Today marks two important days: World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK Day. Both ask us to check in, listen, and ask the question. For Western Australia’s community services sector, they’re also a chance to think gently about the environment our people work in.
Suicide affects thousands of Australian families every year. More than 3,300 people die by suicide in Australia each year. The working force in the community sector spends much of their lives helping people through hard times, often while carrying their own load too. Days like today remind us to hold space for that, without judgement.
Demanding work nature of the community sector
Community organisations are a valued part of Australia’s mental health and social support system. Research shows that burnout and job insecurity are common in this workforce. In fact, one national study found burnout was linked to 74% of retention problems, and job insecurity to 72%. These aren’t signs of one workplace doing something wrong — they reflect a wider, shared context shaped by funding and system-level pressures.
In WA, some parts of the mental health system are known to have workforce shortages, especially in specialised roles. This is a challenge the whole sector faces together, and one CEWA continues to advocate on.
When skilled work goes unrecognised: Impact on gender undervaluation
Community services is a workforce made up predominantly of women, undertaking highly skilled and emotionally demanding work. Yet care and support roles have historically been undervalued, not only in how they are paid, but also in how their skill, complexity and contribution are recognised.
This is more than a workplace fairness issue. Work health and safety regulators now recognise psychosocial hazards, including inadequate recognition and reward, low job control, and sustained work-related stress, as risks that can affect psychological health in the workplace (Safe Work Australia; WorkSafe WA).
When people feel their expertise and contribution are undervalued over long periods, it can impact morale, professional confidence, and their sense of purpose.
This is why the Fair Work Commission’s gender-based undervaluation decision under the SCHADS Award matters. Beyond its industrial significance, it represents an important recognition of the skill and value of community sector work.
As the sector continues to acknowledge on workforce wellbeing, retention and sustainability, recognising the value of care and support work should be seen not only as an employment relations issue, but also as part of building psychologically healthy work culture – one CEWA is pleased to see progressing.
For many workers, formal acknowledgement that this work has been historically undervalued can be validating in a real and immediate way. Read our factsheet on the historical undervaluation of the SCHADS Award to learn more about how and when this undervaluation began.
Supportive and practical steps organisations can start taking today
As the sector continues to prioritise workforce wellbeing, small actions can make a meaningful difference. There’s no single right way to do this, but here are a few steps some organisations have found helpful:
- Making space for regular supervision and debriefs, alongside crisis response
- Checking in with managers and leaders too, who often carry pressures of their own
- Seeing fair pay as connected to wellbeing, not separate from it. Our factsheet on what the decision means for employers is a good starting point.
- Looking at structured, whole-of-culture approaches, such as trauma-informed models like the Sanctuary Model, alongside awareness days
Where to go next
CEWA is here to support members through this. You can find our full set of resources on the SCHADS gender-based undervaluation decision, including factsheets and handbooks, on the Getting It Right resources page. We remain committed to a sector where everyone’s wellbeing is valued.
Sources referenced: Mental Health Australia CEO Blog (9 September 2026); peer-reviewed research on Australian community mental health workforce retention and burnout; WA mental health workforce supply research (North Metropolitan Health Service); Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace: Code of Practice; Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), Gender Segregation in Australia’s Workforce.
This article draws on AI-assisted research, reviewed before publication.