Family Support Liaison Officer

The Family Support Liaison Officer is available to support families through our investigation and legal processes following the death of a partner or relative at work. In some cases, this service is also available to seriously injured workers.

Role of a Family Support Liaison Officer

The Family Support Liaison Officer is a specifically-trained person who is independent from conducting investigations, but works closely with the investigation team. They are not a counsellor, but can provide you and your family with various levels of support. In most cases, the WorkSafe Family Support Liaison Officer will be your first and primary contact person at WorkSafe following a work-related death.

The Family Support Liaison Officer can:

keep you informed about the investigation and prosecution processes
provide information and link you to other relevant government agencies
provide regular updates on key investigative milestones
help you understand court processes and provide family support at court hearings
connect you with other support services if you request it.

We have adopted the Safe Work Australia National Principles to guide best practice in supporting bereaved families impacted by a work-related death.

Note: The Family Support Liaison Officer is unable to provide crisis support. If you need urgent counselling, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 and, in an emergency, call 000.

A list of support services have been included on this page.

During the course of an investigation, WorkSafe is restricted to sharing general information only. In addition to confidentiality requirements, sharing any specific information may affect the integrity of the ongoing investigation and, if appropriate, any prosecution. Also, given the majority of evidentiary material collected during the investigation is for the dominant purpose of seeking legal advice for anticipated legal proceedings, this means the information is protected by a common law right (legal professional privilege) and cannot be shared. This rule applies regardless of whether a charge is recommended later or not. If you have any questions about this process, the Family Support Liaison Officer may be able to answer your queries.
The Freedom of Information Act 1992 (FOI Act) provides a general right of access to documents held by a government agency. There are specific exemptions within the FOI Act that prohibit the release of certain types of information. This includes information that would prejudice an ongoing investigation, or that may identify a third party. This means, an information request submitted before an investigation is completed, in most cases, will not enable information permitted to be released to be made available. Therefore, we suggest delaying a request for information until the investigation is completed to ensure all available information can be provided.

We encourage you to contact the Department before submitting your application. Our FOI coordinators can advise if the information you are seeking requires an FOI application and, if so, how to apply. A legislated $30 application fee is required when lodging the application. A copy of the death certificate is also required to establish your relationship to the deceased.

You can speak to the Family Liaison Officer or FOI co-ordinators about FOI applications, or visit the department's freedom of information webpage for more information.

General FOI information is also available by accessing the Office of the Information Commissioner’s website.

Support services

Talking to someone in a safe and confidential environment may help you find ways of coping with your feelings. Here are some suggestions for finding someone to talk to.

Your family doctor – you may get some practical help and support from your family doctor. They may also be able to help you find a counsellor, if you need one.
Your local church or religious group may offer some support.
Your partner or relative's union may offer some support.
A workplace Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – if your partner or relative was an employee, then you may have access to a counsellor through their workplace’s employee assistance program. This may provide grief counselling. You could contact the employer to see if such a program is available.

Family members who are affected by the loss of someone through a work-related death, the Coroner's Court has a free counselling service available for families and friends of deceased people. The counsellors can help explain the post-mortem examination, the coroner's role and arrangements to see your partner or relative's body. They can also provide counselling on trauma and loss.

The Family Support Liaison Officer has access to different support services and may be able to complete a referral seeking those services on your behalf.

Mental health support

If you or a family member needs help immediately, please contact the following services.

Organisation	Phone number
Beyond Blue	1300 22 4636
Crisis Care, Department of Communities	92231111 or 1800 199 008
Kids Help Line 24-hour telephone counselling service for children and young people	1800 551 80
Lifeline WA 24-hour crisis telephone service for anyone needing emotional support	13 11 14
Mental Health Emergency Response Line (MHERL) 24-hour telephone service for people in the Perth metropolitan area experiencing a mental health crisis	1300 555 788 (Perth metropolitan) or 1800 676 822 (Peel region)

Assistance for bereaved persons

The following services are also available to assist the bereaved.

Organisation	Phone number
Compassionate Friends Western Australia Supports families who have lost a child, regardless of that child’s age or circumstances of their death. They provide information resources and peer support through group meetings.	08 6107 6288 or 08 6107 6257
Coronial Counselling Service, Coroner’s Court of Western Australia Assistance with some grief counselling or arrange referral to other community agencies, professional counsellors and support groups	A duty counsellor is available daily between 7am and 6 pm. 9425 2900 (business hours) or 1800 671 994 (country callers)
Grief Centre of Western Australia The Grief Centre of Western Australia provides practical, psychological and emotional support services for people experiencing grief through bereavement	0404 658 052
Griefline Telephone support, online forums and support groups for anyone experiencing grief and loss	1300 845 745 (6 am to midnight, 7 days a week)
Injury Matters, Road Trauma Support WA Information, support and counselling to anyone in WA who has been affected by a road crash, including family, friends and carers	6166 7688

Memorial and remembrance

Worker’s Memorial Day is held on 28 April each year at Solidarity Park, corner of Parliament Place and Harvest Terrace, West Perth. It provides an opportunity to remember those who have died as a result of workplace accidents, incidents and disease and to also to campaign for stronger occupational safety and health laws.

Following the service community members are invited to lay wreaths at the memorial wall.

Resources and guidance

A death in a workplace: A Guide for Families
National Principles for supporting bereaved families, Safe Work Australia
Indexation of Workers’ Compensation Payments for 2021-22, WorkCover WA
Prosecution summaries