AW&E providers:

1.1 Are integrated into the HP program to contribute to the overall performance outcomes of individual athletes.

1.2 Develop and maintain a comprehensive understanding of current HP program priorities, demands, and challenges.

1.3 Engage in constructive working relationships with all key stakeholders in the HP program: athletes, coaches, service providers, institutional partners, sporting bodies, or other relevant members of a HP team.

1.4 Provide information to athletes, HP staff, and leadership in the organisation about AW&E services, both directly and via attendance at team meetings and through reporting avenues.

1.5 Promote cultures that value mental health awareness and literacy to create an environment characterised by psychological safety.

1.6 Undertake detailed athlete and/or team analysis to design and implement tailored AW&E servicing in collaboration with the HP team.

1.7 Regularly review and update AW&E measures and servicing through team, athlete, and stakeholder feedback, and in accordance with the evolving priorities of the HP program.

AW&E providers:

2.1 Build and maintain trust-based relationships with HP athletes based on strict standards of confidentiality, as outlined clearly at the commencement of the relationship.

2.2 Do not disclose confidential information about an athlete to third parties (including other HP team members) without the explicit consent of the athlete, unless:

• the provider considers there is evidence of serious danger to the athlete, to the organisation, or to others if the information is withheld; or
• required by law.

2.3 Establish relationships with athlete support networks (parents, partners, carers) in order to provide them with information and resources around supporting a HP athlete.

2.4 Ensure at all times that they:

• Represent their professional qualifications, competencies, experience, and affiliations with honesty and integrity;
• Behave in a manner that demonstrates the wellbeing of the athlete as the paramount consideration;
• Do nothing to put at risk the integrity of the athlete or sport; and
• Refrain from developing personal relationships with athletes.

2.5 Recognise and acknowledge the impact that cultural identities, views, and biases can have on personal practice and the HP environment, and seek to encourage diversity and inclusion within sport.

2.6 Deliver services in accordance with the rules, regulations, and guidelines of any relevant regulatory body. AW&E providers safeguard the privacy of athletes by adhering to organisational privacy policies in respect of personal information.

AW&E providers:

3.1 Ensure tailored AW&E servicing for athletes as they transition into HP programs, including playing a key role in comprehensive induction, relocation support where applicable, and the delivery of key HP program information.

3.2 Recognise when an individual’s needs fall outside of the AW&E provider’s area of expertise, and act to ensure timely and effective referral to appropriate service providers.

3.3 Maintain clear identification of AW&E service providers for every HP athlete. Where an athlete has more than one AW&E provider, ensure the roles of the primary and secondary provider(s) are clearly understood, and that professional relationships are maintained to support a shared care arrangement.

3.4 Ensure AW&E services are tailored to support athletes as they progress through HP sport, including targeted support during times of heightened wellbeing risk: injury, non-selection, post-benchmark events, or other relevant life transitions.

3.5 Ensure tailored AW&E services to support athletes as they transition out of a HP program, including access to AW&E resources and referral networks as appropriate, and the promotion of alumni opportunities.

AW&E providers:

4.1 Encourage and support athletes to:

• Identify behaviours required to thrive in a HP sport environment and in life;
• Monitor and evaluate their progress in HP sport and in life; and
• Balance the competing demands of HP with life outside of sport.

4.2 Encourage and support athletes to recognise the benefits - both to HP outcomes and overall wellbeing - of investing in areas of life outside of sport (including career and education, personal and professional development, and the value of contributing to community).

4.3 Create, record, and manage an Individual Life Plan (ILP) for every categorised HP athlete. ILPs are tailored to an athlete’s individual needs and complement the athlete’s performance plan. ILPs take close account of training, selection, and competition schedules while encouraging athletes to explore the full range of their options and aspirations in and out of HP in the short, medium, and long-term.

4.4 Have a comprehensive understanding of the roles and responsibilities required of an effective case manager. These include assessing, planning, facilitating, and advocating for timely and appropriate referrals.

4.5 Utilise the full range of resources available across the national network, AW&E and other professional networks, to facilitate the highest level of AW&E servicing in the areas of mental health, conduct and professionalism, career and education, community engagement, and personal development.

AW&E providers:

5.1 Actively engage in professional peer support to challenge cultural inertia and enhance AW&E practices across the board.

5.2 Undertake educational and professional skills building opportunities to support their role.

5.3 Build progressive understandings about the tools, programs, resources, and support available to them through national sporting agencies and governing bodies.

5.4 Initiate appropriate self-evaluation processes at regular intervals, including with supervision, to maintain and enhance the quality, capability, and professionalism of their practice.

5.5 Model healthy work and wellbeing practices in the HP environment.

5.6 Have a current understanding of organisational Critical Incident Management (CIM) policies and procedures, and respond effectively and appropriately to critical incidents in a wellbeing context as required.

• Embrace AW&E providers as vital and valued service providers who are structurally embedded into high performance interdisciplinary teams supporting elite athletes.
• Support and encourage all high performance staff (HP leaders, coaches, managers, directors) to develop a good working knowledge of the role and responsibilities of AW&E providers.
• Support and encourage HP staff to learn and understand the function of an AW&E provider within the broader HP team.
• Ensure for AW&E providers an appropriate level of access and visibility in the daily training environment (DTE), camps, selection events or conversations, and/or competitions.
• Evaluate the resources required to assess, design, and implement AW&E measures and initiatives in response to identified needs, in line with HP processes and priorities.
• Support all stakeholders in the collaborative creation of HP environments that promote wellbeing at all times and encourage the long-term personal and professional growth of athletes alongside the demands of a HP career.

This recommendation is based on industry research of best practice service models emerging in national and international HP sport programs (see Appendix 1). The AIS will continue discussions about aligning role titles (AW&E Manager, AW&E Adviser, Personal Development Adviser, Performance Lifestyle Adviser) to foster consistency across the HP system.

The best practice ratios are for Podium-level athletes. For talent pathway athletes, i.e. Developing and Emerging categorised athletes, it is recommended that relevant curriculum (and critical needs support) be delivered at a ratio of 80:1 where feasible.

Transition-out support for podium-level athletes needs to be documented with the athlete, and servicing agreed between a NIN and NSO (as relevant) for a minimum period of 24 months, commencing from the time of the athlete’s retirement or exit from a HP program as the case may be.