Beyond EAP: Strengthening Psychosocial Support in Recruitment and On-Hire
What businesses in any industry can learn from NSW’s new psychological first aid mandate
Recently, NSW took a necessary and forward-thinking step to protect the mental health of its frontline workforce: under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for First Responders 20252029, psychological first aid (PFA) training is now mandatory — not only for first responders and volunteers, but also for their leaders.
This isn’t limited to emergency services. Agencies like Transport for NSW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and the Forestry Corporation are included too — recognising that exposure to trauma and high-stress situations can happen in many roles, not just those in health or emergency response.
What this means for recruitment and on-hire businesses
For recruitment and on-hire businesses, these responsibilities extend beyond your internal team — they also apply to how you support your on-hire workforce. Your consultants are often the first point of contact when something isn’t right, and we regularly hear that when a temp or candidate raises a concern — whether it’s work-related or personal — consultants don’t always feel equipped to respond appropriately.
That’s where embedding practical, human-centred support mechanisms like Mental Health First Aid can make a real difference.
It’s not about turning your team into counsellors — it’s about giving them the tools and confidence to respond in the moment, know when to escalate, and check in with care.
Support isn’t just EAP
Support mechanisms need to be embedded into day-to-day operations. One powerful example is training colleagues in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). A peer, trained in how to listen, respond, and guide someone towards help, can be far more approachable than a phone number or pamphlet. It’s the difference between telling someone “support is available” and actually making it accessible.
Whether you're managing a team in retail, logistics, manufacturing, education, or corporate services — the principle remains the same:
Support needs to be timely, practical, and built into how you manage people.
This includes during critical processes like performance management or return-to-work discussions. How is mental health considered in these interactions? Are your leaders equipped to recognise distress and offer a pathway to support — or is it left to chance.
A reminder of your obligations
Under WHS legislation, managing psychosocial risks requires a proactive and layered approach. This includes:
Identifying psychosocial hazards your workforce may face
Implementing controls (e.g., workload planning, respectful workplace culture)
Providing appropriate training and support systems
Monitoring effectiveness and consulting workers
Support is not a standalone fix—but it is an important part of a broader risk control framework.
The opportunity for all businesses
NSW’s mandatory approach to PFA may focus on public agencies, but the underlying message applies across all industries: psychological harm is preventable. By embedding accessible, evidence-informed supports like Mental Health First Aid, we can move from a reactive mindset to a culture of care and prevention.
If your business is still relying on EAP alone, it might be time to ask, is that really enough?
How Risk Collective Can Help
We offer public and in-house Mental Health First Aid training, delivered by our licensed instructor Kathryn Drake, as well as engaging training sessions for leaders to better understand mental health in the workplace.
We also provide customised capability-building sessions, led by our workplace psychologist Steven Booker, to help your leaders feel more confident supporting their teams — especially when managing performance, return-to-work cases, or responding to mental health challenges raised by on-hire workers.
We’ve got MHFA courses running in Brisbane this week and Sydney in May.
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ant to better support your team and your on-hire workforce? We’d love to help.