In 2020, Greater Manchester Learning Provider Network (GMLPN), partnered with the Association of Colleges (AoC), with funding from the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP), to research into and improve Mental Health support for Training Providers, their learners and the employers they work with.
“Coming through the Covid pandemic, mental health & wellbeing has been a key issue for everyone. We have worked alongside AoC and GMHSCP to help support our members, the learners that they train and the employers that they work with. We have worked with members and partners to develop and deliver a number of significant outcomes including the Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit – an excellent legacy of the project.”
Anne Gornall | Executive Director | GMLPN
Over the past two years the project has many achievements including the following:
Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit
GMLPN have developed a Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit for Training Providers to use. The toolkit is packed full of resources, a self-assessment tool, case studies and sign-posts to external support agencies.
The toolkit has been very well received and has been downloaded over 100 times. The Mental Health & Wellbeing kit is free and open to all and can be downloaded here.
GMLPN further supported members by running wellbeing webinars with organisations such as Talkout and OneFile, which focused on good practice for staff, learners and employers they work with.
Mental Health Champions
GMLPN have recruited a group of 28 Mental Health Champions from across organisations within the network. The champions promote good mental health & wellbeing within their organisations and have shared lots of experience and resources which have been included in the Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit.
Additionally, 13 GMLPN members have signed up to a Mental Health & Wellbeing Charter which recognises their commitment to maintaining the mental health of their staff and learners.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Professional Exchanges
Across the two years of the project, GMLPN have facilitated eight Professional Exchange meetings. These meetings have been attended by GMLPN members who have met to discuss challenges they are currently facing. The groups have been given a space to share resources and experiences in a collaborative way which has helped build a strong culture of wellbeing across the network.
The focus groups have welcomed input from a range of speakers across organisations such as Apprentify, Manchester Metropolitan University, Kooth/Qwell and Oldham College who have provided their insights and experiences on a range of topics such as digital wellbeing and organisational wellbeing.
GMLPN would like to thank all stakeholders and participants of the project, who have given time, energy and support to ensure the project has been a success.