Teaching Well - A supportive school for a well staff - Wellington (TWS2025/04)

Growing attention to staff wellbeing has resulted in many workplace mental wellbeing initiatives. Nevertheless, the concept of staff wellbeing is rarely well-defined, with programs focusing on either work-related stressors or staff wellness approaches.

As part of a well school, it is just as essential to have a well staff as it is to a well student body. Don't miss out! Discover the key principles of wellbeing and build a sustainable, impactful plan for your staff.

Join this workshop tailored for schools & kura, exploring how to promote staff wellbeing in 2025. Learn the theory and practice of promoting wellbeing in staff!

From Remedial to Sustainable Action
Providing resources or assistance programmes to help staff manage job stress is a single element of an extensive staff wellbeing plan. Schools commonly start at the remedial end of the wellbeing continuum, creating welfare or wellness plans. Learning the differences between welfare, wellness, and wellbeing approaches, including their strengths and weaknesses, is important.

Meta-evaluations reveal that many workplace mental wellbeing programmes lack efficacy due to not addressing organisational and systemic factors that impact wellbeing. Effective staff wellbeing programmes must respond to staff needs and reflect the school's cultural values and character.

Utilizing collective impact, transformational change theory, and Te Whare Tapa Whā, we introduce a conceptual model outlining the eight pillars essential for a staff wellbeing plan. This model's strength lies in its specificity to different settings or occupations, necessitating an in-depth analysis of work nature, dynamics, and inter-relationships.

Based on insights from past workshops and participant feedback, this workshop now provides a comprehensive template for developing staff wellbeing plans.

This workshop does not offer a pre-packaged wellbeing programme. Research indicates that externally imposed wellbeing programmes have limited efficacy in schools. Effective staff wellbeing plans must be rooted in insights gained from reflective analysis and staff consultations. Notably, the consultation process itself is a key wellbeing activity.

Take the opportunity to hear from an award winning wellbeing specialist about:

• the wellbeing continuum and the difference between mental illness prevention and wellbeing approaches

• the key determinants that impact on staff wellbeing

• effective strategies to respond to fatigue, burnout, depression and trauma

• why one size doesn't fit all and how to scope and design a staff wellbeing programme responsive to the specific needs of your school

• developing a staff wellbeing programme based on proven wellbeing outcomes

• making informed decisions on your school’s staff wellbeing policy and activities

Workshop Format:

The content will be delivered over two workshops.

In-Person 1 day workshop in Wellington
Friday 31 October 9am to 4pm

On-Line Workshop
Wednesday 3 December 1 - 3.30pm

Topics covered in this practical workshop:

• what is meant by wellbeing and its role in addressing stress and mental distress in staff;

• the difference between a welfare and a wellbeing approach;

• staff wellbeing as an industrial relations / conditions of employment issue

• resilience, coping, thriving? - identifying desired wellbeing outcomes

• the interface between personal and professional stressors and distressors

• the impact on staff wellbeing from exposure to trauma and poor mental wellbeing within the student body

• the key determinants that facilitate wellbeing in the teaching environment

• what does and what doesn’t contribute to a supportive environment where staff thrive

• the key components that should be in a staff wellbeing programme

• designing, implementing and evaluating a staff wellbeing programme

School Group Participation
Schools are encouraged to have more than one staff member participate in the online workshops. Past workshops has shown that having more than one staff member has maximised the benefit of the workshop activities which can then been continued post-workshop. To promote school group participation, there is a 20% discount off the total registration fee when three or more participants per school are registered.

Who should attend: 

• Senior leadership team members (especially those with responsibility of staff wellbeing)

• OHS representatives or union delegates

• Heads of Departments

• Boards of Trustees representatives

• School Counsellors / EAP providers

In-House Delivery:

This workshop can also be delivered in-house, school clusters, or organisations such as prinicpal assocations or unions. Post workshop consulting services such as mentoring the development of or reviewing a staff wellbeing plan can also be provided.

