Wurru-Ki Peer Resolution Program

How Wurru‑Ki works

Wurru‑Ki is available to every Barwon Health employee, volunteer, contractor, consultant, etc (‘workers’) who is experiencing any concern with the regard to the workplace conduct of any other Barwon Health worker.

Access to Wurru‑Ki can be made by either speaking directly with or emailing a Peer Contact Officer, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. whereby arrangement will be made for a Peer Contact Officer to respond to the sender of the email.

Peer Contact Officers

Peer Contact Officers are the first point of contact for any worker who wishes to utilise Wurru‑Ki (an Initiator). The Peer Contact Officer will discuss the Initiator’s concerns and advise them of their Wurru‑Ki options.

To ensure consistency, a script is followed by all Peer Contact Officers, to the extent the information to be gathered and conveyed is the same for every person who speaks with a Peer Contact Officer.

Peer Contact Officers will seek for Initiators to decide which of the three Wurru‑Ki confidentiality options they wish to choose. Upon an Initiator advising of their choice the Peer Contact Officer will then follow the procedural requirements associated with that choice, that is they will either:

make an anonymous statistical report to the Wurru‑Ki Director; or
provide relevant details for the Wurru‑Ki Director to confidentially maintain in the Issues Safe, but take no other action; or
Make a referral to a Peer Resolution Officer, with relevant details also provided to the Wurru‑Ki director to confidentially maintain in the Issues Safe.

Peer Resolution Officers

Upon referral from a Peer Contact Officer, Peer Resolution Officers will speak with an Initiator to discuss their concerns and to establish what outcome the Initiator may be seeking. The Peer Resolution Officer will similarly seek for the Initiator to decide which of the three Wurru‑Ki confidentiality options they wish to choose (the three confidentiality options remain open to the Initiator).

If the Initiator wishes for the matter to proceed, the Peer Resolution officer will then speak with the person who is the cause of the Initiator’s concerns (the Respondent) to advise of the concerns that have been raised, the identity of the Initiator and what the Initiator is seeking by way of resolution. Discussion will then take place as to the Respondent’s willingness to seek resolution and what they would like to seek by way of resolution. There is no obligation on a Respondent to take part in the Wurru‑Ki process. However if the Respondent does not want to participate this will limit the Initiators options in dealing with the matter.

If the Respondent is willing to seek resolution, the Peer Resolution Officer will then work with both parties in an effort to bring them to an agreed resolution. The choice as to whether an agreed resolution is achieved will always rest jointly with the Initiator and Respondent. There is no obligation on either party to have to reach agreement. Where an agreed resolution is achieved, the Peer Resolution Officer will draw up a written agreement for both parties to sign and which is then put forward for approval by the Wurru‑Ki Director, noting that whatever might be agreed to may require organisational consideration. Once approved the Initiator and Respondent will be provided with a copy of the written agreement. The matter will then be considered resolved.

If Resolution is not reached it will be for the Initiator to determine if and how they wish to proceed with their concerns outside of Wurru‑Ki. One option open to the Initiator would be to lodge a formal complaint against the Respondent under Barwon Health’s Managing Complaints of Unsatisfactory Performance and Misconduct Guidelines.

To ensure consistency, a script is followed by all Peer Resolution Officers, to the extent the information to be gathered and conveyed is the same for every person who speaks with a Peer Resolution Officer.

Objective, Impartial, No Blame and No Judgement

Peer Contact Officers and Peer Resolution Officers operate objectively and impartially. They and will not investigate matters nor advocate for any person. Similarly, they will not judge or, make determinations as to who is right or wrong, and nor will they apportion blame upon any person.

Workforce Relations has no involvement in matters addressed under the Wurru‑Ki process.

Without Prejudice

Concurrent functions

Exclusions

Wurru‑Ki Terminologies

Worker

Any Barwon Health employee, volunteer, consultant, contractor or any other person directly engaged by Barwon Health.

Initiators

An Initiator is any worker who accesses Wurru‑Ki because of a concern they have in regards to the workplace behaviour of another worker.

Respondent

A Respondent is any worker identified by an Initiator as the person responsible for the workplace behaviour which has caused the concern for the Initiator.