Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the adult social care workforce
Key resources to support adult social care employee mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond
On this page you will find the results of in-depth desk research into resources which have been developed by a broad range of organisations to support the mental health and wellbeing of the adult social care workforce in response to the COVID-19 crisis, and beyond. Much of the content posted here has been developed at pace and represents a snapshot of what is on offer as at September 2020.
We have broadly categorised the resources around specific topics, for example, death and dying, mental health at work and remote working or specific segments of the adult social care workforce including frontline staff working in any sector, managers, and social workers. We have also included some content aimed at shared lives and unpaid carers. We think there remains a gap in terms of material aimed at people who employ Personal Assistants, and for Personal Assistants themselves. Where we think material may be useful in more than one category, we have included it twice.
Whilst recognising that advice on financial or employment matters could also be very important to a person’s wellbeing during COVID-19, we have limited ourselves to resources which focus primarily on mental health and wellbeing.
Apart from one, all of the resources and offers are free at the point of use, with most requiring no particular eligibility criteria. Some resources require (free) registration to access them. The majority of the resources are available nationally-where this is not the case, this is indicated. The bulk of the resources have been developed specifically in response to COVID-19,while others have been adapted. We have included some resources which, while not being COVID-specific, are nonetheless extremely useful
We are very aware that some staff who have experienced traumatic events either in their working or personal lives may need specialist support and intervention from skilled and experienced professionals or volunteers. Please note that guidance from Health Education England warns against intrusive but well-meaning attempts to make people relive a traumatic incident -often called psychological debriefing- immediately after an event, which can actually increase the risk of later PTSD.
Hospice UK runs a Bereavement & Trauma Support Line 0300 303 4434 8am to 8pm seven days a week with trained counsellors and support for those whose wellbeing has been affected by witnessing traumatic deaths as part of their work. A referral is not required. We have also included a section of support with death, dying and bereavement during COVID-19.
A self-managed distance learning resource to support councillors to develop mentally healthier communities Not COVID-specific but full of hints, tips, case examples and signposts to other resources, with particularly useful sections on individual and community psychology and social networks.
Primarily aimed at directors of public health (DPHs), this summarises the risk and loneliness risk factors arising from COVID-19 and suggests different types of local responses to combat or reduce these risks, as well as aiding community resilience and recovery.
Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and the Chief Social Workers of England
High level academic summary paper aimed at social care practitioners and managers who provide services to adults in the community; focus is on resilience and is strong on behavioural responses, the need for psycho-social support, good lists of what managers, and professionals, can do to support wellbeing; includes a particularly helpful list of what we should also avoid doing.
Collection of resources for social work managers on psychological first aid modelling and supporting positive mental health and wellbeing through compassionate leadership.
High level guidance for leaders and managers of health and care services who need to consider the wellbeing needs of all healthcare staff (not just clinical staff) during COVID-19; strong on leadership, understanding psychological responses and providing psychological care and recovery.
Not COVID-specific but a useful guide for managers; covers stress, resilience and good organisational development (OD) practice; presumes a level of org/OD capability which small and medium sized enterprises may not have.
Excellent practical resource pack for managers with lots of material for managers to work on alongside staff on mental health and wellbeing issues, including signs that someone may be struggling, and practical exercises
Greater Manchester Resilience Hub and Pennine Care NHS Trust
Some sources of support are Greater Manchester specific but there is a lot of open source content including a Buddy guide (pairing or grouping individuals to look out for and help each other), a check-in guide and prompts for a four-step end-of-shift debrief.
Aimed at social care workers who have lost a loved one, colleague or person who uses services during COVID-19, this is mainly signposting to range of bereavement support sources
Aimed at health and social care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic; materials have been reviewed by clinicians and can be used to support training for communication about other diagnoses and challenges beyond COVID-19
Practical resources for social workers includes support and tips about death,dying and grief; includes dealing with sudden death and talking with children about dying.
Dying Matters is a coalition of individual and organisational members across England and Wales, which aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.
0 800 2600 400 is a free helpline offering guidance, support and advice to families dealing with loss and grief at the death of a loved one during the pandemic. The helpline is open daily from 8am to 8pm.
Aimed at managers in registered care settings and looks at managing bereavement in workplace settings and how managers can support, and be supported, when dealing with loss
Focus is on support mechanisms that teams and organisations in the social care sector can put in place to support their workforce facing bereavement and loss during and after the current COVID-19 pandemic; good section on ‘disenfranchised grief‘ which may be experienced by social care workers .
Aimed at social workers experiencing death, dying and bereavement, both in their own and their professional lives. Includes videos and resources for social workers to support self-care, empathy and resilience.
