Information for schools

Well-being service in Medway

As many schools have faced problems in recruiting and retaining staff, the need for a proactive approach to staff well-being has become apparent. Investing in staff health and well-being will contribute directly to more efficient organisational performance, improved staff morale and motivation, all of which help drive school improvement.

The aims of Medway Council's well-being programme are:

• to promote supportive and well-informed managerial practice, which actively develops healthy workplaces, focusing upon organisational progress;
• to enable staff as individuals and in groups to successfully manage the pressures they face;
• to use a range of evaluation methods in order to identify strengths and weaknesses;
• to measure/progress systematically, to inform future action;
• to provide a means of networking information and research about best practice.

The well-being programme underpins the Workforce Reform agenda, performance management and professional development opportunities for all staff working in schools that buy this service.

Service provision

All employers have duties:

• under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/19993242.htm) to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities; and
• under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2001/20012127.htm) to take measures to control that risk.

The well-being programme comprises:

• staff briefings, to outline the programme and benefits;
• a confidential well-being risk assessment, based on the Health and Safety Executive standards, for the workforce;
• full analysis and report.

Following the confidential report the School Workforce Development Team will:

• meet you to discuss the findings of the risk assessment;
• design a bespoke training plan to help address issues;
• deliver or broker appropriate training;
• help establish a well-being group, with representatives from the whole workforce.

Further details and costing can be obtained by contacting the council at wellbeing.survey@medway.gov.uk

The programme:

• takes in to account the opinions of the whole school workforce;
• assures staff that they can contribute to change;
• has confidentiality guaranteed;
• includes questionnaire analysis and support groups for head teachers, senior teachers and support staff;
• is an active strategy to promote well-being for all in the workplace, not a defensive one;
• encourages staff to develop their own strategies which promote physical and psychological health;
• makes use of the results of others' research and combines it with what is learnt in Medway;
• can provide a versatile combination of training, guidance and support to meet the specific needs of each school the programme works with;
• links closely with workforce remodelling (www.tda.gov.uk/remodelling);
• integrates with and supports:
  
  
  • the National Healthy Schools Standard;
  • Investors in People (www.investorsinpeople.co.uk/Pages/Home.aspx);
  • recruitment and retention strategies;
  • school self-evaluation strategies;
  • school improvement.

Contact the School Workforce Development Team to get your school involved.

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