Children of female first responders finally have a book to help explain PTSD

As more women take on frontline emergency roles across Australia, a new children’s book is helping families explain the invisible impact of trauma experienced by those who serve their communities.

The Code 9 Foundation has released My Mum, My Hero, a companion to the widely supported My Dad, My Hero, to help children understand post-traumatic stress and other mental health injuries affecting first responders. 

The release comes as research continues to highlight the mental health toll faced by emergency service workers. The national Beyond Blue Answering the Call study, which examined nearly 15,000 police and emergency services personnel across Australia, found: 

• 1 in 10 currently serving first responders experience probable PTSD
• Up to 1 in 4 former first responders experience PTSD after leaving the profession
• More than one-third report high or very high psychological distress

Emergency workers are also exposed to traumatic incidents far more frequently than the general population due to the nature of frontline work.

Women now make up more than half of Australia’s paramedic workforce, nearly one-third of police officers, around 10 per cent of firefighters, and the majority of 000 operators, highlighting the growing number of mothers serving on the frontline of Australia’s emergency response system.

Despite these shifts, resources helping children understand the emotional toll of frontline work have historically focused on fathers.