Education sector
Wellbeing toolkit
project edify
DataonmentalhealthinWalesdocumentsasteadyincreasein long-termmentalhealthconditionsamongchildrenandyoung peoplesincethemid1990s. AroundaquarterofchildrenintheUK willexperiencementalillhealthat somepointintheirlives(YoungMinds, 2018)andthereisgrowingrecognition thatearlylifeexperiencesdirectly impactlongtermemotionalhealth andwellbeing,withhalfofallmental healthproblemsexperiencedby adultsmanifestingthemselvesbythe ageof14.
Theculture,ethosandschoolenvironmentinfluencethehealth andwellbeingofpupilsandtheirreadinesstolearn.Ineducation settingswherewellbeingisprioritisedandpositive,childrenand youngpeoplecanfeelsupportedindealingwithandovercoming someofthedifficultiesandchallengestheyfaceintheirformative years.
Consequently,pupilswithbetteremotionalhealthandwellbeing aremorelikelytoachievebetteracademically.
Mentallyhealthyschoolsshouldbeplaceswhereeverybody's physicalandemotionalhealthandwellbeingmatter,andstepsare takentopromotethewellbeingofallstakeholders.
foreword
"you can't pour from an empty cup"
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"by practising self-care, you’re also modeling this behavior for those around you" FortheWholeSchoolApproach toworkschoolsmustthink aboutimprovingstaff wellbeingsothattheyare betterplacedtosupportthe pupils. 4
Educationworkerswhofeelstressedarelessemotionallyavailable fortheirstudents. asenseofbelonging, heard, supported, caredfor, physicallyandemotionallysafe. Inordertoprovideeffectivesupportforchildrenandyoung peoplethereneedstobeafocusonthewholeschool communityensuringthateveryonefromstaff,pupils,parents, carersandgovernorsfeel... Forpupilstobeableto emotionallyself-regulate,they needanadulttomodelthis behaviour.
about this toolkit what this toolkit is not a"one-size-fits-allapproach"-eacheducationsettingis uniqueandeachonehastofinditsownpathwaytoeffecting thechangesneededforstaff,pupilsandotherstakeholdersto thrive; adviceonimprovingmentalhealthandemotionalwellbeing -educationsettingsareidealenvironmentsforenabling innovation,learningfromeachotherandsharinggood practice; adviceondealingwithpoormentalhealth-youremployer, GP(andothers)cansupportandsignposttoorganisationsthat canhelp.
notofferorprovide... OPEN SALE " one size fits all" 5
Thistoolkitdoes
Thepurposeofthistoolkitis tohelpeducationsettings moveforwardwithholistic wellbeingforallmembersof theschoolcommunity. what this toolkit aims to do Overthenextthreeyears,theWULF projectteamwillbeworkingwith educationandwellbeingcolleaguesto create,developandgrowanonlinespace wherewellbeingteamscanaccess,adapt anduseawholeseriesofpracticaltools tosupportthemintheirworktoeffect culturechangetomaketheireducation settingsgoodplacestoworkandlearn. Settingupanddevelopingthewellbeingteam, Undertakingsurveystogatherthedataneededtomeasure progress, Actionplanning. Thetoolkitaimstoguideschoolsthroughtheprocessesof... This is just the beginning! 6
contents Foreword 3 Aboutthistoolkit 5 Thewellbeingteam 8 Theschoolenvironmentandculture 16 Data 18 Surveysandquestionnaires 20 Thewellbeingaudit 23 Dataanalysis 26 Actionplanning 29 7
Developingandestablishingawellbeingteamisagood startingpoint,asitlendsitselftothedemocraticprocesses thatconsiderstheviewsofall,whichcreatesdiversityand inclusionaswellasadiversesetofindividualsallworking towardsthesamegoalallofwhichareneededtoeffect meaningfulandsustainablechangesacrossthewholeschool community. The Wellbeing Team Properlyembeddingwellbeingpracticesandpromotingpositive physicalandmentalhealththroughoutthewholeschool communitywilltaketimeandwillneedtoconsiderand incorporatetheviewsofallmembersoftheschoolcommunity (includingparents,governors,residentsandlocalbusinessesand visitorswithastakeintheworkingsoftheschool). Whatisthepurposeofa wellbeingteam? Thepurposeofawellbeingteamin schoolsistoconsiderthewellbeing needswithintheirschool,withaview tomakinglastingimprovementsthat help,supportandpromotethe positivewellbeingofall,regardlessof theirroleorstanding. 8
