Careers in Personal INJURY MAnAgement
Annual Report 2014
i pief.com.au Contents
Chairman’s report 2
Executive Director’s report 3
International Forum on Disability Management 2014 4
2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards 6
Careers in Personal Injury Management website 8
Personal Injury Management Course Guide 8
Vocational programs 9
Postgraduate programs 10
Other 2014 events 12
Board of directors 14
Resigning directors 14
Member organisations 15
PIEF team 16
Contact details 17
1 1 Chairman’s Report
Welcome to PIEF’s 2014 Annual Report. As advised in last year’s report, PIEF was awarded Registered Training Organisation (RTO) status by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) which was a great achievement and milestone for us. As a result of this, 2014 was a year of consolidation as we bedded down our new RTO business and commenced providing business to business RTO services for many of our member organisations.
A major achievement for PIEF in 2014 was the successful hosting of the International Forum on Disability Management (IFDM) in Melbourne. The feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive and from my own experience and the conversations that I held with many different people from across the globe, everyone appeared to enjoy the events, discussions, workshops, abstract and plenary sessions that made up this truly international and memorable event.
PIEF is now coming to the end of its current five year strategic plan, which has generally been very successful and as we look to develop our new strategic plan, I look forward to PIEF continuing to grow and to develop as the pre-eminent personal injury educational organisation in Australia.
On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Nathan Clarke for his strong leadership that he has continued to show throughout the year and I would also like to thank the PIEF team for the excellent work and the passion and commitment that they always bring to their roles.
Mr Chris Latham Chairman, PIEF
2 Executive Director’s Report
PIEF’s mission is a very noble one: ‘To promote and enhance the attractiveness and reputation of the personal injury management profession through: • providing quality education • facilitating ongoing professional development opportunities • recognising excellence.’
In 2014 I believe that we made great strides in achieving this mission as we: • continued to deliver, expand and improve upon the personal injury management postgraduate program with our new provider, Griffith University • delivered and awarded three personal injury management nationally recognised vocational qualifications (now as an RTO) • in conjunction with AP Psychology & Consulting Services delivered Motivational Interactions workshops across Australia • established a series of specialist workshops in Sydney, aligned to the Diploma of Personal Injury Management qualification • launched the Careers in Personal Injury Management website • managed the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards • hosted the IFDM 2014.
Undoubtedly the highlight of the year for PIEF and for me personally was the hosting of IFDM 2014 in Melbourne. Organising an event like this is years in the making and required the resources of all the PIEF team and many volunteers from across our member organisations, which was greatly appreciated.
I trust you enjoy reading our 2014 Annual Report.
Nathan Clarke Executive Director, PIEF / Chief Executive Officer, PIEF RTO Services
3 IFDM 2014
The International Forum on Disability Management (IFDM) is a catalyst for addressing issues of disability on a world stage. This year the IFDM 2014 was organised by PIEF and supported by Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and WorkSafe Victoria and was held in the Grand Hyatt Melbourne from the 16-19 November 2014, the second time this global conference has come to Australia.
IFDM 2014 included 70 abstract sessions with presenters from across the globe; five in- depth industry workshops, three networking events and the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards, which provided Australian and international delegates with a fdm comprehensive insight into the current state of disability management across the globe. INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON DISABILITY MANAGEMENT The IFDM 2014 was the largest conference ever organised by PIEF with over 460 delegates attending from 18 countries including: United Kingdom, Malaysia, Canada, Botswana, Belgium, Sweden, France, China, Thailand, Germany, USA and Indonesia.
The opening keynote address was presented by Tom Shakespeare from the United Kingdom who spoke on the following, insightful topic ‘Work for those who can, support for those who can’t: the difference that disability makes’ . Mr. Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, the Secretary General of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) from Switzerland spoke on the new International Return to Work Guidelines and Dr Joachim Breuer, Director General, German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) addressed the audience on ‘Disability Management: between global thinking and local acting.’
