Laundry industry champions mental health awareness

The first course of 2023 took place on the 23-24 January and provided line managers with an understanding of common mental health issues, and the knowledge they need to feel confident about advocating for mental health issues. Attendees were also shown how to spot signs of mental ill health as well as skills to support positive wellbeing. All participants qualify as Mental Health First Aid Champions upon completion. The course became sold out very quickly, demonstrating the interest the laundry industry has in driving improvements in this area.

This will be followed up with another chance to take the Mental Health First Aider course. This is aimed at providing information and building confidence to help with identifying mental health issues and helping anyone experiencing them to get the help they need, as well as ways to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. “The TSA feels it is vitally important that it supports its members to help ensure their employees mental health is looked after,” says David Stevens, CEO of the TSA. “It’s brilliant that we now have more qualified mental healthfirst aiders in the industry, and we hope more companies will be inspired to join this initiative.”

The first of the MHFA courses was also fully booked, and any TSA member interested in attending the next one is advised to register their interest now to ensure they are informed when bookings open.

Feedback from attendees from the first two courses held in 2022 was overwhelmingly positive. Responses include “I now feel confident to approach someone who I feel may be struggling,” and “It taught me skills that will allow me to assist or guide someone in difficulty.”

“The enthusiasm for these courses are a concrete demonstration of the laundry industry’s commitment to driving improvements in inclusion and wellbeing,” says David. “The industry is rightly proud of its successes in building out ways of supporting its employees, and the TSA will continue to find ways of providing the training and skills they need in order to continue doing so. We feel with the cost of living crisis and other pressures people are facing that this is more important than ever.”

For more information about future training events and to secure your place please visit the TSA’s website.

The TSA is the trade association for the textile care services industry. Visit www.tsa-uk.org for more information.