Whoshouldbeinvolved? Thewellbeingteamshould,inthelongerterm,considergaininginput fromacross-sectionofstakeholdergroupswithintheschool community,including… Pupils Parents Classroompractitioners Non-teachingstaff Middlemanagers Seniorleaders Governors Volunteers Others(e.g.externalorganisations oradvisorygroupsmightbe includedintheteamforfixed periodsoftimeorforon-going consultation) Thewellbeingteamwillworkwithandalongside allstakeholders(includingexternalsupport organisations)tomakerecommendationsfor changesthatwillimprovewellbeingpracticesand strategiestodevelopandenhancethewellbeing cultureoftheschool. Theinclusiveand representativenature oftheteamwill supportand strengthen relationshipsbetween allstakeholdergroups. Theprocessbywhicheachschool developstheirwellbeingteamwill differfromschooltoschooland willbedependentonseveral factors(e.g.budgetconstraintsand potentialworkloadconcerns). "mental health and wellbeing is everybody's business" 9
Thebenefitsofateamapproachtoimprovingwellbeing Manyschoolsalreadyhaveadesignatedwellbeingleadorcoordinator onsite.However,thisisnotthecaseforallschools.Thiscanbe problematicinitselfasinevitably,peoplemoveontootherrolesor workplaces,andlittleconsiderationisgiventothecontinuityand resilienceofthisrole. provideandpromoteamorerobustandresilient structuretoworkwithin; promotediversityandinclusion; removelayersofhierarchythroughthecreationofalevel playingfieldandavoiceforalltosupportthecreationof aphysicalandpsychologicallysafeenvironment; provideopportunitiesforgreaterdiscussion, transparencyandperspectivearoundthewellbeingneeds oftheschool. Adoptinganddevelopingateamapproachtowellbeingcan... when when ''i' i' is replaced by is replaced by ''we' we' eeven ven 'illness' 'illness' ccan an bbecome ecome 'wellness' 'wellness' Whatistheroleofthewellbeingteam? Thewellbeingteamshouldmeetregularlyandhave aclearsetofexpectations/goalstoworktowards. ThiscanbeagreedwithinaTermsofReference document(ToR). TheToRwillalsoincludeinformationsuchas... Visionoftheteam; Objectivesoftheteam; Roles,andresponsibilitiesofteam members; Resourcesneeded; Work/taskbreakdownandschedule. 10
psychological safety thriving teams TheTermsofReferencewill provideadocumentedsource ofinformationneededfor makingfuturedecisionsand forconfirmingordevelopinga commonunderstandingofthe team. Whatisnottheroleofthewellbeingteam? Itisimportanttonotethatthewellbeingteamisnotforcrisis supportoraplacetomakedecisionsoncrisissituations.Mostschools willhaveadesignatedperson/rolefordealingwiththeseevents. Challengenegativeattitudesandstigmaassociatedwithpoor mentalhealththroughpolicydevelopment,trainingand informationsharing; Proactivelyconsiderhowtopromotepositivephysicaland emotionalhealthandwellbeingwithintheorganisation; Identifytrainingneedsacrossallstakeholdergroups; Evaluateandreviewtheeffectivenessofschoolpoliciesand proceduresinrelationtowellbeing; Encourageabroadanddiverseapproachtoaccessing appropriatesupport(e.g.signpostingtoexternalagenciesand professionals); Workalongsidetheseniorleadershipteamtostrategically facilitatemeaningfulculturechangearoundphysicaland emotionalhealthandwellbeing. Primarily,theroleofthewellbeingteamisto… 11
