$500K in grants for mental injury return-to-work ideas

A new WorkSafe Victoria grants program is offering up to $500,000 in grants for ideas to enhance the recovery and return to work of injured Victorian workers. The funding, to be delivered by Return to Work Victoria’s Innovations program, follows a $50 million investment to address the most challenging return-to-work barriers.

The $500,000 grants are for new initiatives and programs targeting early intervention for mental injuries within the first 26 weeks of submitting a claim. Although the benefits of returning to work are known — and include improved mental wellbeing, better financial independence and increased self-esteem — data shows that return-to-work rates for mental injuries remain a challenge, with only 40% returning to work within the first six months of a claim. This is compared with 73% for physical injuries.

“To help drive the improvements we need for injured workers, we need to bring new thinking, new ideas and new solutions to the table,” Return to Work Victoria Executive Director Jason Lardelli said. “We know that we can’t do this alone.

“Injured workers deserve a positive and speedy recovery, which is not only beneficial for the worker, but also for the people they love, their community, our business and workplaces.”

Employers, industry groups, self-insurers and unions are all encouraged to apply for the initial round of grant funding, which is aimed at the 10 industries with the highest mental injury rates. These are:

• Administrative and support services
• Construction
• Education and training
• Health care and social assistance
• Manufacturing
• Professional, scientific and technical services
• Public administration and safety
• Retail trade
• Transport, postal and warehousing
• Wholesale trade
   

Grant applications are now open and can be submitted online until Monday, 28 April 2025. Funding exclusions and eligibility criteria apply. More information is available here, via the WorkSafe Victoria website.

Image credit: iStock.com/ FabrikaCr. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.