Birmingham Mind and the PURE Project share best practice on mental wellbeing in the workplace as an essential support for people facing multiple barriers
Birmingham Mind and the PURE Project hosted an event at Soho House Museum on mental wellbeing in the workplace. Mental wellbeing in the workplace is increasingly a vital issue with 70% of employees expressing having experienced poor mental health because of work*. Research from Mind has also found that tor every £1 invested in workplace mental health, we see a £5.30 return in investment proving the value of providing support*.
Mental health support is especially important for people with mental health challenges towards education, training, and employment. Tabriz Hussein, PURE Project Manager said “Mental health in the workplace is a growing challenge. This event was a great opportunity to tell people about the support that’s out there and give people the space to tell their stories. If mental health is a barrier getting into employment for you or someone you know, come speak to us.”
Attendees of the event were able to take part in a skills and jobs club, sit down with employment advisors and disability employment advisors from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), discuss courses at Fircroft College available to PURE participants, and receive advice on their CVs.
The event explored trauma, stress and mental health support including a presentation by Blue Paw’s Paul Roe and amazing support dog Holly. Blue Paw has over 25 years of experience and provides support to police officers who have experienced traumatic incidents such as rail crashes and terrorist incidents. Paul shared moving real life personal stories about how trauma affected him, living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and overcoming mental health challenges with support dogs.
The event took place in the grounds of the historic Soho House Museum, a hidden gem in Handsworth, with visitors also given free access to explore the gallery and enjoy fantastic South Asian food. At the exhibition visitors explored the Black British experience from one of the leading black artists of the Commonwealth Generation, Vanley Burke.
Other breakout meetings included a wellness session where techniques were shared on ways to stay calm in stressful situations. This included sitting in a secluded grotto for 1-to-1 personal mental health support and sitting with others in a mental wellbeing pod to unwind and relax.
The event was run jointly by Birmingham Mind and the PURE Project. Birmingham Mind empower organisations to have meaningful conversations about mental health. They provide tailored support to improve organisational policies, practices and culture. Birmingham Mind are one of the nine delivery partners of the PURE Project across the city of Birmingham.
The PURE Project, which also led the event, is a unique scheme that supports people over the age of 25 facing complex barriers with securing employment, training, and education. It is a £20m project managed by Birmingham City Council, part-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and delivered through nine community partners across the city.
The PURE Project supports people with a range of complex barriers. These include:
- People who are homeless or vulnerably housed
- Women fleeing domestic abuse
- Offenders and those at risk of offending
- People with learning disabilities and difficulties
- People with mental health difficulties
- People with physical and sensory disabilities
*Mind UK, Workplace wellbeing, https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/workplace-wellbeing/?gclid=CjwKCAjwzo2mBhAUEiwAf7wjktOO7gxR-yeXgQxG971ym2mqHC3Cbl0uZmTaSZUfEaAolotj8RCJxRoC7WUQAvD_BwE
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