Traitsandcharacteristicsofawellbeingteammember It’simportanttohavetherightpeopleonthewellbeingteam. Theymightbe... Thislistisbyno meansexhaustive andteammembers aren’texpectedto tickeverybox. It’smoreimportanttogetthe balancerighttoensureobjectivity andintegrityintheworkoftheteam. Effectiveandrespectfulcommunication; Afocusonwellbeing; Asenseofbelongingandaproactivecommitmentto improvingthephysicalandemotionalhealthand wellbeingofpeople; Adiversesetofindividuals,representativeofall stakeholdergroups; Acodeofconductthatencouragesconfidentiality, integrity,andtrust; Regularrecordedmeetingstoshareknowledgeand ideasandforaction-planning; Aplatformwhereeveryonehasarighttobeheard andhaveavoicewithoutfeelingjudged. Thekeyelementsofawellbeingteamshouldinclude… 12
Istheresupportfortheteamfromthe headteacherandseniorleadership? Willthisbeaschoolorclusterteam,or somethingelse? Howmanypeoplearegoingtobe involved? Arethemembersselectedorvotedin, orboth? Howlongwilltheybeinpost? Arethemembersrepresentativeofall stakeholdergroups? Willthewellbeingteamhavesubgroups? Howwilltheteambefunded? SMART goals checklist setup Whatisthemission oftheteam? Whatisthe expectationofthe wellbeingteam? Howwillsuccessbe measured? mission decision-making Whatactionable decisionswillthe teambeableto make? Whatchangesor recommendations willtheteamnotbe abletoaction? meetings Isthereforwardplanningfor meetings?Whenwilltheteam meet?Howoften?Where?How? Willmeetingscoincidewithorlink inwithplannedkeyschool meetings?Thisisparticularly importantifthewellbeingteamis makingrecommendationstobe discussedatthesemeetings. Whatothermeetingsacrossthe schoolwillrepresentativesfrom thewellbeingteamattend? 13
Identifytherolesofthoseneededontheteam. Aretheirrolespaid,unpaidorvoluntary? Whoisbestplacedtobethewellbeingleador coordinator? Howdoyoumanagethedynamics/relationships withinthegroup? Whatarethelimitationsoftheteamorthe individualswithintheteam? Istheteamtobeconsultedwithoraskedto supportthedevelopmentandevaluationofpolicies andproceduresinrelationtomentalhealthand wellbeing? Whattrainingwilltheteamneedtoundertaketheir roleseffectively? ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES Effective group processes Howwillyoucreatean environmentofpsychological safetywithinthegroup? Willtherebeaneedforexternal mentoring,supportorsupervision? Howisthisgoingtohappen? Whatdebriefopportunitiesare thereforsensitiveortraumatic issues? Whatisexpectedof stakeholders? Howwillstakeholders engagewiththeteam? Howwilltheteam engagewithother stakeholderteams (e.g.unionreps)? stakeholder engagement gdpr Whatsystemsareinplacetoprotecteveryone? Howwillyouensuretheconfidentialityofthoseyou engagewith? 14
reporting Whodoestheteam providereportsfor? Inwhatformatsdoes theteamreportbackto theirstakeholder groups? Howoftendoesthe teamreportback? evaluation Whyshouldthewellbeingteamreviewandevaluate progress?e.g.celebratesuccesses,identifyareasfor development. Howwilltheeffectivenessoftheteambemeasured? Whatarethequantitative/qualitativeindicators relatingtochangesthathavetakenplace? Howoftenshouldtheteamself-review? Howwilltheworkoftheteambepromotedtostakeholders(and others)? Howwilltheteamensurethatemotionalhealthandwellbeingare consideredandsupportedinallaspectsandareasofschoollife? Willtheteamputwellbeingontheagendaforallmeetings?Howwill thisbeachieved? Howwillthewellbeingteamrecruitnewmemberstotheteam? promotion “It only takes one person to change the world - let it begin with you. ” 15
shapedbyitsvalues,priorities,thepeople whoworkthere,thechildren,theirparents andthewidercommunity.
ptaffandpupilstofeelemotionallyand hysicallysafe.
theschoolenvironment.
feellessstressedandanxiousand attendanceandperformanceimproveand peoplearegivenopportunitiestoflourish andgrow.
