Supporting mental health as an employer

The Blue Light Programme Blueprint

Our expertise in delivering mental health support for emergency services has shaped the Blue Light Programme Blueprint Pack. This step-by-step guide has all the information employers need to set up and deliver mental health support in your service. Please note that the resources below are from our 2015 to 2019 programme but you will still find them helpful.

• Read our introduction to the Blueprint to find out how to use the Blueprint guide.
• Read the case for support and find out why emergency services need to take care of their staff, and how they can do it.
• See the Blueprint, our visual step-by-step guide for delivering activities and setting up local networks.
• The Blueprint toolkit gives you practical steps you can take to embed support or set up local networks.
• From 2016–2017, the Blue Light Mental Health Networks were established – four pilot networks set up to facilitate local emergency services working together in improving staff and volunteers' mental wellbeing. These networks raised the profile of mental health significantly, and encouraged cross-service working. Read more in the Mental Health Networks evaluation report.

Mental Health at Work Commitment

Keep your staff and colleagues well - there are lots of ways you can fight stigma and make positive changes to improve mental health in your workplace.

We’re refreshing the current Mental Health at Work Commitment to develop a tailored Blue Light version, to reflect the unique aspects of Blue Light life and work. In the meantime, consider how you’re embedding the existing standards into the workplace.

The Commitment builds on what we know and is based on the Thriving at Work standards.

By making the Commitment you will:

• demonstrate to your staff and volunteers that their mental health is a priority, helping them feel more able to speak openly about mental health and to seek support when they need it
• help to improve mental health awareness within your service, which will better enable your staff and volunteers to look out for themselves, their team and members of the public
• ensure a proactive approach to workplace mental health is taken. We know that more severe problems have a better chance of being prevented if staff and volunteers feel able to get support as soon as they need it.

Find out more and sign the Commitment

Time to Change pledge

The Time to Change Employer Pledge was a commitment to changing the way we all think and act about mental health in the workplace. The pledge was backed by an action plan, detailing the tangible activity to be delivered in pledged services.

During the Blue Light Programme, over 100 blue light services and associations signed or re-signed the pledge. Read about what other services have done to raise awareness.

The employer pledge was retired in June 2020 but its legacy continues through Time to Change information and resources, Time to Talk Day and the Mental Health at Work Commitment. Read more about the Commitment in the previous section.

Read more about the pledge

Workplace Wellbeing Index

Every employer depends on having healthy and productive employees. This is especially important in the emergency services, where workers frequently encounter traumatic situations.

Our Workplace Wellbeing Index is a benchmark of best policy and practice. It will help you find out where you are doing well and where you could improve your approach to mental health in the workplace.

Find out more about the Index

Training

Our training courses are developed to meet the specific needs of the emergency services workforce. They help you to manage your own and others' wellbeing at work, build resilience, and support colleagues after traumatic incidents.

Our existing courses are currently paused due to the pandemic. In response, we're currently developing new training. Find out more below.

Find out more about our workplace training

Webinars

Our webinar films are available to watch at any time and include guidance, tips, some of our research findings and practical suggestions for looking after your mental wellbeing, as well as that of your colleagues or direct reports.

Our webinars cover a wide range of topics.

• Mental health awareness
• Looking after your mental health (available for each emergency service)
• Managing mental health at work (available for each emergency service)

Watch the webinars

Case study - Kent Police

Kent Police were the first emergency service to sign the Time to Change pledge in 2012. Read about how they supported staff by establishing a network.

Read the case study