our commitment to safety and wellbeing
At Housing Choices, our sta are dedicated and passionate about delivering high quality services. Supporting residents in complex situations can be demanding and sometimes exposes our people to psychosocial risks. The reporting of safety issues increased by 28% from Q1 2024 to Q4 2025, with 147 incidents, 46 hazards, and 17 near misses recorded. While the numbers are higher, we see this as a sign of a stronger reporting culture where sta feel supported to speak up about risks and challenges. Most psychosocial hazards reported related to occupational violence and aggression (69 reports), followed by exposure to traumatic events (15 reports). These insights allow us to better design controls, strengthen supports, and respond where sta are most at risk. We recognise that this year’s frontline pressures were compounded by the changes across the organisation, which reinforced our commitment to strengthening our safety and wellbeing systems, so sta feel equipped and supported through challenging times. As baseline support, all our employees also have access to confidential counselling for themselves and their families through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which helps us identify workplace concerns in a de-identified way while giving sta a safe, trusted outlet for support.
In addition, we provided targeted training to frontline sta , including:
200
• Handle with Care™ – 71 employees trained in techniques to de-escalate situations where individuals may become aggressive or distressed. • Vicarious Trauma and Traumatic Stress – 66 employees trained to recognise and manage the impacts of trauma exposure on their mental health and wellbeing. Alongside training and reporting improvements, we expanded our wellbeing initiatives. These included: • Briefings for our Senior Executive Team on psychosocial risks, delivered with Sentis. • Deployment of a duress phone app and Bluetooth device for o site sta , giving them faster access to emergency services. • Additional supports through our EAP, such as the Better Mind, Better Me program, a trial of virtual EAP@Work sessions, and proactive wellbeing calls to sta a ected by the operational restructure.
resolved incident reports
140
staff completed occupational violence & aggression training
By openly acknowledging risks and disruption, strengthening systems, and expanding wellbeing supports, we are building a culture where sta feel safe, supported, and able to manage the challenges of this vital work.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2024-25
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