The 4th Australasian Compensation Health Research Forum (ACHRF) 2014 was held on the 19 November 2014 and was a key part of the IFDM 2014 agenda. The ACHRF focused on “The influence of mental health and psychosocial factors on recovery outcomes”. Senior Psychology Advisor Renée-Louise Franche, WorkSafe BC, Canada and Associate Professor Meaghan O’Donnell, University of Melbourne provided the ACHRF 2014 keynote addresses.
IFDM 2014 was also sadly one of the last speaking engagements for Stella Young. Stella participated in panel sessions and also assisted in opening the conference by speaking on the topic ‘I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much’. Stella sadly passed away on December 6 2014. Stella, despite her topic, was actually a great inspiration to many and a strong and passionate promoter of inclusivity.
It was the vision of PIEF and the National Organising Committee to inform, educate, entertain, and provide a networking forum for all delegates. Participants left the conference equipped with plenty of new ideas and contacts, with many promising to attend the IFDM 2016 in Malaysia. The evaluation results for the overall conference were also exceptional and continue the strong support for PIEF-organised conferences that we have achieved in the past, as can be noted in the following table:
PIEF 2012 Survey questions IFDM 2014 conference Overall, how satisfied were you with the conference? 94% 94% Overall, how satisfied were you with the conference facilities? 99% 98% Overall, how satisfied were you with the speakers / presenters? 91% 93% The conference was well organised 100% 99% Did you find the conference relevant to you/your organisation’s needs? 100% 99% Would you recommend this conference to others? Yes = 83% Yes = 84% 4 5 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards
PIEF has conducted the Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards since 2008. The purpose of these awards is to celebrate and showcase the Australian personal injury industry’s many outstanding achievements and to acknowledge its importance in the broader community.
This year the 2014 awards were held as part of IFDM 2014 and the Master of Ceremonies was Julian Burton OAM, a Bali Bombings survivor.
There were seven categories in the 2014 awards, which attracted over 50 nominations from across the Australian personal injury industry. Held at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne on Tuesday 18 November 2014, the winners of the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Awards were announced: • Excellence in Return to Work / Return to Community Award Gwen McKay, Senior Case Manager, Allianz Australia Award sponsored by Xchanging Australia • Excellence in Customer Service Kellie Salmon, Technical Manager, Allianz Australia Award sponsored by WorkSafe Victoria • Excellence in Case and Injury Management Carly Webster, Strategic Injury Management Advisor, Allianz Australia Award sponsored by e-Reports • Excellence in Case and Injury Management (Serious Injury) Ros Savage, Technical Advisor, Suncorp Award sponsored by Turks Legal • Innovation in Personal Injury Management Health Benefits of Safe Work Team (TAC and WorkSafe Victoria) Award Sponsored by WorkCoverSA • Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Jeanette Kinahan, Director, Work Health Systems Award jointly sponsored by the Heads of Workers’ Compensation Authorities (HWCA) and the Heads of Compulsory Third Party Authorities (HCTP) • Student Excellence Award Morag Fitzsimons, Director, WCD Solutions Award sponsored by Griffith Business School
PIEF would again like to congratulate the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards finalists and winners and as MC Julian Burton aptly said during the awards ceremony:
“We’re here tonight to celebrate those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. Each of the finalists has shown dedication, passion, creativity and vision in achieving success. Many of you have helped the injured return to work and many of you have found ways to improve the way we do our jobs. They’re the things that drive positive change in our industry. You’re a credit to your organisations and an inspiration to the rest of us.”
PIEF would like to thank Moray & Agnew Lawyers who were this year’s diamond sponsors and hosted the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management awards dinner. We would also like to thank the sponsors of the individual awards (who are mentioned above).
