Employee Assistance Programme

Gofal a leading mental health & wellbeing charity

Health and wellbeing is at Gofals heart, and that includes taking care of the 120 plus staff who deliver its programmes, providing vital services to vulnerable people. The wellbeing of staff is one of Gofals strategic objectives, and providing Worklife Supports Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to staff is an essential part of making it happen.
Clare Hall Davies, Head of HR at Gofal, explained: Were a mental health and wellbeing charity, so its really important to look after the wellbeing of our staff. We need to be an exemplar of good practice, practising what we preach. Also, were a Mindful Employer, which means that weve signed the Charter for Employers who are Positive about Mental Health, so offering the Worklife Support EAP is highly valued. Gofal recognises that working with people who may have challenging mental health issues can be tough, and that sometimes members of staff need support that goes beyond that which is provided through supervision. Staff need to have somewhere safe to discuss issues in confidence. Gofal also recognises that people have a life outside work, and that what happens outside inevitably impacts upon their performance.

About Gofal
Gofal is one of Wales leading mental health and wellbeing charities. Established in 1991, Gofal believes that all people should have the opportunity to enjoy a sense of overall wellbeing and that no one should be disadvantaged because of their mental health. Gofal want to challenge the way we all think about, talk about and respond to mental health and wellbeing. In pursuit of this Gofal: provides a wide range of services that support independence, health and wellbeing, and promote recovery; lobbies to improve mental health policy, practice and legislation; campaigns to increase public understanding of mental health and wellbeing. Gofal covers 11 local authority areas across South Wales and is an ambitious and growing organisation. Along with other Welsh Mental Health charities, Hafal and Mind Cymru, Gofal is about to launch the Time to Change campaign in Wales, a campaign aiming to end mental health discrimination that has seen impressive results in England.

We wanted a service that was flexible and accessible to staff over a wide geographical area, said Clare. Worklife Support provides added value by offering not only counselling, but also legal, financial, employment and medical information and guidance to our staff.

As one of Gofals Case Workers, Jason, commented From the top down, Gofal is a very understanding organisation, not just for the service users but for staff as well. We highlight the availability of the Worklife Support Employee Assistance Programme right at the start of our recruitment campaigns. explained Clare. We display posters and leaflets, and we make sure people know that the EAP isnt just about counselling, it offers a whole lot more.

Find out more about Gofal programmes

Case Study

If people are off on long-term sick leave, they are sent a leaflet to encourage them to make use of the support available. The EAP is also publicised through staff newsletters and on the organisations website Feedbacks been really positive, said Clare. The programme offers reassurance, and its a confidential resource. Thats especially important, given the difficult times were living in now.

Waiting lists for counselling can be very long, said Clare, but with Worklife Support, theres immediate access, and even the face to face counselling can be taking place within days of a request. And all you need is one phone number. We are also now highlighting the range of information available on the Worklife website for people. The resources available on this are useful for staff themselves but also useful for staff to use in their client work.

Gofal programmes include:

Supporting People in Crisis running Wales only crisis house, with staff also based on hospital wards and in homelessness departments; Building Independence a range of accommodation based support, ranging from twenty four hour staffed projects to weekly visits to people in their own homes; Building Confidence and Skills - supporting people to access training, education and employment; Challenging Stigma and Discrimination providing awareness raising training to the general public and employers and co-running Time to Change.

Why choose Worklife Support?

Clare was instrumental in introducing the Worklife Support employee assistance programme to Gofal. We used to offer counselling, she said, but it was located in one place and not everyone could access it easily. Also we wanted to offer a more diverse range of support services. Gofal introduced Worklife Supports EAP 4 years ago, and hasnt looked back.

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Last year 22 people 18.3% of the workforce contacted the EAP Around . one third used it for counselling, with the other two thirds making use of the information and advice services. Clare said that this level of usage has been fairly consistent over the 4 years Gofal has had the EAP . One of the most important features of Worklife Supports employee assistance programme is the speed at which people can get the help they need. The phones are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so help is at hand whenever its needed.

We considered other companies, but this EAP offered the additional services of financial and legal information and guidance, and it was excellent value for money.
Would Gofal consider cutting back?
In this current climate, we have needed to look at making savings; however we certainly wouldnt be without our employee assistance programme, said Clare. Staff need to know theyre being listened to and valued. The Worklife Support EAP helps us to achieve our strategic objective of being an organisation that values people and promotes wellbeing.

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What we do
We work with schools, charities and other organisations to help achieve their full potential. We do this by taking a structured approach focusing on the wellbeing and effectiveness of staff. Our many years experience working both at an organisational level and with individual employees puts us in a unique position to enable effective change.

Get in touch
Worklife Support Ltd Suite G, Maples Business Centre, 144 Liverpool Road, London N1 1LA T: 0845 873 5680 (office hours 8.30 to 5.00) F: 0845 873 5685 E: info@worklifesupport.com
Company registered in England and Wales 03840751. Registered for VAT GB-752664907.

Find out more at www.worklifesupport.com