Pictured: The Kids Research Institute Australia Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis, The Kids Institute Senior Research Fellow Dr Vincent Mancini, Pilbara Minerals’ Managing Director Dale Henderson, and Pilbara Minerals’ Chief Sustainability Officer Sandra McInnes
An innovative and impactful three-year research partnership between Pilbara Minerals and The Kids Research Institute Australia has been established to support the mental health and wellbeing of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workers and their families.
The research will aim to understand the impact of FIFO work arrangements on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole FIFO family – the employees, their partners, and children. This will inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of a program to support the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO families.
Pilbara Minerals’ Managing Director Dale Henderson said funding for the new research program was aligned with the Company’s commitment to creating healthy workplace and communities.
“We aim to provide a safe, inclusive workplace that fosters positive mental health and wellbeing outcomes. We know that when our people are mentally healthy, this delivers positive outcomes in the workplace and for the families who support them,” Mr Henderson said.
“Through this partnership with The Kids Research Institute Australia, we hope to support more connected and cohesive FIFO families across the industry.”
The Kids Research Institute Australia Executive Director Professor Jonathan Carapetis AM said the Institute was delighted to be partnering with Pilbara Minerals for this important research.
“A large number of Western Australians work in FIFO roles – approximately 60,000 people – so this research has the potential to benefit not only the FIFO workers themselves but their travelling and non-travelling partners and children who are all part of the FIFO lifestyle,” Professor Carapetis said.
“Flying into work means flying out of the family home so this research is not just about supporting the FIFO workers but their immediate family members who are key members of the broader FIFO community.
Professor Carapetis said the FIFO lifestyle can have unique benefits as well as challenges so it was important to identify those factors that allow some families to thrive in the FIFO lifestyle so we can learn how to best support families who find it challenging.
“Not a lot is known about children’s experiences of the FIFO lifestyle and how the family can best support their children,” Professor Carapetis said.
With an increasing number of WA children growing up in FIFO households, this research is critical to help us understand more about the growth and development of these kids, their experiences of the FIFO lifestyle, and how families can manage and support their mental health in particular so that these kids are happy and healthy.
The research will be led by The Kids Research Institute Australia Senior Research Fellow Dr Vincent Mancini and will delve into the strengths, challenges, and opportunities for action within FIFO families, and use these insights to develop a whole-of-family program to support mental health and wellbeing.
Pilbara Minerals’ employees will have the opportunity to be part of the research as well as others across the sector through industry and community collaborations and partnerships.
The research aims to complement industry-wide and organisation-specific commitments to the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers by expanding the scope of this commitment to FIFO families in collaboration with industry and the community.
“The Kids Research Institute Australia is Western Australia’s most respected children’s medical research centre, and Pilbara Minerals supports its mission to make a real difference in the community, which will benefit children and families everywhere,” Mr Henderson said.
“Our industry has put a strong focus on minimising the mental health impact of the FIFO lifestyle on our workforce and it is only natural that we should extend this proactive approach to the families of our valued employees as well.
“This research will provide an important extension to the body of knowledge in this critical area, and the continued efforts through this research will then support thriving individuals, their families, and by extension the community.”