Everyschoolhasitsowndistinctculture,
sApositiveschoolenvironmentallowsall
Thesefactorsallcombinetonaturallyform
Whenpeoplefeelpsychologicallysafe,they
Culture
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The School Environment &
" treat people like they make a difference and they will "
Whatarethecharacteristicsofagood workplace? Whatmakesforapositiveworking environmentforstaff? Whatarethecharacteristicsofagood school? Whatmakesforapositivelearning environmentforpupils? Asignificantpart ofcreatinga positiveworkplace culturecomes fromthesystems thatgovernthe day-to-day practicesofthe school. wellbeing teams need to consider ... think about ... Howdecisionsaremade-aretheytop-downoriseveryone involvedindecisionsaffectingtheirwork? Communications-aretheysporadicorprovidedasinformation ratherthaninvitinginput? Howtheschoolrewardsandrecognisespeople-staff,pupils andothers. Whetherornotthereisanengagementprocessforpeopleto contributeideasforimprovement. Whatotherpeoplearesayingabouttheschool-whatdoesour schoollookandfeelliketovisitors? DoestheWellbeingTeamsupportandpromotetheneedfor psychologicalsafety? 17
The importance of data gathering Datacanhelphighlightareasof strengthacrossanorganisationandcan alsoidentifyproblemareasandtheir causes. Datagatheringcanalso supportinreviewingand evaluatingthe effectivenessofexisting strategies(e.g.arethey stillmeetingtheneedsand aretheystillfitfor purpose?),andindicate whetherornottheyneed tobetweakedorchanged. Dataisonlyusefulifit’sgatheredina timelyfashionandifpeopleare honestintheresponsestheygive. Dataincreasesefficiency andcanhelpmeasurethe effectivenessofstrategies thathavebeenputinplace, especiallywhenthe strategieshavebeen implementedtoovercomea barrierorchallenge. what is data? information graphs measurement observations facts numbers quantities data 18
Gathering the baseline data Beforeplanningormaking anychangesthereisaneed tocreateabaselineto ascertainwheretheschool currentlysitsintermsof wellbeing. Carryingoutabaselinereviewwillalso provideanopportunitytohighlightgood practiceaswellasbeingabletounderstand howeachstakeholdergroupfeelsaboutthe workplaceandforthemtoidentifyareasthat theyfeelneedimprovementordevelopment. Thiscouldinvolveamixture ofsurveys,polls,interviews and/orfocusgroup sessions. What kind of data are we looking for? HSE(Health&SafetyExecutive)haveidentified6keyriskfactors thatcanaffectwellbeingatwork.Theseare… Thedemandsofthejob; Howmuchcontrolworkershaveinthewaytheydotheirwork; Whatsupportandencouragementareprovidedbythe organisation; Relationshipsand(un)acceptablebehaviours; Clearunderstandingofrolesandresponsibilities; Howorganisationalchangeiscommunicatedandmanagedin theorganisation. 19
Gathermeaningfulopinionsandcomments; Encouragediscussion; Facilitatedecision-makinganddevelopactionplans; Establishabaselinefromwhichtocompareresults overtime. Donewell,surveyscanprovideusefulinformationabout opinions,viewsandexperiencesandareusedto…
and Questionnaires Surveysshouldbedesignedtobeused anonymouslytoensurestafffeelabletorespond honestly.Thinkabouthowyouprotectindividuals frombeingidentifiedinyoursurveys. Surveyresultsmayvarydependingonthetimeof yeartheyareundertaken. Sharingsurveyfindingsandresultsopenlywith staff(andotherstakeholders)canbeusefulfor discussionandactionplanning. Repeatingsurveysona‘regular’basiscanhelp schoolsseechangeandprogress. Howandwhentosurveystaffstakeholderswill dependonanumberoffactors… “You can have data without information, but you cannot have information without data.” - Daniel Keys MoranSurvey strategies 20
Surveys
Surveyobjectives-whatyou’relookingtolearn,identifyor measure(e.g.staffopinionontheworkplaceenvironment); Surveydesign-whatquestionsyouneedtoasktomeet yourobjectivesandtheappropriatequestionformatsto usetoaskthosequestions(e.g.singlechoice(always,often, sometimes,hardlyever,never)and“Iamgivenconstructive andsupportivefeedbackontheworkIdo.”); Surveyformat-language,layoutandtypography(clear, unambiguousanduncluttered); Testingyoursurveywithasmallgrouppriortolaunching withyourtargetstakeholdergroup. think about ... Theimportanceofgoodsurvey designshouldnotbe underestimated.Incorporating therightmixofquantitativeand qualitativequestionswillbea keyfactorinproducingan unbiasedandrealisticanalysisof thedata. survey design Formulating Survey Questions Inordertogatherhonest, accurateandusabledata,it’s goodpracticetouseavarietyof questiontypesthatwillelicit truthfulanswerstosensitive questions. 21
