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Return to Work Team leader Sarah Boolom says that small steps can mean giant leaps for an injured worker and their employer.

Returning an injured worker to their former position as quickly as possible is Actevate’s ultimate goal, according to Actevate Return to work Team Leader, Sarah Bollom. When this is not immediately possible, the rehabilitation consultant will determine other vocational options suitable to the worker and employer. This involves conducting occupational tests and identifying occupational interests. The process is complex and normally involves a multitude of stakeholders. Despite this it can be very rewarding for all involved. "Ultimately, when someone is placed in employment again and is financially secure, seeing them regain their sense of worth is one of the most fulfilling parts of this role. Sadly it is often the forgotten part of injury management", Ms Bollom said.

Often its the small steps that have the most profound impact on a person’s life, and according to Ms Bollom, "Some of the most challenging cases have greatest outcomes." This tends to happen when a person has had a particular role for most of their working life and on becoming physically injured needs to come to terms with the fact that they may never work in that role again, or go back to the same employer.

“I am often helping older workers. I’m currently working on a case with a 56 year old forklift driver who was planning retirement after 22 years in his job. It was looking unlikely he would return to the same line of work simply because his injury limited his manual dexterity. We are working on getting his quality of life back, even if it is not in the same type of employment,” she said.

Sarah doesn’t work alone on many of these cases. While her challenge is to identify appropriate work options and help the worker adjust to a new vocational goal, the injured person might need support in other areas as well. According to Sarah, sometimes people have lost some of their motivation and need to regain a sense of worth, or undergo physical therapy. “I am just one part of the ‘return to work team’ at Actevate. There are 19 of us working together across a number of cases at any one time. Within our team people have access to a range of help needed to get them back on their feet, including a nurse, occupational therapists, rehabilitation counsellors, doctors and psychologists” Sarah said.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Health Science in Rehabilitation Counselling, which is specific to this role. Her previous role was with the Wesley Mission, working with disadvantaged youth, tackling homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, and identifying training and employment options.

Sarah says her skills from this position are very transferable. “I learned to case manage people with Wesley Mission, despite their very different needs”.