b'PEOPLE| LEGAL SECTOR| 2021SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHTPSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING In Australia there are two key organisations supporting lawyers, law students, firms, corporations and Government to better manage the mental health risks that are apparent in legal work environments and practices. Minds Count (previously named the Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation) is an independent charitable organisation with an objective to decrease work related psychological ill-health. It promotes psychological health and safety in the legal community through creating awareness and supporting initiatives that aim to decrease the distress, disability and causes of depression and anxiety in the legal profession. The Foundation released the Workplace Wellbeing: Best Practice Guidelines to which more than 220 legal workplaces in Australia and overseas have become signatories. Minds Count hosts an annual lecture with an eminent keynote speaker and other regular briefings and events aimed at supporting the legal community. The initiatives of Minds Count have been effective in increasing awareness and the level of conversations, as well as the development of tools to better understand and manage mental wellbeing issues.Resilience at Law is a collaboration between seven major firms and The College of Law and takes a leadership role in raising awareness and understanding of the nature and impact of stress, depression and anxiety across the legal profession. They provide guidance across four areas; awareness and education, removing stigma, self-care, and support and resourcesThe Law Council of Australias mental health and wellbeing portal is an initiative designed to provide a centralised source of information about mental health for the legal profession. It highlights the range of resources and assistance services currently available through the Law Councils Constituent Bodies, as well as through national initiatives.The major professional legal bodies in all Australian states and territories have also established the two main support services, LawCare for lawyers and BarCare for Barristers.There are also a range of specific and general support services for individuals including; the Solicitor Outreach Service1800 592 296, Lifeline13 11 14, Beyond Blue1300 224 636, Kids Helpline1800 55 1800 and 1800RESPECT1800 737 7322021 AusLSA Member PerformanceThis year AusLSA members had significantly ramped up and adapted the delivery of psychological wellness initiatives in response to the impacts of COVID and their changed working arrangements. This included additions to their range of COVID specific initiatives in flexible working as well as psychological wellbeing. The number of AusLSA members with formal policy-based commitments to address psychological wellbeing is now at 95 percent.The AusLSA framework encourages the disclosure of mental health issues and firm policies to reinforce management values and a culture of leadership that helps to reduce stigma of caring for mental health. This year an additional 4 firms published these commitments however these are still in the minority at only 42 percent. Strong management and governance supports the implementation of policy and delivers greater potential to improve awareness and shift firm culture. All but two of these firms have a management structure in place for their policy implementation with 44 percent of firms allocating the responsibility to a partner in the firm The inclusion of workplace committees is a signal that addressing mental health is embedded in firm culture. While the total number of committees remained constant the percentage of firms with committees reduced this year from 59 to 50 percent caused by a number of new AusLSA members reporting. There has been a reduction in the percentage of firms that were signatories to the Minds Count - Tristan Jepson Memorial Foundation Workplace Wellbeing Best Practice Guidelines for the Legal Profession which has reduced to 55 percent from a peak of 67 percent in 2019. Firm based activities and initiatives to address mental illness and support psychological wellbeing were common with all surveyed firms providing programs.On average firms had 6.4 different initiatives in place, an increase from 5.9 last year. The most popular initiatives in 2021 were confidential professional psychological support and the RUOK day both with 97 percent participation. Two additional firms provided mental health first aid training which is now provided by 82 percent of firms. 40'