At a time when 87% say the demands on them are greater than they have ever been and only 3% say the profession has a positive public image (Social Lives 2014), social workers have to manage more pressures than ever before. Higher caseloads, intense public scrutiny and little public appreciation for the role has contributed to a rise in stress-related absence (Community Care 2015), a scenario that calls for greater understanding and preventative action from employers to support the mental health needs of their workforce more effectively.
This problem is not limited to social work. In 2011, mental health became the biggest single cause of staff absence in the UK. Furthermore, last year the combined costs of staff absence, lost productivity, social benefits and healthcare was £70bn (OECD 2014) and this figure is expected to rise.
Feeding into the issue is the evidence suggesting that even if staff are experiencing challenges with their mental health, the stigma that remains in workplaces and society makes it difficult for them to openly discuss the pressures they are feeling. BUPA (2014) found that 94% of organisations admit that mental health prejudice still exists in their company, resulting in up to 22% of staff avoiding talking to their manager about their condition.
Mindfulness in Cafcass to support mental wellbeing
As part of its strategy to support employee wellbeing, Cafcass has actively promoted the use of mindfulness – which was the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week – by providing staff with seminars on the topic and promoting use of free technology and resources to assist staff in adopting the practice.
“We received a very good introduction to mindfulness at our development day. I would recommend it for assisting officers to slow down and reflect; I think it is a good adjunct to the safeguarding process,” family court adviser, Sheffield
The practice of mindfulness, a process of paying attention to the present moment and not worrying about the past or future, has grown in popularity recently as research has shown it to have benefits in helping people with both mental and physical health problems. So much so that Oxford, Bangor and Exeter University have come together as a coalition to support an all-party parliamentary group on mindfulness. The intention is to bring to the attention of policy makers the potential benefits in schooling, health and care services and in turn the wider economy.
Daryl Maitland, Cafcass senior HR manager, comments: “Social work is a rewarding, but emotionally challenging job. It can be difficult to switch off our ‘brain chatter’ and give ourselves some headspace to recharge. Just like a laptop or computer, if we have too many programs running at once, we’re at higher risk of overheating and crashing, so it’s important to get into the habit of giving our brains a break from time to time, to cool down – even short breaks are helpful.
“We’ve done a lot of work in Cafcass over the past three years to support employee wellbeing, which has ultimately helped us to halve our sickness absence levels, but also recognise the importance of continuing to support the wellbeing of our staff while they are in work – not just when they are absent.”
One area Maitland refers to is the development of a new employee wellbeing strategy by Cafcass, introduced in 2012, to improve the support available to staff to manage their wellbeing.
The strategy recognises the symbiotic relationship between physical and mental health and saw the introduction of a health and wellbeing plan. The plan makes provision for staff to access numerous treatments that can help them to relieve stress and tension, such as acupuncture and sports massages, as well as routine treatments such as dental and optical care.
Furthermore, enjoyable exercise, widely evidenced to improve happiness and reduce stress, is encouraged by the organisation; the cycle to work scheme available for all staff provides savings of 20-40% on the cost of a bike. Staff engagement in the plan has been high, encouraged by national cycling events organised by Cafcass, which also strengthened teamwork and support networks within Cafcass and boosted morale. Most recently, health and wellbeing specialists have been commissioned to provide onsite yoga/Pilates classes, ensuring accessible exercise opportunities for all staff.
Maitland comments that “the issue of mental health at work is beginning to receive the attention it deserves. We’ve done a lot already in Cafcass to support the mental wellbeing of our staff in the challenging jobs they undertake, but we plan to do even more over the next 12 months, in particular working with mental health charities to help our staff feel more confident in discussing and addressing their mental health”.
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