The Education Support Partnership is the UK's only charity providing mental health and wellbeing support services to all education and training staff and organisations. The organisation offers telephone support and counselling, email support and live chat, training and development, information and advice, and even grants.

There are many stresses on those who work in education and training - a challenging student, stress & depression, personal financial worries and so many more. That’s why the Partnership offers free, confidential help and support, no matter what the problem. Trained counsellors listen without judgement. No issue is too big or too small.

Free Helpline: 08000 562 561 (24 hours)

Website: https://www.educationsupportpartnership.org.uk/

Virtual College have a range of free resources for Employees to help develop and promote strong mental wellbeing. Resources include: Activity Tracker and Planner; Work-life Balance Tracker; Warnings Signs Assessment; Stress management and many more.

Website: https://goo.gl/3uTW6a

Criminal exploitation is also known as 'county lines' and this can happen when gangs and organised crime networks exploit children to sell drugs. These children are often made to travel across counties, and they use dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ to supply drugs. Gangs are deliberately targeting vulnerable children i.e. those who are homeless, living in care homes or trapped in poverty. These children are unsafe, often unloved, or unable to cope, and the gangs take advantage of this.

The criminals and gangs groom, threaten or trick children into trafficking their drugs for them. They might threaten a young person physically, or they might threaten the young person’s family members. The gangs might also offer something in return for the young person’s cooperation i.e. it could be money, food, alcohol, clothes and jewellery, or improved status, but the giving of these gifts will usually be manipulated so that the child feels they are in debt to their exploiter.

What are the signs of criminal exploitation and county lines?

• Returning home late, staying out all night or going missing
• Being found in areas away from home
• Increasing drug use, or being found to have large amounts of drugs on them
• Being secretive about who they are talking to and where they are going
• Unexplained absences from school, college, training or work
• Unexplained money, phone(s), clothes or jewellery
• Increasingly disruptive or aggressive behaviour
• Using sexual, drug-related or violent language you wouldn’t expect them to know
• Coming home with injuries or looking particularly dishevelled
• Having hotel cards or keys to unknown places.

The Children’s Commissioner Estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity. If you think a young person is in immediate danger ensure you contact the police. If you are concerned about a young person or vulnerable adult’s welfare, please contact JTM’s Safeguarding Officer on 0151 336 9340.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men suffer from domestic abuse in their lifetime, and an estimated 1.9 million adults aged 16-59 experienced domestic abuse in the last year. There was an average of less than one disclosure to employers within medium and large organisation over the past 12 months, which suggests not enough employees feel supported to raise the problem. Please access the attached toolkit for more information.

There has been a lot written about how to tackle ill mental health and promote wellbeing in the workplace. Business in the community has partnered with Public Health England to produce a free, online toolkit, to help every organisation support the mental health and wellbeing of its employees.

You can find and download a copy of our complaints procedure by clicking the button below.