August 2017

The know zone


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Time to Change is a growing movement of people changing how we all think and act about mental health.

Time to change

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said, “We know it can be difficult to talk about mental health. That’s why we support schools, colleges and workplaces to open up to mental health problems, to talk and listen.” Time to Change is led by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness and is funded by the Department of Health (DH), Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief.

Who is it for?

The Time to Change employer pledge is for all employers in the UK and Wales, including all educational establishments – nurseries, primaries, secondaries and colleges – whether in the private or state sector. It supports by helping them to normalise the conversations about mental health and in doing so helps to:

  • reduce absenteeism
  • increase productivity
  • increase engagement
  • increase morale

It has a dedicated employers’ team that aims to:

  • improve attitudes and behaviours towards employees with mental health problems
  • reduce the amount of discrimination that employees with mental health problems report in the workplace
  • ensure that employees with mental health problems are able to take action to challenge stigma and discrimination in their workplace
  • support employers to sign up for the Time to Change employer pledge to enable them to put in place actions that will open up the conversations about mental health and help them feel confident in responding to these

Free resources

Schools and colleges that sign up to the pledge will receive free guidance on how to put together an action plan. This plan can help them to achieve lasting change and it details the actions needed to tackle stigma and discrimination. They will also receive a board, which can be used for photo opportunities, an affiliate badge to put on their website and resources to download and brand for themselves.

After signing the employer pledge, you will receive a free package of support for a year that includes:

  • masterclasses from top employers on how to get staff talking about mental health
  • briefings on campaigns so that you can easily roll these out within your establishment
  • the opportunity to connect to similar employers who can answer your questions and help make your work in this area a success
  • a programme of support for your employee Champions, which includes opportunities to network and share best practice

You can also download a wide range of free resources online, including session plans, blogs and videos – see https://tinyurl.com/y7rbt4e3

Getting young people involved

This year, Time to Change launched a four-year campaign to encourage young people to be more open about mental health. The campaign uses a series of high-impact short videos, each focusing on different steps that young people can take to be there for a friend struggling with their mental health. Watch one of the videos here: https://tinyurl.com/y7gy32yy

For further information visit www.time-to-change.org.uk or email employers@time-to-change.org.uk

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