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Well-Being Programme

The well-being programme addresses well-being issues at a whole school level, setting preventative measures in place, rather than responding to symptoms. It is a sustainable process for staff and organisational development

Well-being aims:

To make sustainable improvements in the well-being of all staff working in education
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 manage successfully the pressures they face
To use a range of evaluation methods in order to identify strengths and weaknesses, to measure progress systematically, to inform action taken as a consequence, and to establish effective means of achieving success in different contexts
To provide a means of networking information and research about best practice.

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Staff working together

Crucially, well-being adopts a ‘bottom up’ approach, where staff themselves work together to determine the approach their school should take. This ensures ownership by staff and long-term sustainability of a healthy working and learning environment.

Volunteer facilitators are recruited from each school and trained in how to bring people together and empower them to focus not only on what they would like to change, but how they will do it. It does this by the provision of a flexible, coherent and empowering support programme that includes resources, consultancy, training and development, and publications.

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Supporting staff development

It encourages school and individual self evaluation and audit as a key process of implementing Well-Being and reviewing its effectiveness. It concentrates on encouraging staff in schools to think differently about working together, to encourage and promote effective communication and support, the promotion of emotional intelligence and personal and social development in education.

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Making a difference

In conjunction with the employee assistance programme (EAP), well-being offers real benefits in terms of cost savings and improvements in school effectiveness and standards.

Proven positive outcomes include

improved recruitment and retention
decrease in absence rates
improved staff motivation
improved workplace communication.

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Work/Life Support EAP

The worklife support EAP brings benefits to employers, managers and staff. It helps people manage both their professional and personal lives.

At its most basic level it helps all staff achieve a more effective work-life balance. But it can do so much more. Used fully it becomes a personal development resource – encouraging individuals to proactively manage their professional and interpersonal effectiveness.

What does the EAP offer?

This 24-hour comprehensive resource gives access to a skilled team of specialist advisers and counsellors – 365 days a year. They offer confidential information, support and guidance to all members of staff and their families, helping individuals to proactively manage issues at home and at work.

It can also help staff to develop their professional and personal skills.

Services available in the worklife support EAP

General Support and Information - personal rights, housing, personal finance, education, family, consumer support, taxation.
Dependent care - childcare services, returning to work, schooling, understanding social services, benefits and grants, caring, residential care, emergency services.
Finance - mortgages, redundancy, early retirement, loans and overdrafts, debt, inheritance, pensions.
Legal - matrimonial, probate, landlord and tenant. insurance, family, litigation, motoring.
Management support - people management, challenging situations, personal development
Personal support and counselling - face-to-face or by phone.

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