Mental health and wellbeing policy
Wellbeing team: Imogen and Chris - Wellbeing Champions, Julie - Mindfulness Mentor and Annette - preschool counsellor
Clophill Preschool has a duty of care to look after the health and wellbeing of its children, families and staff.
We aim to:
• create a workplace culture that promotes and supports the health and wellbeing of all staff and our preschool community
• encourage and promote healthy life choices
• deliver non-judgemental support to anyone experiencing a mental health issue
‘The term ‘mental health’ for babies and young children describes their wellbeing in terms of their social and emotional development.’
‘Self-regulation is our ability to adapt, adjust and control our emotions, actions and thoughts. It plays an essential role in mental health.’
‘Children are not born with the ability to self-regulate’ they ‘need to continually learn and develop their self-regulation skills’ through co-regulation with responsive, sensitive adults. (Mental health for early years children Gov.uk)
Promoting physical activity and encouraging healthy eating, can help everyone manage stress, while also improving overall health and wellbeing.
Please click here for a link to information on a variety of common mental health issues such as:
depression
anxiety disorders
schizophrenia
bipolar disorder
personality disorders
Mental wellbeing
Promoting mental wellbeing by:
• Providing information and raising awareness of mental health issues without stigma on email, website etc
• Promoting policies and actions that support mental wellbeing in the workplace for everyone
• Equipping employees with the skills to support their own mental health and that of those around them
Physical wellbeing
Encouraging physical health by:
• Promoting physical activity across the setting
• Supporting a healthy diet in the workplace
Management and leadership
It is important for us that our managers and leaders are equipped with the skills to identify and assist those with mental ill health
We are members of Early Years in Mind (Anna Freud Centre).
Support for employees
Offering support to employees by:
Creating a culture that supports the wellbeing of all employees and is empathetic to their needs
Offering help, support and guidance to those with a mental health issue through the support of our in-house counsellor
Assisting those returning to work after a period of mental ill health with a ‘back to work’ discussion and develop forms of support with necessary adjustments to the role/environment
Regularly checking in on their wellbeing
Provide ways for staff to support their own mental wellbeing through 5 to Thrive program, regular sessions with our in-house counsellor, stress busting activities during meetings and mindful moment teaching to use during session
Be sensitive and flexible where possible to employees requests for time off or adjustment of hours for personal or family events.
Set realistic targets and deadlines for staff during supervisions and for paperwork completion
Deal with any conflict quickly and make sure the workplace is free from bullying, harassment, racism or discrimination
Ensure all staff have clear job descriptions, objectives and responsibilities, as well as the training to do their job well
Ensure good communication between managers, staff and teams
Provide termly supervision sessions including a wellbeing survey
Deliver a thorough induction for all new starters, providing an outline of the organisation, the policies and the role they are expected to play
Treat all matters relating to staff mental ill health in the strictest confidence, and only share information with prior consent from the individual concerned
Ensure that all staff involved in the recruitment process are aware of mental health issues and the Disability Discrimination Act
Ensure that all line managers have received mental health first aid training, or have the skills to manage mental health in the workplace
The workplace Mental health and wellbeing policy is included in the employee Handbook, and is promoted at training days
All staff will also be made aware of their own responsibilities in implementing the policy actions. Including, raising any issues or concerns, and seeking help
Posting information about mental health support to staff information page
Additional information: What do we know about wellbeing?
Support for children and families
We hope to catch any concerns with children’s PSED early on and act upon them as we would with adults.
Staff are trained to offer calming and mindfulness activities regularly with the children and we consult frequently with a child psychologist to explore individual children’s needs and find ways to support them.
We offer a proficient Early Help service for families within setting that can reach beyond to local council support, and engagement with other organisations.
Staff build good relationships with families and will act if they feel parents or families members are in need of support, this may be through the Early Help process or just by inviting them in for a cuppa and a chat.
We post regular information on the website and to our Facebook page to support mental health and wellbeing for adults and children.
Planned response ideas for someone we think may be having a mental health crisis:
Concentrate on their immediate needs such as dealing with any wounds they might have if it is safe to do so, or helping them find a quiet area away from other people
Listen to them without making any judgements
If they are seeing or hearing things, remind them that you are there and don’t dismiss their experiences or reinforce them
Ask what would help them
Be reassuring
Avoid confrontation
Ask if you can contact someone for them
Offer additional support from Annette (preschool counsellor)
Work together to suggest the Early Help process within setting and beyond if required
Signpost them to practical information, where appropriate
Encourage them to seek help from a local crisis team, their GP or other appropriate professional
Call 111 (option 2) as the first point of contact if someone is experiencing a mental health crisis. Support is available 24/7.
Links to additional resources to support mental health and wellbeing:
For children:
Action plan: Mental health first aid training underway for Imogen and Chris.
May 24