Mental Health Awareness Week Ideas for MAT, School and College Staff

Mental Health Awareness Week (15th –21st May 2023) aims to promote awareness and understanding of mental health issues at scale. Since the first Awareness Week back in 2001, it's grown to become the world's largest annual mental health campaign. Taking part in Mental Health Awareness Week for MATs, schools, and colleges can be a fantastic opportunity for leaders to kick-start or further develop conversations about mental health and highlight the importance of teacher and support staff wellbeing. We say 'kick-start' because of the importance of promoting mental health awareness throughout the entire school year.

Why focus on mental health?

The importance of good mental health can be seen in the World Health Organization's concept of mental health:

"It is an integral component of health and wellbeing that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right."

Here are some more school-specific reasons for focusing on mental health:

• Mind informs that a quarter of people over 16 in England experience a mental health problem of some kind each year, and other data indicates that one in six people aged 16 and above meet the criteria to be diagnosed with mental disorders.
• 36% of all staff have experienced a mental health issue in the past academic year, and 78% have experienced a symptom of poor mental health due to their work. 
• Official statistics show that over 60% of those aged 16–74 with a common mental health problem are not getting treatment.
• An average of 14 hours each week outside of the school day, which leaves them less free time than other professionals have to relax and take part in activities that support good mental health.
• London School of Economics and Political Science reveals that mental health problems cost the UK economy almost £118 billion each year — focusing on the mental health of school staff can result in fewer sick days and may boost productivity by 12%.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2023

The theme of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week is 'anxiety.' The NHS defines anxiety as 'a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.' Of course, there are many times when mild or even severe anxiety may be nothing untoward — job interviews and public speaking immediately spring to mind as familiar anxiety-inducing events.

However, anxiety becomes problematic when it has a significant impact on someone's day-to-day life and when it's a symptom of another mental health condition. People who constantly feel anxious may be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). According to the NHS, GAD is characterised by feeling anxious about many aspects of life as opposed to being triggered by a particular event. In other circumstances, anxiety can be an indication of conditions such as:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Panic disorder
• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
• Depression
• Other phobias (such as claustrophobia and agoraphobia) 

6 actionable tips for promoting wellness

Here are six tips for promoting education staff wellbeing during this year's Mental Health Awareness Week and beyond:

1. Reiterate the school's commitment to staff wellbeing

Mental Health Awareness Week provides an excellent opportunity to emphasise that your school is dedicated to creating a mentally healthy workplace. This can be done through standard communication channels and in staff meetings. Stating tangible examples of how the school is improving staff wellbeing can prevent the message from becoming too abstract or coming across as lip service. Signing up to the DfE Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, for those in England, if you haven't already, will also demonstrate your commitment.

2. Develop a mental health resource centre for staff

Create a central location where employees can access information and resources on mental health issues should they need it. A digital resource centre facilitates easy access to resources.  The Welbee Toolkit contains dedicated resources for supporting employee mental health in schools — and we are delighted to offer free access to a selection of useful resource for free to all school staff. Sign up for your free access today. 

3. Provide training and guidance for line managers

Many people don't inform their colleagues of their struggles with mental health due to things such as shame and fear of discrimination. Educating line managers on how to best handle mental health among staff can go a long way toward removing these anxieties potential to improve school staff wellbeing. For example, your line managers could be given time during Mental Health Awareness Week to complete the Mental Health Awareness for Leaders interactive course in the Welbee toolkit.

4. Host mental health awareness workshops

Including mental health training as part of continued professional development (CPD) can help to ensure that it remains a priority on a long-term basis. Sessions that provide practical strategies can be especially valuable in helping staff manage their stress levels. Alongside running workshops, you could encourage staff to access the mental health related resources within the Welbee Toolkit, including the stress management course, mental health awareness course for staff, and mental health focused bite-sized learning.

5. Measure and monitor staff wellbeing

Conducting surveys that help gauge the mental health and wellbeing of staff can deliver insight into how employees are feeling. School leaders can then use this data to effect positive change by using it to guide policies and decisions. Conducting regular assessments enables you to evaluate the impact of changes and helps to keep staff wellbeing a priority.

6. Promote open dialogues about mental health

Fostering a culture of open discussion around mental health can help to reduce the stigma that still surrounds it. It also helps ensure that mental health awareness isn't confined to just one week. Authentic exchanges about people's experiences can be a powerful way to empower others to take charge of their wellbeing. Oftentimes, having these types of conversations come from people in positions of authority aids in normalising them in the workplace. By initiating and facilitating these conversations, managers can signal that it's not only acceptable, but encouraged to discuss mental health openly. This can lead to a more understanding, empathetic, and resilient work environment where education staff feel safe to express their needs and seek support.