance of organisations Injury Management and Return To Work Programs.Developed training programs for Return to Work Coordinators and delivered training across NSW.Developed an integrated injury management / claims management system to flag early identification of the need for rehabilitation intervention.Developed policies on "The Redeployment of Permanently Injured Workers" and "Rehabilitation of Workers with Non Work Related Injuries/Illnesses."Conducted claims reviews for a number of self-insured organisations in consultation with Workers Compensation Managers.Conducted training for a number of Accredited Rehabilitation Provider Services.Undertook a federally funded project with the NSW Labor Council aimed at assisting people with disabilities obtain employment by creating a wider acceptance of the rights and capabilities of people with disabilities.Provided advice to Ministers, President of ACTU, Secretary of Labor Council and various employer associations and disability organisations regarding the employment options for people with disabilities.Developed and Conducted Australia's first National Union Disability Awareness Training Package for union officials and trainers.Secured $20,000 funding from the Commonwealth Government to support the national union training strategy.

In 1997 new Workers Compensation Legislation in NSW introduced new ways of doing things – employers became responsible for providing suitable duties to help injured workers rehabilitate at work. I was one of the first Return to Work Coordinators appointed to a NSW Government Agency. Responsibilities included:Responsible for establishing the organisation's Return To Work Program and for developing a new approach to integrated claims management and injury management which saw injured workers back on the job and the RTA's workers compensation premium halved.Developed, negotiated and implemented the RTA's decentralised Return to Work Program.Set up and trained a network of 200 RTW coordinators across the state – this training program was adopted as the initial WorkCover Rehabilitation Coordinator’s training course.Provided expert advice and support to the network of RTW Coordinators and assisted them with difficult case management. Provided strategic advice to senior managers and the Executive regarding their responsibilities under the workers compensation legislation.With the RTA's Workers Compensation Manager, developed an integrated injury management system (claims management and rehabilitation management) which allowed the RTA to be the first government department to be granted Fund Manager status and resulted in an $8 million saving and a 30% reduction in claims, in the first year of operation.Advised personnel from other government agencies and private organisations regarding the implementation of the RTAs "model" Return to Work Program.

Seconded to QE II Rehabilitation Centre as Occupational Therapist in Charge to assist to shut down the facility and set up a network of 15 Regional Units. This initiative was part of the Hawke Government’s reform of the disability sector and positioned CRS to be able to effectively deliver services under a new workers compensation system which focused on rehabilitating people at workI was responsible for:Managing a department of 24 staff, including human resource management. selection, induction training, financial and resource management and quality assurance.Preparing and assisting staff to make the transition to a decentralised rehabilitation network, including dealing with a range of personal, profession, industrial and service delivery concerns raised by staff, clients and the community.Providing policy advice on service deliver matters and the provision of quality rehabilitation programs.Managing a multi-disciplinary staff of 124 persons in the Western region of NSW.Developing a state-wide strategy for CRS to respond to the new WorkCover legislation, including a service delivery plan, marketing plan and a staff training plan.Developed a state wide marketing campaign to inform a range of government and non government agencies of the changes in CRS service delivery model.

Designed and delivered lectures, tutorials and small group learning experiences for the following courses:Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Occupational Therapy)Post Graduate Diploma (Occupational Therapy)Associate Diploma (Diversional Therapy)Associate Diploma (Aboriginal Health and Community Development) Supervised final year students Special InvestigationYear Coordinator - Year 1, Year 2, Year 3Member of Curriculum Review Committee and the Career Reference CommitteeAwarded a $30,000 research grant from Sport and Recreation Branch of Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and Environment to develop, trial and publish a Leisure Counselling Package.Awarded a $46,000 research grant from Sport and Recreation Branch of Commonwealth Department of Home Affairs and Environment to develop a training package to teach volunteers to teach people with Intellectual Disabilities to play sport and games.Member of team of three to visit Indonesia on a World Health Organisation (WHO) funded project to conduct disability training workshops for teachers of children with disabilities..Occupational Therapy School Representative on College Committee concerned with designing and implementing Interdisciplinary Learning ExperiencesGranted six months paid sabbatical to undertake a program for unemployed youth in the Mount Druitt area.Member of the Committee responsible for planning, coordinating, evaluating and supervising OT student involvement in an annual Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp for 40 kids with disabilities.Founding member of the NSW Wheelchair Tennis Association,

Occupational Therapist. Areas of clinical experience included:Occupational RehabilitationRenalOphthalmologyNeurologyOutpatients RehabilitationCommunity Care TeamDay CareInpatient RehabilitationJoined the RPAH Alcohol Clinic; responsible for initiating, designing and implementing an "Education for Living" program for individuals referred to the clinic.Responsible for obtaining funding from the Board of Adult and Community Education to fund the program.Awarded a National Health and Medical Research Foundation Public Health Travelling Fellowship (1980): to investigate "Education for Living Programs" specifically in the field of addictions at both a treatment and a preventative level.