This guidance warns against intrusive, well-meaning attempts to make people relive a traumatic incident (‘psychological debriefing’) immediately afterwards which can increase the risk of later PTSD. It recommends consideration of ‘Schwartz rounds’ as a mechanism for regular team based operational debriefing/decompression
Bereavement and trauma support line: 0 300 303 4434
Hospice UK
All calls are confidential; the service is available seven days a week, between 8am and 8pm. A referral is not required. Offers trained counsellors and support for those whose wellbeing has been affected by witnessing traumatic deaths as part of their work.
Responding to distress in social service workers; includes principles of psychological first aid slides, a video, and practical help for people who are caring for others at this stressful time. Focus is on trauma-informed practice.
Resources on coronavirus and wellbeing, working well from home under self-quarantine, supporting mental health while working from home, and guides to wellness action plans
Comprehensive and detailed toolkit providing advice for employers and employees about returning to work after COVID-19; offers a framework and guiding principles plus advice for specific situations and risk assessment templates.
Aimed at managers/employers, this takes a structured approach to talking with staff about a COVID-19 risk assessment and building insight into how the staff member is feeling, and create a safe environment to raise concerns.
Every Mind Matters advice, practical tips and to help look after mental health and wellbeing including stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep problems
NHS and DHSC
Has a dedicated COVID-19 section as well as sections for ‘mind’ and ‘body’
NHS in Mind is a set of techniques designed for NHS staff to combat anxiety, panic and fatigue during COVID-19. This open access resource includes tutorial videos and recorded exercises designed to help manage the heightened emotions and feelings experienced during the current crisis.
Collection of useful tips, advice and links to articles about dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic for both professionals and the public.
This guidance warns against intrusive, well-meaning attempts to make people relive a traumatic incident (‘psychological debriefing’) immediately afterwards which can increase the risk of later PTSD. It recommends consideration of ‘Schwartz rounds’ as a mechanism for regular team based operational debriefing/decompression.
Flexible free e-learning training aimed at frontline or essential workers and volunteers dealing with the public during the COVID-19 pandemic; requires registration to access.
MindED offers free e-learning for those working with children and young people, including parents and carers; is not COVID-specific but applicable across health, social care, education, criminal justice and community settings.
Not all are COVID-specific but these are free, open access e-learning courses on a range of topics including coping during the pandemic, lifestyle and wellbeing and trauma; requires registration to access.
Free, basic guide with tips and support suggestions for people working from home, perhaps for the first time. Leapers supports the mental health of freelancers and self-employed workers.
Thirty minute podcast for managers/ employers about having conversations to support the mental and physical well-being of their remote teams and what to consider as they plan for an eventual return to the workplace.
Aimed at key workers,includes dealing with difficult feelings during COVID-19, stress, and sources of further support.
Our Frontline: 24/7 free helpline for frontline key workers
Samaritans, Mind and partners
Includes free information and one-to-one support For social care workers. To talk to a trained volunteer by text: FRONTLINE to 85258 any time; to talk by phone call0300 131 7000/ 0800 069 6222 from 7am to 11pm. Aimed at NHS and social care workers; includes free one-to-one support, by phone or text, from trained volunteers, plus resources, tips and ideas to look after mental health.
Guidance for small businesses on reopening safely; tends to be more geared to small businesses with premises and staff rather than people who may be sole traders working from home; has a good COVID-19 health and safety checklist,carrying out a risk assessment,and how to reassure customers your small business is COVID-19 secure. The section on bringing furloughed staff back to work is particularly useful.
Checklist on employee wellbeing; the FSB has other employment-related advice for small business.Advice and tips on how small business owners and the self-employed can approach mental health in the workplace.
Guide for employers on managing stress, mental health and wellbeing in lone workers. Not COVID-specific but includes tips for best practice under key headings such as recruitment and retention, planning the workload, learning and development, health and safety, and supporting mental health and wellbeing.
Provides support for carers during the coronavirus crisis; and shares how other carers are finding ways of coping, including ‘Virtual Cuppas’ where carers talk about how they’re coping and how they deal with any challenges. Carers can also book person to person phone calls.
Not COVID-specific but sets out practical improvements managers can make to reduce work-related stress.
Please also note that by including these resources, the LGA does not endorse or recommend any particular product, though many trusted names can be found in the resource directory. We are aware there may be excellent products we have missed so please let us know if we should add anything. The speed and pace at which most of these resources were developed means that it has not been possible to road-test or peer review any of them.
New material is constantly being developed so please bear this in mind when using these resources. If you come across anything you think we should know about, please email [email protected].
