Department for Education resources:

The following offers are part of a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing supported by DfE to ensure that staff wellbeing policy is integrated within the schools’ culture:

• Education Support’s resources to help organisations with mental health and wellbeing including free their 2-hour helpline for education staff 
• Mentally Healthy Schools which is a directory of resources for schools 
• Anna Freud’s guidance on supporting staff wellbeing in schools 
• Mental Health at Work resources for schools 
• Guidance on promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges 
• DfE School workload reduction toolkit  is comprised of practical resources created by school leaders for school leaders, which includes resources on wellbeing. We are concluding a digital project to improve the user experience of the toolkit. The new version of the toolkit will be launched in April 2024. 

Please also see below for the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter which the DfE are encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment from government, Ofsted and schools and colleges to promote staff wellbeing.   It sets out, in the annex, specific guidance on roles and responsibilities for fulfilling obligations to wellbeing. Over 3,300 schools and colleges have signed up to the charter since it was launched for sign up in November 2021.  

Schools and trusts that sign up to the charter commit to developing a long-term strategy for improving staff wellbeing, which may include specific provision for protecting the mental health of staff including leaders, with access to confidential counselling and/or coaching where needed. 

Education staff wellbeing charter

Provided by the Department of Education, the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter is a declaration of support for, and a set of commitments to, the wellbeing and mental health of everyone working at your school.

Support for schools experiencing the effects of a suicide in their community

Public Health Suffolk have produced two incredibly helpful documents – A Suicide Response Plan for Educational Settings, and a resource document, listing organisations available for support, called ‘Bereaved by Suicide Service‘.

The Response Plan is a template for your own setting to personalise. If there are any queries surrounding this, please direct those to [email protected] and [email protected] in the first instance.

SCC Support for maintained school staff – resources

This resources document outlines support available for maintained school staff in relation to stress at work, mental ill-health, trauma and general wellbeing.

Any questions please email [email protected]

Mental health and stress support organisations

The Mental Health and Stress Resources and Support Organisations is a list of charities and organisations that you can contact for support and advice on a broad range of mental health and wellbeing topics. Please share.

Mental Health Wellbeing courses from Suffolk MIND

Not only does Suffolk MIND provide courses for schools to aid the support for pupils and students, but there is also a specific course called ‘Emotional Wellbeing in the Classroom’ which is for school staff. Please take a look at the page on Suffolk MIND’s website which goes into details about how you can access these, and many other resources.

HSE’s Education Talking Toolkit and other resources

The Education Talking Toolkit is designed to help managers talk with school staff as part of their overall approach to preventing and managing work-related stress.
However, the Talking Toolkit should not be used in isolation as the only measure for managing and preventing stress in school. The HSE pages on stress and mental health have further information and resources, including the Management Standards.

Promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing guidance

The guidance from Public Health England and the Department of Education describes 8 principles of a whole school approach to promoting mental health and wellbeing for children and young people.

Wellbeing in Education

The Wellbeing in Education site is provided by Suffolk County Council’s Psychology and Therapeutic Services. It has a wide range of resources, workshops and training materials to support the mental health and wellbeing of families and staff in educational settings.

Emotional Wellbeing Gateway – Mental Health Services and Support

The Emotional Wellbeing Gateway is for both families and professionals to access mental health support services in Suffolk.

Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing Hub

The Emotional Wellbeing Hub provides information, advice, and guidance if you are worried about the mental health of a child or young person aged 0-25 years.

The Source

The Source provides information and advice for young people in Suffolk on a broad range of topics.