Dan Allen and Ed Ross founded TIACS in 2020, their second venture launched closely behind TradeMutt, a social impact workwear brand.
TradeMutt supports this cause with bold and colourful work attire as a symbol for mental health awareness.
TIACS undertakes the goal of empowering blue-collar workers to discuss and seek help as they need it.
According to Dan, TIACS’ creation was partially motivated by what he and Ed perceived as a lack of crisis prevention services available to those struggling with mental health.
In a space full of support systems which are equipped to assist those experiencing mental health difficulties, Dan and Ed wanted to offer support before people’s challenges became too difficult to handle.
“We thought something needed to be done to be able to prevent people from getting to the point of crisis,” Dan says.
“We didn’t want to just donate to our existing organisation [TradeMutt] that wasn’t achieving the outcomes we were hoping for. So, we went about creating TIACS.”
Unlike TradeMutt, TIACS’ mental health services are geared exclusively towards the blue-collar workforce that Dan and Ed felt deserved its own support system given the unique challenges that the workforce faces, many of which can vary from the emotionally draining to the physically taxing.
Members of the blue-collar community are exposed to very specific pressures related to their work and productivity. Studies have shown that this can act as a breeding ground or exacerbating force for mental health struggles.
As carpenters themselves, Dan and Ed are personally aware of these pressures.
“Like all industries, blue collar industries have particular nuances surrounding the work that is performed and the way in which it is performed,” Dan says.
“Blue collar work is very much ‘time is money’ oriented, and for the most part, you can only complete that work during the daylight hours. So, there’s often a lot of pressure to get the job done no matter what area of the blue-collar community you come from, whether you’re a tradie, a truckie, a farmer or anything else.”
Work-related stress, work relationships, remuneration. These, according to Dan, are all kinds of situational stressors.
“If left unaddressed, they can contribute to poor mental health,” he adds.
Due to the ability of these situational stressors to aggravate poor mental health, it is critical for those who seek help to get it in a timely fashion.
Understanding this, TIACS’ mental health services are positioned to be easily accessible for tradies, truckies, farmers, blue collar workers and their loved ones, offering both phone call and text avenues to receive support by connecting them to professional counsellors without the need for a referral.
Most importantly, clients get to speak with the same counsellor throughout their entire mental health support journeys.
TIACS receives its funding via the TIACS Alliance, a donation framework created by Dan and Ed which offers a tiered system of monetary support options to partners, whose donations go to fund the organisation’s counsellors.
“Our funding model is essentially a collective of businesses from or adjacent to the industry who subscribe to fund either a part-time or full-time counsellor,” Dan says.
“Some 45 businesses chip in to fund these roles. Last financial year, TradeMutt was able to fund four full-time counsellors.”
Cold-chain logistics transporter Scully RSV is one of these 45 businesses donating to TIACS’ case.
This collaboration, known as the TIACS Scully RSV Alliance Partnership, has been operating for nearly three years, according to TIACS co-CEO Jason Banks.
Initiated by Scully RSV National Sales Manager Glenn Smith, who reached out to TIACS to explore the opportunity of giving back to the freight and logistics industry through financial support to the mental health counselling support service, Scully RSV contributes $7,500 each year as a Bronze Alliance Partner.
“Scully RSV directly supports TIACS in providing professional, confidential and free mental health counselling sessions for blue collar workers Australia-wide,” Jason explains.
Scully RSV’s consistent support for TIACS extends beyond its financial donations.
Some of Scully RSV’s trucks have been specially wrapped in the colours and patterns of the TradeMutt workwear, bringing extensive attention to both TradeMutt and TIACS while transporting freight across busy stretches of road throughout Australia.
Additionally, Scully RSV has lent some of its trucks to TIACS to be taken up to the Gympie Muster music festival from Brisbane, allowing the mental health counselling support service in conjunction with TradeMutt to sell TradeMutt clothing and disseminate both brands among younger members of the public.
This kind of support offers an indispensable level of exposure to the mental health service according to Jason.
“The TIACS and TradeMutt branded wrapped truck is a mobile billboard that is driving around Southeast Queensland, starting conversations and sharing the TIACS message,” he says.
“It’s been a great talking point for the brand, and the TIACS team is humbled by the support of Scully RSV in how they continue to support the industry and our mission.”
Dan and Ed have nurtured TIACS over the past four years, watching their idea grow into a large mental health organisation that supports a wide array of blue-collar workers, and has been immensely assisted by both the financial and material support from Scully RSV.
Contributions like those from Scully RSV enable TIACS to grow across the country, helping the organisation achieve its goal of removing the social barriers which come with accessing mental health support.
“We want to encourage people to be able to open up and talk to one another about their mental health experiences,” Dan says. “We just want to be the mental health service that people can tell their mates about.”
