Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department has in place to support those of its staff who have mental health problems.

Civil Service Employee Policy provides a central health and well-being service to support departments in their well-being work.

In 2015, the People Board agreed a strategic approach to health and well-being for the Civil Service. This identified mental health as a key priority. This strategic approach was developed into a Strategic Action Plan, which has now been successfully implemented.

Wellbeing is a key part of the DCLG People Plan. The Plan sets out the Department's strategic commitment to establish and maintain good health amongst staff in the business. The commitments and actions linked to wellbeing are delivered jointly by the Department's Human Resources directorate and the Health and Wellbeing Network.

Specific support for staff within DCLG with mental health problems includes:

• Mental Health First Aid training. So far over 100 members of staff including have received the MHFA training.
• A listening and support service through a Mental Health Ambassador Network which is made up of over 30 MHFA trained staff from across the business.
• A Mental Health Support Group that encourages staff experiencing poor mental health or who are caring for someone with a mental health illness to meet to share experiences and resources and to offer each other support and advice.
• Mandatory Mental Health Awareness training for all staff using the Civil Service Learning portal.
• Internally designed and delivered Mental Health Awareness workshops - over 200 staff have received the training so far.
• Internally designed and delivered Building your Resilience workshops - over 150 staff have received the training so far.
• Delivery of 'whole department' events such as Time to Talk, Break the Stigma and World Mental Health Day designed to raise staff awareness of the support they can access and to breakdown the stigma associated with mental ill health.
• A contracted Employee Assistance Programme (Help) which gives staff free and immediate access to support on all matters relating to health and wellbeing, including crisis support to individuals and their line managers. The EAP also provides a gateway to more specialist and professional medical services.
• Occupational Health Service referrals which are aimed at obtaining medical advice on how to support a colleague’s health and well-being either whilst off sick, in returning to the workplace and/or at work
• Access to a range of support tools through the Wellbeing Zone.