Multiplechoicequestions(e.g.tickallthat apply); Singechoiceordropdownquestions(e.g. selectone); Numerical,ratingorsliderscales(togain insightonskillorperformance); Likertscales(agree/disagreetypequestions thatareusedtogaugeopinionsandfeelings); Matrixquestions(usedtogroupratingand likertscaletypequestions); Rankingquestions(usedtoorderresponses accordingtofeelingsorpreference); Open-endedquestions(e.g.“tellusabout yourexperiences”). think about how you might use ... GDPR & Confidentiality Dependingonthesizeofyour schoolitislikelyyouwillwishto avoidaskingcertainquestions thatcouldidentifythe individualscompletingthe survey.Thesemightinclude questionsrelatingto… Roles/Responsibilities Subjectareas KeyStages Askingabouttimeoffor knownhealthissues Onceyou’vefound therightquestionsto ask,youwillalmost certainlyneedto adaptyourquestions fordifferent stakeholdergroups. 22
The wellbeing audit TheWellbeingAuditshouldbe createdandadaptedtocapturethe perspectivesofeachofthe followinggroups… Staff Leadership Pupils Parents GovernorVolunteers Workload,deadlinesandthedemandsplaceduponindividuals tocarryouttheirroleseffectively; Theworkenvironmentandtheimpactithasontheirphysical and/oremotionalwellbeing; Suggestionsforchangesand/orsupportsthatcouldhelp. demands think about … It'simportanttoasktherightquestionstoeachstakeholder groupontopicsandissuesthatarerelevanttothem.Usingthe6 keyriskfactorsidentifiedbyHSEintheirTalkingToolkitscanbea goodplacetostart. 23
Opportunitiestoinputinto decision-makingprocesses; Abilitytoexpressviewson howworkisundertakenor completed; Individual’sskillsareused effectively; Suggestionsforchangesand/ orsupportsthatcouldhelp. control Feelingvaluedandsupported; Knowingwheretogoforsupportandconfidencein askingforhelp; Opportunitiestodiscussissues; Suggestionsforchangesthatcouldhelp. support relationships Opinionsaroundbehaviours,bullying andharassment; Opennessofcommunication; Knowledgeofpoliciesandconfidencein beingabletoreportandchallenge unacceptablebehaviours; Suggestionsforchangesand/or supportsthatcouldhelp. 24
role
Clarityonroleandexpectations; Clarityofworkobjectives; Suggestionsforchangesand/or supportsthatcouldhelp.
change Whetheryourunonelarger surveyoraseriesofsmaller oneswilldependonwhat you'regoingtodowiththe dataandwhen.
how long should the survey be?
Opinionsonhow organisationalchangeis managed; Consultationand involvementinplanning processes; Suggestionsfor changesand/or supportsthatcould help.
Thefirstaudit(orseriesofshortersurveys)willprovide thebaselinedatafromwhichtheteamwillbeableto comparewithdatagatheredinfutureaudits/surveys.
Thewellbeingauditshouldbeiterativeandcyclicaland, knowingwhatyou'regatheringthedataforwillguideyouin decidingwhenandhowoftentorunorrepeatyoursurvey(s). Thiswillhelptheteam(andstakeholders)gainabetter understandingoftheimpactofanyimplementedchangesand adaptstrategiesasnecessary. 25
Answerquestions; Identifytrends; Extractinsights-i.e.what hasbeenidentifiedwithin thesurveydesignprocess arethethingsthatneed tobelearned,identified, measuredorunderstood. Dataanalysisistheprocessof lookingatdatagatheredto... Analysingdata allowsschoolsto learnwhat’sworking wellandwhichareas needattention. Dataanalysistools,like ExcelandGoogle Sheets,allowyouto createcomprehensive charts,graphsand visualisationsfromyour quantitativedata. Analysingdataisan importantpartofthe processingaining meaningful information. “ you can't improve what you don't measure" Data analysis 26 Conclusionsderived fromtheinformation gathered,when harnessedcorrectly, havethepotentialto drivediscussion, decision-makingand action.
