Southwark Council signs mental health pledge

Posted on Wednesday 7 November 2018

SOUTHWARK COUNCIL has signed up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge, demonstrating its commitment to destigmatising and raising awareness of mental health in the workplace.

Signing the Employer Pledge signifies that Southwark Councils is committed to change how we think and act about mental health in the workplace. It can also help to make employees who are facing these problems feel supported.

Before signing the pledge, Southwark Council also submitted an action plan that details how the council will work to improve mental health support for employees. As part of this commitment we prioritised ensuring that employees have effective learning and development opportunities. Key elements of the action plan include:

Launch of a new Employee Health and Wellbeing Strategy with support from key strategic directors
Plans to recruit and support Health and Wellbeing Champions throughout the council to support the implementation of the strategy
Proactive organisational support and promotion of key national campaigns, including Mental Health Awareness Week and World Mental Health Day
Introducing a complementary range of training courses relating to mental health, including stress awareness, training for managers on providing support to staff and a course based on enhancing resilience and positive mental wellbeing

Cllr Evelyn Akoto, cabinet member for community safety and public health said, “I am incredibly proud that Southwark Council has signed up to the Time to Change Employer Pledge. It is absolutely the right thing to do for our employees and as an organisation. Our staff are our greatest strength and they do fantastic things on a daily basis. We want them to feel confident and supported at work and have the tools to support their mental wellbeing and resilience. As a local authority we also realise that if staff are feeling under pressure, they need to be able to raise issues of stress or mental ill-health without feeling stigmatised or judged.

“We want to create an environment where all issues are openly discussed and tackled. We see the Time to Change Employer Pledge as a highly visible and powerful demonstration of our commitment to employee health and wellbeing.”