This month an inspiring team of Community reps won a Tata Sustainable Innovation Award in recognition of the Mental Health First Aid network they have established at Tata steel sites across the UK.
The network, funded by the Welsh Government’s Wales Union Learning Fund, was created in 2018 thanks to the hard work of a team spearheaded by the brilliant Lisa Francis, Community’s Learning Organiser for Wales.
Many congratulations to Lisa, Adrian Morgan, Paula Jones, Mark Davies and Martyn Wagstaff on the award, which is a testament to the ongoing success of the network.
We sat down to speak with Lisa about the story of the project so far.
Can you tell us a bit more about the Wales Union Learning Fund and how you got involved?
The Wales Union Learning Fund (WULF) is a Welsh Government programme that unions can apply to if they are looking for funding to upskill their membership and workplaces. It’s been running for over 20 years and I’ve been managing it for over 11 years for Community. Before I worked for Community I was a classroom assistant in one of the local colleges and I was also a volunteer Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, which is what I trained to do in university.
I liked the idea of being able to help adults access learning and training. I don’t believe that when you leave school or university that the learning has to stop. So I applied for that job with Community and I’ve been doing WULF ever since.
When did you decide to set up the mental health first aiders course and what prompted that?
Mental health is something I’ve always been passionate about, which is why I trained to be a CBT therapist. I did the mental health first aid course myself in 2018 and really enjoyed the course and saw the value in it, so I wanted to start offering that to our membership.
It started in Tata when rep called Mark Davies who organises SHEF training for safety reps said that reps wanted to learn more about mental health, and asked me if I could organise something. The first course in Port Talbot was in December 2018 and it is has continued to run ever since, expanding out to other sites like Llanwern and Shotton as well as opening up to contractors and agency staff. Tata have even taken it nationally with courses held in England. We’ve also run it in other workplaces too – Vision Products, UK Windows and Doors Group, and Celsa Steel.
It’s become a really popular course, and it has led to us being able to run other sessions on issues which are quite sensitive topics: disability awareness, understanding neurodiversity, menopause, and domestic violence. There’s been a huge uptake in health and wellbeing courses with over 1600 people involved in the last two years overall. 300 of those have also received mental health first aid qualifications.
What support can mental health first aiders provide to colleagues after taking part in the course?
The qualification is two days and quite intense, but enables those who participate to identify signs and symptoms of mental health issues and be able to provide comfort to people in mental distress or crisis. Mental health first aiders are individuals who colleagues and friends can turn to who will be able to provide space and time to speak about concerns and worries which are affecting their wellbeing. They are also trained in being able to provide information to help people who are struggling to access help from external organisations, and they know what to do in a crisis if someone is feeling suicidal: how to have that conversation, how to support them and get the help they need to get through it. So the skills learned are helpful in the workplace but can also be utilised out of work to support friends and family who might be struggling with their mental health.
How has the network grown since you started the course?
The demand for the course has grown and grown – more than I ever thought it would. We’ve trained over 500 people at Tata in Wales since we started the programme. Even with natural churn and people moving into different roles, we still have a very large network of at least 300 people in place at Tata. These are people who have a positive attitude towards mental health and want to be active and make a difference.
When we started to grow we felt that we needed to put some extra resources in place for the network – we didn’t want people to just come along for the training and there be no follow-up. So we started to arrange network meetings to get people together more regularly, with an opportunity to discuss any concerns they have within their mental health first aider role and to receive further training. We’ve held workshops for our network, and arranged a lot of engagement and awareness days to keep our network active and keep that communication going within workplaces. For example, our reps designed their own mental health first aid badges, which along with stickers for helmets help signpost them as a point of contact at work.
We also took part in updating Tata’s mental health and wellbeing policy. The network grew so large that Tata realised they needed to employ someone to help manage the network, so the company have now employed their own mental health and wellbeing advisor who helps us support our reps. And the key person from the union who has helped keep the network and training going is Adrian Morgan, who has worked really hard over the last few years and is a credit to Community – we wouldn’t have won this innovation award without him and I can rely on him to help me implement the courses and training. I want to say a big thank you to all the Union Learning Reps (ULRs) who have contributed to building the network over the years.
