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Margo's Notes - January
24 January 2012Welcome to 2012
Welcome to a brand new year! I hope you were able to take some time off over the festive season to relax, recharge and celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another. I was thrilled with the activities and growth of SuperFriend last year and how they were received and utilised by our supporters. If you missed my highlights from 2011 then you can catch up on them here.
It’s now time to focus on 2012. The SuperFriend team and I have hit the ground running we’re excited by the prospect of working closely with you again this year.
Strategy Planning
Earlier this month SuperFriend started putting together our three year strategy to take us through the 2012 to 2015 financial years. It has been a highly productive exercise that has forced us to think very thoroughly on where we are going and how we will get there. We’ve been defining and refining the Foundation’s objectives for the next three years, measuring each of them against our mission to reduce the incidence of suicide and the impact of mental illness on individuals, employers, industry super members, friends and families. Part of this process has been to look at each objective and ask ourselves: 1) how it will benefit industry superannuation fund members, employers and workplaces and 2) how it will contribute to a reduction in mental illness and suicide related insurance claims. It has been important to retain this focus to ensure that all of our activities and plans for the next three years are targeted and effective.
Over the coming months we will be formalising the strategy and I look forward to sharing the full details with you then.
Suite of Mental Health and Wellbeing Programs
I’m extremely excited to announce that the SuperFriend Suite of Mental Health and Wellbeing Programs has moved into development and pilot phase. The programs, which cover seven mental health topics, are being developed in conjunction with mental health organisations and piloted in a range of workplaces where industry fund members are employed. Once piloted and evaluated (independently by KPMG), the successful workplace programs will become a key SuperFriend offering for participating industry super funds to further differentiate themselves from retail funds.
Ten Year Roadmap
The Federal Government recently released its draft Ten Year Roadmap for National Mental Health Reform and have invited feedback from the public. The Roadmap lays out the basic framework of current and future government activities to promote and support the mental health of Australians. SuperFriend has read the draft Roadmap and have highlighted key areas that support workplace mental health. You can read our comments here. While there is still much work needing to be done on the Roadmap, I am pleased to see a continued focus on mental health at a government level.
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