As more and more workers develop their mental health literacy and suicide prevention skills, this is having an important ripple effect in the FC Alliance.

More than 300 FC Alliance workers have completed one or all levels of MATES in Construction training.

FCA employee Pauline Gardiner (pictured) says this is having the impact of normalising conversations around mental health throughout the organisation.

‘The more people who can do the training leads to more conversations about mental health,’ Pauline says. ‘In turn, people start to feel more comfortable about talking about it and, as a result, more comfortable about approaching somebody to ask for help.

Pauline Gardiner is one of the FCA team members who has completed the highest level of MATES in Construction training—ASIST. Applied Suicide Skills Training provides the skills to assist a person at risk and work closely with them and appropriate professionals to develop a SafePLAN for their ongoing safety and wellbeing.

She is well known and recognisable to the FCA workforce as part of the Wellbeing team, and spends all day around the three site compounds and worksites.

A self-confessed, ‘people person’, Pauline loves talking to people and says the training gave her skills to approach people who looked like they needed help and in a gentle way. She also learnt where to refer people for help.

‘We can’t fix their problem but we know where to send them to and how to help connect them with people who can help,’ she says.

Pauline said construction was an industry that still has a few hard edges and could struggle with showing its softer side and, as such, there were still workers who were uncomfortable sharing their feelings.

Often it was a matter of letting people know that a listening ear was available if they needed it. Sometimes she approached people who didn’t necessarily want to talk but were still happy that she had offered.

‘It’s about putting it out there that we are here—you are not alone,’ she says.

It’s about ‘knowing that they can trust you and that you have a genuine interest in helping people out and the information will not be shared.

At the end of the day, if you can make a difference to someone’s day then you’ve done the right thing.’