6 Clockwise from top left: Master of Ceremonies, Julian Burn OAM The Health Benefits of Safe Work Team with Michael Francis, WorkCoverSA (far left) Kellie Salmon with Denise Cosgrove, WorkSafe Victoria Morag Fitzsimons with Leauarne Adams, Griffith University Ros Savage with John Hick, Turks Legal Jeanette Kinahan (middle) with Peter Roche, representing the HCTP and Denise Cosgrove representing the HWCA. Carly Webster with Chris Argyle, eReports Gwen McKay with Mun-Leng Koh, Xchanging Australia 7 Careers Careers in Personal Injury Management in Personal In 2014 PIEF launched the Careers in Personal Injury Management website (careersinpim.com. INJURY au). The website is designed to provide those who may be considering a career in personal injury MAnAgement management with further information on our industry and includes details on: • the various roles types and possible career pathways available • the benefits of working in the personal injury industry • the potential training opportunities available • what it is like to work in the industry • what is workers’ compensation and motor accident insurance • what are arrangements for personal injury insurance in each jurisdiction.
In late 2014, PIEF added two new short videos to the site: • What do you love about working in the industry? • What do you love about your role in the industry?
These videos were taken during the finalist filming of the 2014 Excellence in Personal Injury Management Awards. Every response from each finalist is truly inspiring, uplifting and entertaining and PIEF would like to encourage you to view the videos.
Since its launch, the Careers in Personal Injury Management website has had nearly 2,000 unique visitors and over 50,000 hits.
Personal Injury Management Course Guide
In 2014, PIEF launched our first ever Personal Injury Management Course Guide was possible because for the first time PIEF was able to offer a complete pathway of personal injury management qualifications from entry level vocational qualifications, right through to postgraduate qualifications.
The Course Guide provides an overview of all three vocational qualifications, our two postgraduate qualifications, our learning management system and our ability as a Registered Training Organisation to provide specialist industry customisation for personal injury organisations. To download the course guide, click on this link http:// pief.com.au/index.php/education/pief-course-guide
8 Vocational Programs
2014 was a consolidation year for PIEF as we successfully implemented our new Registered Training Organisation business (PIEF RTO Services). As an RTO, we now deliver and award the following nationally recognised vocational qualifications: • Certificate IV in Personal Injury Management (Return to Work) • Certificate IV in Personal Injury Management (Claims Management) • Diploma of Personal Injury Management.
All three programs continue to receive excellent student feedback and were well attended.
In 2014 our RTO status now enabled PIEF to provide a range of consultancy, training and assessment services to our member organisations. PIEF worked with many of our member organisations to identify their capability development needs and in consultation developed a range of solutions that were aligned with their organisational goals.
In some instances the customised solution involved a partnership arrangement that enabled an organisation to align their in-house training programs to national competency standards, deliver training programs and assess against the competencies. This arrangement required organisations to have fully qualified trainers and assessors with PIEF providing the quality assurance and awarding the national qualification.
Other organisations opted for recognition of prior learning (RPL) pathways that provided national qualifications in personal injury management for their existing case managers. This involved PIEF working with the member organisation to identify competencies for RPL, developing resources and procedures for submitting portfolios of evidence for assessment by PIEF assessors.
PIEF also offered the Certificate III in Personal Injury Management (Claims Management) qualification for induction programs currently being delivered in some of our member organisations. This approach enabled in-house induction programs to be mapped to the selected competencies and assessments to be conducted by PIEF assessors.
If you would like to discuss using our RTO services, please contact Nathan Clarke, Chief Executive Officer, PIEF RTO Services on (03) 9641 1320.
9 Postgraduate Programs
In 2014 Griffith University commenced taking enrolments for the revised personal injury management postgraduate program and the following program structure was progressively implemented throughout the year:
Graduate Certificate in Master of Personal Injury Management Personal Injury Management
Principles of Personal Personal Injury Scheme Contemporary Issues Injury Scheme Design Evaluation (residential in Compensable Injury (residential and online delivery) and online delivery) Management
Personal Injury Strategic Claims Managing Change Accounting and Reporting Management (residential and Through Responsible Leadership online delivery)
Injury and Disability People Management Management Consulting Management
Approved elective Approved elective Approved elective
From 2014 PIEF held all personal injury postgraduate program residentials in the Melbourne CBD, which enabled PIEF to significantly reduce the cost and the time required to participate at the residentials.
Clockwise from left: Students in class Students in their syndicate group Members of the expert industry panel: Denise Cosgrove WorkSafe Victoria, Liz Cairns, NDIA, Alan Woodruffe formerly of TAC, Len Boehm MAC SA and Paul O’Connor formerly of Comcare.
