Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what measures her Department has in place to support those of its staff who have mental health problems.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Mental health is a key priority for DFID and we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our staff in line with commitments set out in both the Civil Service Talent Action Plan and the Health & Wellbeing Strategic Action Plan. We support staff through a range of measures.
DFID is based across two sites in the UK – in England and Scotland. We support both the “Time to Change” campaign (in England) and SeeMe in Scotland to end the stigma associated with mental health and raise awareness through supporting Mental Health Awareness Week. We have also recently launched a series of products on personal and team resilience and we promote the Civil Service e-learning to expand staff and managers knowledge of mental health issues.
DFID’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers Telephone and Face to Face Counselling for all staff experiencing mental ill health across our global workforce. The service also provides a wide range of online information and advice on work/life issues.
DFID’s HR teams and Occupational Health Services provide support and advice for staff and managers to ensure a successful return to work after a period of mental ill health.
DFID also has a Listening Network, an informal peer staff network, to complement the help already available.