Post Workshop Consult:
Schools and Kuras have the option of a 90 minute consult with Barry in 2026 to review their staff wellbeing plan.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR LEARNING WITH INTERNATIONALLY RESPECTED AND AWARD WINNING MENTAL WELLBEING PRACTITIONER AND SUICIDOLOGIST, BARRY TAYLOR

Barry has worked in mental wellbeing promotion and suicide prevention/postvention for 37 years at the local, national and international levels.  His extensive experience includes sitting on state and national government advisory committees; designing, implementing and evaluating suicide prevention programs; writing suicide prevention guidelines, training packages and community resources; providing technical advice to community based and national mental wellbeing and suicide prevention programs.  He has worked extensively with schools both here and overseas supporting management and staff in the event of a suicide. He wrote the first suicide postvention guidelines for schools in 1990, developed the first national suicide prevention guidelines for schools in Australia in 1999 and reviewed and updated the NZ guidelines in 2010.

He has led multiple ‘firsts’ in mental wellbeing both in Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas.  In recognition of his outstanding contribution to mental wellbeing and suicide prevention, he was awarded in 2016 the NSW Mental Health Commissioner's Community Champion Award.

Barry has lectured on wellbeing both nationally and internationally and been appointed to numerous government advisory committees on mental wellbeing and suicide prevention.  He brings to this workshop extensive experience in advising communities and government on post-disaster recovery in terms of both mental wellbeing promotion / community resiliency and suicide prevention.

As a Health Sociologist and Public Health practitioner, Barry has a long-term interest in the social and cultural determinants of wellbeing, especially the role of gender and he brings a wealth of knowledge and passion for promoting wellbeing in men. He has examined the impact of discrimination, internalised stigma, social exclusion or inclusion on mental wellbeing along with the role of human rights as an enabler of wellbeing.

He embraces a holistic understanding of wellbeing and has an interest in the role spirituality and ecology contributes to a person's wellbeing. He uses a population health and systems change approach, drawing on transformational change theory and collective impact.

After a number of years overseas, Barry is living back in New Zealand and is passionate about building the knowledge base, competence and capability within our country to promote well whānau, workplaces and communities and for the incorporation of wellbeing principles in public policy and social outcomes such as education, training and employment.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

WORKSHOP PLACES ARE LIMITED. REGISTER EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Places in the workshop are limited. If the workshop is full please register your name on the waitlist

Group Booking Discount: Book 3 or more participants in one booking and receive 20% discount off each registration

School & Kura Discount: Enter SCHOOLKURA20 to the Discount Code box at the beginning of the registration process for a further 20% discount off the registration fee.

Payment: Payment is by either:
Credit Card (Visa or Mastercard) or 
Instalment payment (ZIP and Afterpay)
Invoice - Schools and kura have the option to pay by invoice. At payment method click on Invoice,

Terms for Payment By Invoice

By selecting to pay by invoice the organisation agrees to the following conditions:

1.  Your place in the workshop is not confirmed until payment has been received. Payment of the invoice must be made within seven days of registering to avoid having your registration cancelled. Late payment fees apply.

2.  A Tax Invoice from TaylorMade Training and Consulting will be sent to you separately which will contain bank details for payment.  

3.  By registering for the workshop, you agree to the cancellation and policy. (refer below).  Organisations who cancel within seven days of the workshop and have not paid the invoice for the outstanding registration fee are still obligated to pay the outstanding debt.

Cancellation and Refund Policy
Workshops can fill quickly. If you are no longer able to attend the workshop please cancel your registration as soon as possible. The following refund policy is strictly adhered to.

Cancellation up to seven days prior to the commencement of the workshop:  Full Refund less $35+GST admin fee

Cancellation within seven days prior to the commencement of the workshop: No refund but registration can be transferred to another person. To transfer your registration log on to your registration and update the name and contact details to the new person attending.

Non attendance:   No refund

Disclaimer: The information and professional advice delivered in the workshop and the associated printed material is provided solely on the basis that before relying on this material, participants should obtain appropriate advice relevant to their particular circumstance to evaluate its accuracy, currency, completeness and relevance for their purposes. TaylorMade Training and Consulting will not be liable for any damages of any kind to any person or entity arising from the use of this information. Your attendance at this workshop reflects your acceptance of this statement.

Organiser Contact Details

Barry Taylor
Principal Consultant |  TaylorMade Training and Consulting
Mobile:  027 241 6979
Email:  registration@4wellbeing.nz   
Website:  www.4wellbeing.nz