10 2014 results In 2014 exceptional results were again received for all PIEF-owned personal injury units, with overall satisfaction remaining at 100% for the last two years and recommending to others remaining steady at around 90%:
Principles of Personal Personal Injury Strategic Personal Injury Scheme Injury Scheme Design Claims Management Evaluation Satisfaction level 2014 2013 2014 2013 2014 2013 Very Satisfied 56% 68% 81% 45% 81% 52% Satisfied 44% 33% 19% 55% 19% 48% Grand Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Recommend to 2014 2013 2014 2013 2014 2013 others Yes 96% 93% 86% 91% 86% 86% Maybe 4% 8% 14% 9% 14% 14% Grand Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Here is some of the feedback received from the 2014 residential programs:
‘Experts, lecturers were extremely informative and approachable. Thank you.’
‘I was very happy with the program, I found there was almost too much to take in but do not see a way around this.’
‘I really appreciated the time that industry experts gave us, and the knowledge they shared with us.’
‘Very empowering, informative and relevant. Excellent speakers, relative to course, perhaps a bit intensive.’
‘Loved the sessions, very informative and challenging at the same time. Great range of speakers, lovely food, convenient accommodation.’
‘The content of the residential was very informative and relevant to the course. The presentation helped bonding with the team as well as the other students. The arrangements made were excellent.’
‘Course content and group tasks/activities were great. Guest speakers provided a fantastic insight into the different schemes/sectors.’
‘Great speakers. Good notes. Adequate time to prepare. Long days 7.30am - 11pm at night, was hard to keep alert by afternoon day 2. But it was very good, thank you!’
‘Holistic perspective with fantastic presenters and special guests. Opportunity to get more clarity around group activity instructions and experience. BEYOND THAT - *G*R*E*A*T’
11 Other 2014 Events Sydney workshops In 2014 PIEF introduced a series of workshops aligned to the Diploma of Personal Injury Management vocational qualification. The workshops were all held in the Sydney CBD and covered the following topics: • Injury Management and Return to Work • Managing Personal Injury Teams • Managing Serious and Complex Claims.
The feedback received from all workshops was overwhelmingly positive:
Injury Management Managing Personal Managing Serious & Satisfaction level and Return to Work Injury Teams Complex Claims Very Satisfied 63% 33% 51% Satisfied 37% 65% 49% Dissatisfied - 2% - Grand Total 100% 100% 100%
Recommend to Injury Management Managing Personal Managing Serious & others and Return to Work Injury Teams Complex Claims Yes 100% 73% 81% Maybe - 22% 17% No - 5% 2% Grand Total 100% 100% 100%
PIEF expect to deliver the Managing Serious and Complex Claims workshop again in 2015, however this time extended to other cities across Australia. Further details will be announced in our quarterly newsletters.
Motivational Interactions workshops In 2014 PIEF again partnered with AP Psychology and Consulting Services to conduct Motivational Interactions (MI) workshops in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. MI is widely recognised as an important engagement strategy for people working in a case management capacity – working with a range of injured client/worker needs pertaining to resistance, ambivalence to change, motivation, development and return to work.
The workshop feedback to the following question ‘How do you rate the MI Training overall?’ was very high (aggregate for all locations):
Excellent Good Average Total 60% 37% 3% 100%
12 Examples of feedback received included:
‘This will definitely change the way I case manage my injured workers. Thank You O:)’
‘Overall I thought it was an excellent experience.’
‘Very informative and some great new techniques’
‘Every Customer Advisor (case manager) should do this course as an induction resource.’
‘I enjoyed the workshop, it made me think of different ways of having a conversation.’
‘FANTASTIC from a work perspective, but life in general.’
PIEF hope to be able to organise additional MI workshops in 2015, so keep an eye out for details of future workshops in our newsletters.
