Mental Health Champion Lockdown Feature
Our Council have over 100 volunteer mental health champions who are trained in Mental Health First Aid and are located within services to listen and support colleagues with mental health, to sign post to specialist individual and services and to promote wellbeing activities and activities within Directorates and local Service Areas.
Meet the Champions: This week we are delighted to hear from Shona Kennedy whose job role is Community Occupational Therapist. Shona discusses her own mental health issues and why she thinks it is important that staff have someone to turn to. Thanks for sharing Shona.
“I volunteered to become a Mental Health Champion at the beginning of 2019, following my return to work after maternity leave and a period of illness. During my maternity leave I was diagnosed with post-natal depression and anxiety, I had suicidal thoughts, didn’t want to be here and it was the most difficult time of my life. Looking back, I started to develop symptoms after a few months of my daughter being born but did not seek help until she was one.
Because there was an element of grief to my depression, I was unable to access any support via NHS mental health services therefore I attended a private psychotherapist. On my return to work I felt that there was a real lack of support and I wanted to do something about that.
I became a Mental Health Champion because I wanted to help my colleagues have someone to turn to if they needed support. Also, to raise awareness about mental health and highlight that anyone can be affected, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and with help you can recover.
The main role of a Mental Health Champion is to have conversations about mental health, to provide a safe environment for people to discuss any thoughts they have and to provide support and signposting to other services or organisations. To raise awareness about mental health, I have also tried to be open about my own mental health problems and put mental health on the agenda.
It takes time for culture to change but we are taking positive steps in the right direction to be more open about how we are feeling and to talk more about our mental health. Raising awareness, building resilience, and talking openly can help to promote recovery. We need to be more comfortable talking about our mental health as if we would if we had a broken arm. “
More information is contained on Sharepoint Mental Health & Wellbeing Resource Pack
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Update to the Council’s Cycle to Work Scheme
D&G Council employees can now lease bikes and accessories up to a combined value of £3,000 through the Cycle to Work scheme. For the very first time this includes ebikes.
Payments to cover the cost of the lease will be deducted from your monthly salary before tax over an agreed period. Bikes and equipment loaned through the scheme are owned by the council during the lease period. You can keep the package by making a small additional payment when your hire agreement and salary sacrifice end.
More information, including criteria and eligibility for Council employees, is available at https://connect.dgcouncil.net/article/17882/Cycle-to-Work-Scheme
And to start an application:
Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME)
Risk Assessment
Indications suggest that minority ethnic communities may face higher risks from COVID-19, particularly for those who have an underlying health condition.
To identify staff at greater risk and to manage and reduce the level of risk, we are launching a Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) Risk Assessment.
Staff are encouraged to request a risk assessment from your line manager if you view yourself as BAME, or if you live with or care for someone who identifies as BAME.
Your line manager will arrange to carry out the risk assessment and discuss support mechanisms that can be put in place to allow you to carry out your job safely. Clear actions should emerge from the process and be continually monitored by both the individual and your line manager.
Staff should ensure their sensitive information within ‘My Details’ are up to date, please be assured that this information is kept strictly confidential however it does allow us to gain the best possible description of the people who work within our organisation.
Further information and a copy of the BAME Risk Assessment can be found here.
  RBC Film Theatre Virtual Quiz Night
The Robert Burns Centre may be closed but the staff will be joining in a Virtual Quiz Night to be live streamed at 7pm on Thursday 9th July, kindly hosted by Matt Kitson from Driftwood Cinema
The quiz is free and will be lots of fun. The quiz will be family friendly and questions will range beyond film. To join head over to their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/rbcfilmtheatre Once you’ve signed up, you’ll receive a DM, with instructions on how to join the quiz. To take part in the SpeedQuizzing Live event you will ideally have two bits of technology: a laptop, tablet or smartphone and another tablet or smartphone.
A Message from
The Strategic Planning Group
The strategic planning group wish to extend a massive thank to all staff right across Social Work Services.
There has been a first-class response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with staff adapting well and working flexibly to put the needs of the service and service users at the forefront.
Even though working from home has been challenging, staff have been creative at keeping in touch with colleagues and service users.
This massive challenge would not have been met without you, you all make a valuable contribution to the service and you should be rightly proud of yourselves.
Thank you!
Social Work Service Response
As we work through the phases of lockdown, the Council is beginning its restart process, slowly returning to business as usual. You may have heard of certain services implementing restart plans, as they had been scaled down or stopped during COVID-19.
As Social Work is such an essential lifeline service for many across Dumfries and Galloway, we have continued to operate throughout COVID-19, prioritising delivery to our most vulnerable and high-risk people. This commitment is hugely appreciated and has been a lifeline for many. The response will be ongoing for Social Work as the impact of COVID-19 will be here for a while but there is no doubt that staff have the dedication and skills to meet the demand.
COVID-19 cases in Dumfries and Galloway
Following an outbreak of COVID-19 in the east of Dumfries and Galloway last week which led to localised restrictions being put in place, Jeff Ace, Chief Executive of NHS Dumfries and Galloway said:
”The people of Dumfries and Galloway have supported the work to reduce the impact of COVID-19 over recent months and we thank them for their continued vigilance. I would urge anyone experiencing symptoms of coronavirus to immediately self-isolate and arrange testing via the mobile testing unit."
The symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- Increased temperature
- Continuous cough
- Change to or loss of sense of taste and smell
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should visit the website www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-getting-tested/ or telephone 0800 028 2816.
The hard work and dedication of Council staff all over Scotland is being recognised in a new video by COSLA.
The short four-minute video, produced in collaboration with Local Authorities up and down the country, was released to highlight the tremendous effort made by Councils and their workforces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It shows a variety of Council colleagues – including call handlers, caterers, staff in schools and refuse collectors – carrying out a range of tasks in their communities.
It is beautifully set to a performance of Lean on Me by The Perth and Kinross Council ‘Everyone Can Sing’ staff choir and rounded off with a sincere word of thanks to Local Authorities and their staff by COSLA President, Councillor Alison Evison. Speaking as she launched the video, Councillor Evison said: “The video offers an invaluable insight into the fantastic work carried out by Local Authorities and their staff throughout the country.
“Time and time again throughout the pandemic, we have witnessed Councils and their staff going above and beyond to deliver essential support to their communities and help keep people safe.
“I have also been humbled by Local Government employees who have volunteered within their towns and cities, carrying out much-needed duties such as delivering prescriptions to those who were shielding and helping at local foodbanks.”
She added: “We may be slowly emerging from lockdown, but the hard work of Scotland’s Local Authorities is far from over as we move towards the recovery phase and our workforce deserve a tremendous amount of credit for their work.
“The commitment to serving their communities has been heroic and I have no doubt this will continue in the weeks and months ahead.”
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