Wellbeing Champion Training Eligible for DfE funding!

Breaking news…our Wellbeing Champion course has been assured for Department of Education (DfE) grant-funded Senior Mental Health Lead training. The grant of £1,200, is available to state funded school and colleges in England who meet the requirements. 

The funding which designed to support schools, allows eligible settings to train a Senior Mental Health Lead to help improve their whole school or college approach. Educational settings are encouraged to apply for a grant if they have identified a Senior Mental Health lead who can begin training by 31st March 2024. The training is not compulsory, but it is part of the government’s commitment to offer this training to all eligible schools and colleges by 2025. 

This funding is crucial in supporting staff wellbeing initiatives and programmes aimed at improving educational settings and staff wellbeing across the country, aiding schools and colleges in supporting the development of a skilled, knowledgeable and more mentally well workforce. The DfE funding has arrived at the right time after several reports show worsening figures around staff stress levels and wellbeing across all roles in the education sector. 

Still Human’s Managing Director, Julie Liddell commented, “It is an honour to have our Wellbeing Champion course recognised by the DfE and it’s even better that it is now accessible to schools and colleges through the funding grant. The course has so many benefits to support and improve the wellbeing of staff in education and the fact we are able to provide it to more people through the DfE funding has made the whole team very excited. We have worked hard honing the course to ensure it provides exceptional benefit to staff in education and have seen brilliant results from the training we have provided so far.” 

How to identify the best person to take on the Senior Mental Health Lead Role? 

Schools and colleges can decide who is best placed to take on the role of Senior Mental Health Lead within their setting. Great people to undertake the training could be: 

• Headteacher 
• Deputy Headteacher 
• A member of the senior leadership team (SLT) 
• Wellbeing Lead 
• An appropriate member of staff, working with colleagues, who is empowered to develop and oversee the whole school or colleges approach to mental health and wellbeing 

Most importantly the chosen individual must have the authority, capacity and support to influence and lead strategic change within the setting. 

Existing Mental Health Leads can also be nominated for this training and can be used to; develop or refresh their knowledge, provide more advanced training and help them gain a relevant qualification. 

Still Human’s Wellbeing Champion course allows a team member from your school/college to become an expert in how to embed staff wellbeing and implement long-term cultural change in your organisation. The course provides the participants with the tools and resources to be able to come back into school/college with the knowledge and means required to help change the culture, improve staff wellbeing and help create a positive whole school/college where retention increases, and the staff feel more valued. This course is developed by educators for educators and is eligible for the DFE Senior Mental Health Lead grant, as well as being fully CPD accredited so you are also able to utilise your CPD budget.  

Training includes:   

• What wellbeing is and why staff wellbeing matters.  
• Culture, communication, connection and values.   
• Exploration of stress awareness and mindfulness.   
• Fostering gratitude, positive emotions and strengths in the workplace.   
• Rethinking workload.   
• Action planning for long-term cultural change.  

Find our upcoming course dates here. 

We believe the course will greatly benefit the overall wellbeing of staff. So, don't miss out on this chance to make a positive impact on your school community. Find out how your school or college can apply for a grant and access training to help develop a whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing here.  

Article by Still Human Marketing Manager, Emma Turnbull.