PBF employment program wins award

PBF membership helps us to provide meaningful employment opportunities after trauma, and we are proud to employ over 40 people living with permanent spinal cord injury. Many are engaged as injury prevention presenters sharing their personal stories to reduce the incidence and impact of spinal cord injuries in Australia.

We were delighted to receive recognition for our employment program, being announced as award winners in the “Outstanding Achievement in Practice that Supports Recovery for those Impacted by Road Trauma” category at the 2023 Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Awards coordinated by Injury Matters.

The financial, physical and emotional costs of injury after trauma can be devastating. Living with a permanent injury is an isolating experience and can make life very lonely for those impacted. Not being able to participate in normal work which gives purpose and meaning is very difficult. It is widely accepted that returning to meaningful work after trauma has a positive impact on mental health and well-being.

Paid employment with PBF is sometimes the only source of income available and helps provide purpose and fulfillment. Being able to offer more work opportunities will allow us to attract new presenters and deliver essential road safety messages to a broader audience.

Our peer support program and injury prevention presentations delivered by our team members living with permanent injury are considered very favorably by the community, broader health networks and by PBF members. Feedback following safety education programs is always positive, with our presenters complimented on their ability to engage all audience groups. We maintain good team member retention rates but are also proud that many of our presenters have been able to secure full-time employment in other sectors having regained their confidence and built their skills and experience after returning to work with PBF.

The outcomes of this initiative are perhaps best summed up in these testimonials provided by PBF team members themselves:

“PBF gave me something real to get up and do again.  PBF helped me find a purpose again”. JN

“Being able to offer meaningful employment opportunities to individuals who can no longer return to their previous employment is of very high value.  Not only does it allow someone to earn a living, it promotes independence, community inclusion, social interaction and self-worth.”  RH

“I want to share my story as a PBF speaker to help prevent people from making the same mistakes as I did and to empower them to make the right choices on the road. ” KR

“Working with PBF gives me a purpose in life and I want others to learn from my experience” GW

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