Webinar series In 2014, PIEF continued with its series of webinars designed for Australian personal injury professionals. The webinars conducted in 2014 included: • Looking beyond intrinsic risk factors associated with non-recovery, Terry Bogyo, independent researcher, speaker and consultant, Canada • The impact of training supervisors on return to work outcomes, Dr Mary Wyatt, Occupational Physician • Back injuries and return to work, Dr Kevin Sleigh, Clinical Leader- Medical, Health & Disability Strategy Group, TAC/WorkSafe Victoria • Ensuring optimal use of occupational rehabilitation providers, Sharon Stratford, Stratford Services.
All webinars are recorded and are stored on the member-only Certified Personal Injury Professional (CPIP) website.
13 Board of Directors
PIEF’s directors as at 31 December were as follows:
Name Role Organisation represented Date joined
Chris Latham PIEF Chairman - May 2011
General Manager, Workers Jason Hammond QBE Australia Jul 2007 Compensation
Denise Cosgrove Chief Executive WorkSafe Victoria Aug 2008
General Manager, Personal Injury Dr. Andrew Fronsko Territory Insurance Office Jun 2009 Management
Michelle Reynolds Chief Executive Officer WorkCover WA Oct 2010
NSW Motor Accidents Andrew Nicholls General Manager Jan 2011 Authority
Diego Ascani Head of Workers Compensation Xchanging Australia Jun 2011
Insurance Commission of Grant Speight General Manager, Human Resources Jun 2011 Western Australia General Manager, Workers Geniere Aplin WorkCover Authority NSW Jun 2012 Compensation Insurance Executive General Manager, Statutory Paul Smeaton Suncorp Jun 2012 Claims Transport Accident Bruce Crossett Head of Claims Aug 2012 Commission
Brad Parker Assistant Director WorkCover Tasmania. Nov 2012
Irene Violet General Manager, Corporate Services WorkCover Queensland Mar 2013
Head of Workers Compensation, Fee Jennifer Mitchell CGU Mar 2013 States Executive General Manager - Statutory John McNamara Gallagher Bassett Jun 2013 Workers Compensation General Manager Scheme Improvement Michael Francis WorkCover South Australia Jun 2013 and Regulation National Disability Insurance Mary Hawkins Branch Manager Oct 2013 Agency Chief General Manager Workers’ Helen Silver Allianz Australia Oct 2013 Compensation
David Fryar General Manager, Statutory Business Employers Mutual Ltd Oct 2013
Executive General Manager, Claims Bruce Watson Comcare Nov 2014 Management and Insurance Resigning Directors
Directors that resigned from the PIEF Board during 2014 were:
Name Organisation Resignation from the Board
Jason Lardelli Comcare November 2014
14 Member Organisations
As at 31 December 2014, the following organisations were members of PIEF:
Association of Self Insured Employers Allianz Australia of Queensland (ASIEQ)
Comcare Employers Mutual
Gallagher Bassett Services Insurance Australia Group
Insurance Commission of Western Institute for Safety, Compensation and Australia Recovery Research
Motor Accidents Authority of NSW QBE Australia
National Disability Insurance Agency NSW Self Insurance Corporation
Sucrogen Suncorp
Territory Insurance Office Transport Accident Commission
WorkCover Independent Review Office WorkCover Authority of NSW
WorkCover Corporation of South WorkCover Queensland Australia
WorkCover Tasmania WorkCover Western Australia
WorkSafe Victoria Xchanging Australia
15 PIEF Team
The PIEF team has significant experience, qualifications and skills in developing, implementing, evaluating and marketing personal injury management training programs and events.
The team consists of:
Nathan Clarke Amanda Johnston Joan Holschier Executive Director PIEF / Program Delivery Business Development Chief Executive Officer Manager Manager PIEF RTO Services Commenced Commenced Commenced June 2007 August 2008 January 2006
Lina Guarnera Maryse Ozalp Program Compliance Student Support Officer Officer Commenced Commenced January 2011 August 2014
16 Contact Details The Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF)
Ground Floor, 222 Exhibition St, Melbourne Victoria Australia 3000
Telephone +61 3 9940 4893 Fax +61 3 9641 1180 Email [email protected]
Web www.pief.com.au www.careersinpim.com.au
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