Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of this project?  

The Aged Care Improvement Collaborative (ACIC) supports aged care leaders in strengthening mentally healthy workplaces by improving the psychosocial safety climate (PSC).  

It uses a collaborative, co‑designed approach and Quality Improvement Collaborative methodology focused on learning, reflection, and improvement. Its emphasis is on innovation and continuous improvement, rather than compliance with regulations.  

What are the benefits of participating?  

Participation allows organisations to:  

• Connect and collaborate with peers in a safe environment. 

• Discuss challenges and identify practical solutions to prevent psychological injury. 

• Co-design resources to improve and strengthen psychosocial safety climate. 

• Commit to routine measurement of PSC and management of psychosocial hazards. 

• Take proactive steps to improve workplace culture and engage leadership in addressing PSC risks. 

• Contribute to broader evidence that informs future WorkSafe initiatives. 

How is WorkSafe Victoria supporting this project?  

The ACIC is funded and supported by WorkSafe’s WorkWell Communities of Practice. WorkSafe aims to improve psychological health and safety in Victorian workplaces by investing in partnerships, networks, tools and resources that support sustainable system-level change. WorkSafe will be an integrated partner within the ACIC, actively contributing to outcomes.  

WorkSafe is not involved in day‑to‑day project delivery, which will be handled by the APNA Project Team.  

Who is delivering the project?  

The Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) leads a consortium of partners to collaboratively design and deliver the community of practice. The APNA project team does not have regulatory powers and does not act on behalf of WorkSafe. Their role is to support participating organisations through learning, peer collaboration and program improvement. 

Is participation regulatory in nature?  

No. Participation in the ACIC is voluntary and improvement‑focused. The ACIC is aligned with WorkSafe’s strategic focus on motivating performance, where collaborative initiatives such as Communities of Practice are designed to build leader motivation and commitment to improving psychosocial safety climate, rather than to enforce regulatory action. This means participation is about learning, improvement and leadership capability building, not oversight or compliance monitoring.  

What data is being collected?  

Data collected through the project is limited to information required to evaluate and improve the Community of Practice (CoP). This may include:  

• Completion of the Community of Practice Survey (pre‑ and post‑participation). 

• Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) measures, including PSC‑12 and short pulse checks. 

• Feedback collected to support program quality improvement. 

• Interviews and de‑identified reflections on learning and the implementation of practice changes. 

How will my data be used?  

Data collected from participating services will be used to support learning, improvement and evaluation of the project. This includes understanding what is working well, where adjustments may be needed, and how the Community of Practice contributes to improvements in psychosocial safety climate and leadership capability. 

Feedback, PSC measures and other evaluation data are used to track progress, assess impact and outcomes, and inform ongoing refinement of project activities and improvement strategies. Aggregated evidence may also contribute to broader knowledge translation, helping share practical learnings with other services beyond this initiative to support longer‑term sustainability and improvement. 

How will the project learnings be used?  

The learnings from the project will be used to:  

• Refine and strengthen effective psychosocial risk controls across participating sites. 

• Build leadership capability and confidence in identifying and managing psychosocial hazards. 

• Inform continuous improvement of psychosocial safety climate using PSC data and participant feedback. 

• Support ongoing Communities of Practice and sector networking through shared learnings such as action plans and case studies. 

• Inform sector-wide practice, policy and regulatory understanding through the development and sharing of aggregated evidence and practical tools. 

Any reports, publications or shared materials will include project-level insights only. Individual participants or organisations will not be identified. 

Who can I contact if I have questions or concerns?  

If you have any questions about the project, data handling, or participation, please contact the APNA project team via email ACIC@apna.asn.au