This article summarises a Health Promotion Workforce Registration Partnership between AHPA and Preventive Health SA.
Background
The Australian Health Promotion Association (AHPA®) implements the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Health Promotion Accreditation System in Australia and is designated as the National Accreditation Organisation (NAO). As of the end of May 2024, there were 122 Registered Health Promotion Practitioners in Australia, the most of any country.
Summary
In June 2023, AHPA partnered with Preventive Health SA (formerly Wellbeing SA) on a Health Promotion Workforce Registration Partnership. The partnership focused on supporting a small number of Preventive Health SA staff to become IUHPE Registered Health Promotion Practitioners. The partnership built on a history of collaboration between the organisations, including undertaking an evidence-informed review to understand good practice approaches to health promotion workforce development across Australia in 2021.
The approach
Preventive Health SA, in partnership with AHPA, delivered a registration pilot project to six self-nominated staff within Preventive Health SA over a six-month period commencing June 2023.
Caption (from left to right): Jo Williams, Jacki Anderson, Sharina Nogot, Gabrielle Fisher, Laurianne Reinsborough, Amy Porcelli, Natasha Schranz.
AHPA supported registration within Preventive Health SA by providing the following support:
- Two workshops delivered to the six participating staff members. The first workshop described the purpose of registration and the application process. It also gave participants an opportunity for shared brainstorming around experiences that could be included as evidence against the various competencies. The second workshop provided staff with an opportunity to work through their individual applications with on-hand support from AHPA as needed.
- A focus group/reflection session after the pilot to reflect on the registration process and inform future initiatives
- Advice regarding health promotion registration and implementation of registration processes within workplaces
- Sharing of relevant tools and resources from AHPA and IUHPE.
Preventive Health SA provided the following support to participants:
- Ability to complete the application process in work time (in addition to participating in the two workshops)
- Covering the cost of registration (including the application fee, an individual annual membership fee, and a one year registration fee)
- A project coordinator who was able to liaise with AHPA to streamline processes and seek advice to common questions on behalf of all pilot project participants.
Outcomes
Of the six initial project participants, five successfully completed the registration process.
At the time of commencing this pilot project, there was only one registered Health Promotion Practitioner in South Australia.
Benefits
Interestingly, Preventive Health SA participants reported that the benefits to individuals and to the agency were just as much related to the process as to the outcome of having registered staff.
- Provided another level of confidence in the experience of registered staff
- Provided a good team-building activity for participating staff
- In a workforce with a range of different disciplines, registration provided a common language for staff
- It enabled us to also understand areas for future development as per where people found it harder to find evidence
- An opportunity for the SA Government to lead by example and to promote the agency as a preferred place of employment for health promotion practitioners as health promotion knowledge and expertise are valued and celebrated.
Enablers
Support from Preventive Health SA as employers was critical in enabling staff to achieve registration. This included:
- Ability to complete the application process in work time (in addition to participating in the two workshops)
- Covering the cost of registration (including the application fee, an individual annual membership fee, and a one-year registration fee)
- Staff collaborating to brainstorm sections of their applications and supporting each other with ideas of examples of work to use against the different competencies
- Staff member coordinating the relationship with AHPA, scheduling time for participants to work on applications and reminding them to make progress, dealing with logistics including payment and approvals.
Next steps
Preventive Health SA is committed to continuing to support its health promotion workforce through a range of capacity and capability-building activities that aim to strengthen the agency's current and future workforce.
About Preventive Health SA
Preventive Health SA is the South Australian Government organisation responsible for primary and primordial prevention functions, including health promotion.
Find out more about Preventive Health SA here.