Data Analysis Checklist Clearlydefineourgoalsatthesurveydesign stage(i.e.wereweexplicitaboutwhatwe wantedtolearnorfindout?)?; Decidehowweweregoingtomeasureour goals(i.e.didweplancontentandquestion typestocaptureourdata?)?; Collectourdata(and,ifpaper-based, transferthisdataintoadigitalsystem?)? Didwe… Quantitative vs. Qualitative Qualitativedataisequallyasimportantasquantitativedatain surveydesignandanalysis. Quantitativedatais structuredstatisticaldatathat canbecountedormeasured. Combiningboth quantitativeand qualitativedata analysiswillprovide amorerounded viewofwellbeingin theworkplace whereitiseasierto spottrendsand listenmoreclosely tothevoiceofthe workforce. Qualitativedataiscollectedfrom text,image,audioandvideothat canprovidefurtherinsight. 27
Preservingtheintegrityofthedataand avoidingbiasinitsinterpretation. Whatarethekeyfindingspresentedbythe data? Whatstorydoesthedatatell? Howandwhyisthisdatagoingtobe importanttothestakeholders? Areyouabletocomparethisdataagainst previoussurveyresultsdataoragainst resultsfromothersources? Whatdoanypatternsinthedatatellyou? Doesthedatacorrelatewithany assumptionsmadeattheplanning/ scopingstage? Whatconclusionscanbedrawnaboutthe organisation,itsstaff,systemsand/or policies? Whataretherecommendationsofthe wellbeingteamwithregardstothedata? think about … Dataanalysisisabout uncoveringpatterns andtrendsinthedata. Datainterpretationis aboutassigning meaningtothedata. Data interpretation Interpretingthedatacanbe simpleorcomplicated, dependingonthedatayou’ve gatheredandwhatyouwantto beabletosayaboutthedata. Thedatayougatherwillalmost certainlyraisemorequestions thanitprovidesanswers. 28
action planning “data without action is just useless information" Atitsmostfundamentallevel, thedatagatheredinyour surveyswillrevealtruthsabout thelevelofengagementinthe workplace.Itcanalsoindicate whatneedstobedonenext andhastheabilitytoevidence theneedforchangeandhelpto persuadeleadersandmanagers totakeaction. Onceyouhaveanalysedyourdatayouwill needtoproduceareporttopresenttothe wellbeingteamfordiscussionand recommendationsbeforedisseminatingor sharingfurther.Thisembedsthestatusofthe wellbeingteamasarecognisedandvalued elementoftheschoolcommunity. Tochallengethenegativeattitudesandstigma associatedwithpoormentalhealth; Toidentifytrainingneedsacrossallstakeholder groups; Inevaluatingandreviewingtheeffectivenessof schoolpoliciesandproceduresinrelationto wellbeing; Toencourageabroadanddiverseapproachto accessingappropriatesupport; Toworkalongsidetheseniorleadershipteamto strategicallyfacilitatemeaningfulculturechange aroundphysicalandemotionalhealthandwellbeing. Thinkabout howthe wellbeing teamwilluse thesurvey dataand analysis report… 29
Strategicallylinkingthetimingofthewellbeing teamactionstokeycalendardates; Definemilestones; Howyouaregoingtotracktheprogressand evaluatetheimpactoftheactions; Schedulingorsettingreviewdates. designing an action plan think about … self-care Makingchangestotheworkenvironmenttoimprovewellbeing acrosstheschoolcommunityisonlyhalfthestory. Individualsshouldalsobeencouragedandsupportedto thinkaboutself-careandwhatthatmightlooklikeforthem. 30
Theshort,mediumandlongtermSMART objectivesoftheproposedactions; Roleassignments(i.e.whoisgoingtodowhat); Theresourcesthatareneeded(e.g.human, technical,financial); Thescheduleanddurationofanyactivity(i.e.when oroverwhatlengthoftimetheactionneedsto happen); Theorderorsequenceinwhichtheactionswill happen;
project edify This is not the end!
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