How did the pandemic affect the network?
We couldn’t run any face-to-face training so the mental health first aid courses had to come to a stop, which was a shame as we were building up such momentum. However myself and a GMB rep called Shaun Murphy, who has now sadly passed away, worked together to set up a series of online sessions on issues like dealing with and managing stress, building resilience, and understanding suicide. We did a huge series of online workshops which Tata employees could attend, and they were really popular and well-attended. I also took part in delivering an online session for Union Learn called ‘Staying Positive in Lockdown’ – which was a challenge for me as I’d just had a baby who was on my lap during the session! – which was joined by over 360 people. That was about giving people tips to stay positive and the things they could do to stay active and change their mindset.
At that time, I also did some short videos for the union on managing anxiety and managing panic attacks which had over 2,500 views. Our members and the mental health first aiders were encouraged to attend those sessions as we wanted to keep mental health relevant, especially as many people were struggling and isolated in lockdown. We wanted to keep people talking as much as possible, so an online package of resources they could sign up to was really important.
We also held some mental health first aid sessions online at that time, so some of our network had their training that way, but as soon as we could we took it back face-to-face even with restrictions in place (reduced numbers, wearing masks, and so on). I just felt with that particular course you really need in-person interaction, and the ability to share stories and support each other if you are finding elements of the course difficult.
Has the current situation at Tata impacted the mental health first aider network?
People are struggling with the uncertainty that has been there since the announcement hit last year. As soon as the announcement was made, I was on the phone to the mental health adviser at Tata to ask him what we could do collectively to support people. At the time a wellbeing room was set up on site – a quiet space where staff could go if they needed a break from the plant floor during the working day with access to helpful books, webinars and podcasts. There are now a lot more wellbeing rooms popping up around the site, and our mental health first aiders are being asked to man these rooms so that they are on hand to help anyone who might need a conversation.
Tata and Community have both received offers of help from external organisations who have offered to assist us with wellbeing support. We will be speaking with them to see what support they can offer and build on what is already available so that we can get that communicated out to members and the workforce. In the meantime, demand for the mental health first aid course has grown, with more and more people coming forward wanting to be mental health first aiders. Two courses per month have been arranged over the next two months at Port Talbot; Llanwern reps are securing dates with a long list of people who want to take part, and Shotton are also arranging courses in April and May. It shows people want to come forward and support others in this difficult time which is amazing really.
Do you think there is still a lot of stigma around mental health in our workplaces, or are attitudes starting to change?
There can still be stigma, but in general workplaces have come a long way in the last few years. Workplaces are more likely to have policies in place to protect workers, are more likely to offer adjustments, and are more likely to offer flexible working arrangements like working from home to help address work-life balance.
I think people are more likely to speak out now when they are struggling and talk to others about it, and there is now so much training available which helps increase knowledge and understanding of ill mental health and how to manage it. There’s also more public awareness too – you see celebrities coming forward to speak about the struggles they are facing which helps normalise the idea that it is ok not to be ok.
It does depend on the work environment though: some people might still be reluctant to discuss mental health in their place of work and fear others might judge them, or are worried that it might in some way harm their career or progression opportunities – something that should never be the case. I do feel attitudes have changed though and they will continue to do so.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about becoming a mental health first aider?
If someone says they are thinking of doing the course, I would say to them that the fact they are even considering it is amazing – it shows you care about people and want to help.
I would advise them to give the course a go. You can always decide after if you don’t feel the role quite suits you, and that’s fine, but it’s no harm to go on a course which can help you learn signs of ill mental health, understand how to signpost people, and gain valuable tips on how to have a conversation with someone who is struggling. These skills help in the workplace but are just as helpful with friends and family, and could potentially help save a person’s life.
You can read more about Lisa and the team’s success in the Tata Innovation awards here.
Are you interested in becoming a mental health first aider in your workplace? Get in touch with your branch’s Union Learning Rep (ULR) today!
If you are a member of Community and need advice or support, please contact our Service Centre at help@community-tu.org or on 0800 389 6332.
© Community Trade Union 2024
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