We know from research with our SET members that support for mental health and wellbeing is a priority for our workforce and learners. Below you will find resources to support you. We do hope they will help and if you have any questions, please get in touch with enquiries@etfoundation.co.uk.
Collectively, these guides aim to provide a foundation for Further º£½ÇÉçÇø (FE) and Skills managers and leaders to enhance organisational systems and support structures to help staff develop the skills required to cope with the demands of the job. They provide a deeper understanding of psychologically safe environments alongside evidence-informed initiatives and insights from those working in the FE sector. They also look at why your mental wellbeing needs to be a priority and how cultural change has to start from the top.
This guidance draws on examples of practice across specialist Further º£½ÇÉçÇø and Skills settings working with learners who have learning difficulties and disabilities.
This guide has been developed to provide a mental health gap analysis tool for managers and leaders working in Further º£½ÇÉçÇø and Skills.
This guide aims to facilitate supportive conversations with learners or colleagues who may be experiencing thoughts of suicide, and to help them access appropriate support.
This guide has been developed to assist leaders, managers and key staff to support their learning communities following suicide and sudden death.
This guide shines a spotlight on shared challenges, how they manifest through various channels and their impact on FE communities.
This guide offers evidence-based tips and actionable tools, tailored to your role in FE, which can help you look after your own wellbeing as a leader.
In this guide for FE leaders and managers we offer advice on how to set the foundations for a workplace that supports a balance between work and life, including practical tips on maintaining and promoting healthy working practices and boundaries.
This guide aims to help adequately prepare FE staff for any disclosures and know what to do when supporting their own needs when it comes to secondary trauma.
This guide aims to provide a foundation for FE managers and leaders to enhance organisational systems and support structures to help staff develop the skills required to cope with the demands of the job more effectively.
In this guide we explore why it’s important for Further º£½ÇÉçÇø staff to feel they can ask for help whenever they require it, how to approach conversations around mental health with colleagues and where to get further support when they need it.
In this guide we unpack ways to prevent burnout in Further º£½ÇÉçÇø settings before it takes hold. We also share how to spot the signs and what to do if you, or others, need support.
In this guide we look at how building strong relationships requires trust, respect and self-awareness, and how this in turn can make your role more enjoyable and allow you to be in the best possible place mentally and emotionally to support learners and colleagues alike.
Mark Malcomson, Principal and CEO of City Lit, discusses how leaders might approach disaster, drawing from his experience of the September 11 attacks.
The º£½ÇÉçÇø and Training Foundation (ETF) worked with Stuart Rimmer, CEO of East Coast College Group, to curate a group of leaders from across the sector to explore in a conversation key aspect of wellbeing and the challenges this brings in leadership. Read the article and listen to full podcast.
New support for FE leaders
º£½ÇÉçÇø Support’s FE Leaders’ Professional Supervision Service provides a safe and confidential space for you to talk about and process what is going on for you at work. You will work with trained professional supervisors to focus on mental wellbeing and help to develop new coping strategies to feel more fulfilled and in control. These services are provided with funding from Department for º£½ÇÉçÇø (DfE).
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Living and working in the twenty-first century can leave you feeling frazzled. And if you’re working in FE supporting learners to achieve their aspirations, developing the skills for the future workforce and coping with the demands of the workplace, this is particularly so.
Our Centre for Excellence in SEND at Weston College with its theme of people has a particular focus on looking after both staff and learners’ wellbeing. Although the Centre is part of our SEND offer, much of the activity relates to all learners and staff in the FE sector. You’ll find recorded webinars on Centres for Excellence in SEND resources page and many more new activities coming up. All of them are free of charge, so do sign up on the Centres for Excellence in SEND Community of Practice page.
There are many expert organisations with a range of support for the workforce to tap into. We are developing partnerships to ensure that those working in FE can benefit from this support.
is the only charity that supports the mental health and wellbeing of all education staff. They offer a which is available 24/7 and staffed by qualified counsellors as well as grants to those experiencing a financial crisis.
In October 2018, º£½ÇÉçÇø Support released the findings of a which includes responses from people working in the FE and Training sector. In February 2019, we’ve commissioned the charity to investigate the levels of staff wellbeing in the post-14 workforce. This research also aimed to identify specific groups of staff at different career stages who have the highest risk of poor wellbeing and to understand the work-related and personal factors impacting on wellbeing.
You might also like to take a look at the gateway which is an amalgamation of the most effective resources to support mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. You can filter by sector including to find the most relevant resources.
And to help you to support your learners, is an organisation led by young people who have lived experience of poor mental health. They have collated a whole range of resources for young people to support them to have and maintain good mental health.
Our Associate, Neil Bates, wrote about the importance of mental health support for leaders – read his .
Take a look at the from the Department of º£½ÇÉçÇø (DfE).