The National Eating Disorders Workforce Implementation Plan is a practical guide to building a skilled, confident and well-distributed workforce across Australia’s system of care for eating disorders. It translates the National Eating Disorders Strategy workforce Priority Actions into clear guidance for individuals, teams, services, educators, and sector leaders.
Do you work in, manage, or lead a service in health, mental health, education, community services, or sport?
The Workforce Implementation Plan provides practical guidance for both individual practitioners and services. Find where your role or service fits and discover actions you can take to strengthen eating disorder prevention, identification, treatment, and support in your setting. No specialist eating disorder experience is required.
Read the Workforce Implementation Plan here
Background to the Workforce Implementation Plan
The National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023–2033 sets out a roadmap for a comprehensive, stepped system of care. Of its 141 Priority Actions, 63 relate to the workforce. The Workforce Implementation Plan translates these 63 actions into practical guidance and resources for building capability at an individual, team, service, regional, state and national level.
Many of the people most likely to first meet someone at risk of an eating disorder are not specialists. GPs, school counsellors, emergency nurses, community workers, educators, and coaches all play a part. When workers are well equipped, eating disorders can be recognised earlier, people are connected with care sooner, and receive the right support in the right place. Building capability across this broader workforce, alongside strengthening specialist expertise, is a national priority.
The Plan works across the full pipeline, from tertiary education and early career development through to professional practice and specialist training. It builds on strong foundations already in place across the sector, including the Workforce Core Competencies, the ANZAED Eating Disorder Credential, existing training infrastructure, and a growing Lived Experience workforce.
The Workforce Implementation Plan was developed by NEDC with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. It is a key initiative of the National Eating Disorders Strategy 2023–2033.
What we are working towards
By 2033, the National Strategy aims to achieve a workforce that is skilled, diverse and distributed across the full system of care. People experiencing or at risk of an eating disorder should encounter a capable, confident response wherever they present, whether in their local GP clinic, headspace centre, at school, an emergency department or a specialist service.
Two high-level outcomes will guide and measure progress:
· There is increased availability of a skilled and diverse workforce across the system of care.
· The workforce is confident and willing to provide care to people experiencing or at risk of eating disorders.
Find yourself in the Plan
The Workforce Implementation Plan is organised around NEDC’s Stepped System of Care and the Workforce Core Competencies. Not every section will be relevant to every reader. Use the guide below to go straight to the sections that fit your role.
| If you work in or lead | Start with | Focus |
| Any role, or new to the Plan | Section 1: Overview | Background, framework and how to use the Plan |
| Health and mental health services, education, sport and fitness, workplaces, media, community services, public health |
Section 1: Overview Section 2: Prevention |
Eating Disorder Safe principles, weight stigma, prevention programs |
| General practice, emergency departments, schools, dietetics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, alcohol and other drug services, helplines |
Section 1: Overview Section 3: Identification |
Recognising warning signs, engagement, screening and referral pathways |
| Mental health professionals, GPs, paediatricians, emergency department staff, dietitians |
Section 1: Overview Section 4: Initial Response |
Assessment, diagnosis, psychoeducation, referral, and Medicare items |
| Treatment providers across community, hospital, residential and specialist settings |
Section 1: Overview Section 5: Treatment |
Multidisciplinary capability, training standards, ANZAED Credential, supervision |
| Psychosocial support, community services, Lived Experience and peer work, family and carer support |
Section 1: Overview Section 6: Psychosocial & Recovery Support |
Eating Disorder Safe practice for non-clinical roles, Lived Experience workforce |
| Service leaders, government, tertiary and vocational education, professional bodies, sector organisations |
Section 1: Overview Section 7: Workforce System Enablers |
Workforce planning, data, curriculum and accountability |
| NEDC, ANZAED, service development and lived experience organisations, national forum members |
Section 1: Overview Section 8: National Coordination |
Roles, activity streams, forums, timeline and resource priorities |
Download the Workforce Implementation Plan here
How to use the Workforce Implementation Plan
Effective workforce development fits the demands of each role, builds over time and sits within existing structures. It should add value without adding burden. The Plan recommends three approaches:
· Build capability progressively. Start with Eating Disorder Safe principles and foundational awareness, then build knowledge and skill over time.
· Spread capability across the team. Aim for baseline awareness for all staff, targeted skills for those who regularly meet eating disorder presentations, and a defined champion or coordination role.
· Build learning into existing structures. Use supervision, team meetings and professional development time so capability is sustained through practice and ongoing support.
Each action in the Plan identifies an Implementation Lead and Implementation Partners, an indicative timeframe, and the resources and tools available to support it.
The Workforce Development Key Components Model will be available soon.
Resources and tools
Every section of the Plan links to resources that support implementation, organised into four types:
· Training: eLearning, face-to-face programs and clinical training aligned to national standards.
· Practice support tools: assessment tools, clinical guidelines, referral pathway guides and role-specific how-to resources.
· Organisational support systems: workforce planning tools, supervision frameworks, needs analysis surveys and position description guides.
· Data and continuous quality improvement: outcome measurement tools, progress tracking templates and workforce needs assessments to help services see where they are now and track change over time.
Resources developed across the life of the Plan will be available on NEDC’s Workforce Development Hub, the central platform for accessing resources, completing needs analyses, finding training and sharing implementation activity.
Visit the Workforce Development Hub here
Companion resource: Lived Experience Workforce Implementation Guide
Lived Experience workers bring unique insight, expertise and skills to governance, leadership, consultation and direct care roles across the system of care. Their contribution is integral to a system that reflects the needs and perspectives of people with lived experience.
The National Eating Disorders Lived Experience Workforce Implementation Guide is a companion to the Workforce Implementation Plan. It guides organisations and services through preparing for, implementing and supporting an eating disorder Lived Experience workforce, with practical guidance, templates and resources covering:
· Organisational readiness to support Lived Experience leaders and workers
· Role design, role descriptions, policies and procedures
· Supervision, training and professional development
· Upskilling the broader mental health Lived Experience workforce in eating disorder awareness
· Organisational readiness to support Lived Experience leaders and workers
· Remuneration in line with appropriate award structures
The Guide should be used alongside Section 6 (Psychosocial & Recovery Support) and Section 7 (Workforce System Enablers) of the Plan.
The Lived Experience Workforce Implementation Guide will be available soon.
How the Workforce Implementation Plan is delivered
NEDC provides national leadership for eating disorder workforce development and coordinates rollout and use of the Workforce Implementation Plan as part of the implementation of the National Eating Disorders Strategy.
Implementation is supported through national forums, networks and partnerships that connect national priorities with local action. Key mechanisms include the National Strategy Implementation Network, Training Providers Reference Group (TPRG), and Workforce Development Hub, which together guide implementation, build workforce capability, share resources, and monitor progress.
By bringing together state and territory partners, lived experience organisations, professional bodies, government, educators and researchers, NEDC helps ensure workforce development efforts are coordinated, evidence-informed and aligned across Australia.
Collaborate with us
NEDC welcomes collaboration with services, organisations, educators and governments implementing the Workforce Implementation Plan. This includes co-developing resources, sharing workforce initiatives and data, piloting new approaches and joining national forums. To explore opportunities, contact training@nedc.com.au.
Questions?
Contact the NEDC Workforce Development team via training@nedc.com.au.