VCSE Power showcase: Wakefield

Coaching for Well Being 2022 – Targeting Staff and Volunteers from Minority Ethnic Communities and the Voluntary Sector

Following the success and positive feedback received from this progamme throughout 2021 we are looking to  deliver a further two training blocks (on-line) throughout 2022. We know that currently the voluntary sector and staff from minority ethnic communities are underrepresented within coaching We are particularly keen to receive applications from individuals and teams that come from these sectors and backgrounds or work with people in these settings.

Individual Coaching Skills training

Most of us use coaching skills and approaches every day. Growing evidence suggests effective coaching skills contribute to personal well-being, innovation, care outcomes, teamworking and leadership effectiveness. Despite pressures and constraints in the care sector investment in coaching has grown reflecting the value of more person-centred approaches that create ownership, engagement and meaningful accomplishment. During the pandemic staff and volunteers accessing coaching have demonstrated maintenance or improvements in wellbeing compared to those who have not. Our sessions are open to all staff and volunteers and are designed to help participants improve their use of coaching skills in everyday conversations that matter.

As part of the training you will have the opportunity to engage in a 1-to-1 coaching session arranged at a mutually convenient time.

To Apply

No previous coaching experience is required and the courses are open to all grades, roles and volunteer groups

Individual Applicants ( must be able to attend all 4 sessions)

Cohort 5

Sept 13th 20th 27th & Oct 4th These are all mornings 9.15 till 12.45

Cohort 6

Sept 28th, Oct 5th, 12th 26th These are all afternoons 1.15 till 4.45

Deadline

Friday 29^th July– where possible we will allocate on a first come basis.

Please email - bdcccg.wyh.mentalwellbeinghub@nhs.net

With: Name, contact details, organisation, cohort preference and ethnicity (if willing to disclose – this will allow us to target places).

Health & Wellbeing webinars for Unpaid Carers from ethnically diverse communities

West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership has worked with many voluntary community sector groups and we understand the importance of the deep rooted links and the ground breaking work which happens within the VCSE sector. Race Equality Network (REN) lead some pioneering work during the Covid-19 pandemic in Bradford,this involved working with 26 community organisations to reduce the inequalities caused by COVID-19 amongst BAME and CEE communities and to disseminate culturally appropriate material and information in a wide variety of languages on Infection Control, Test and Trace and Outbreak Management.

West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership commissioned Race Equality Network (REN) to deliver a health and wellbeing project specifically addressing the key inequalities facing working carers from ethnic minorities. The aim of this project was to raise awareness on how to support working carers from diverse backgrounds and improve take up of the working carers passport. The passport aims to support carers to balance both their working and carer responsibilities.

 The aim of the webinar was to support a step change in how we address the needs of our workforce from diverse backgrounds. We co-produced and designed the content of these webinars from our VCSE , Local Authority and Healthcare Organisations.

Three webinars were developed and delivered during Carers Week June 2022, these webinars addressed how to balance work and caring responsibilities.

The panel shared their personal challenges and barriers such as language, religious and cultural expectations and cultural sensitivities and how more support should be provided by health services to tackle such barriers. Some stressed the need for and importance of training for working carers, especially around handling and lifting those they care for which can be detrimental if not done correctly. There was a common theme throughout the webinars amongst panellists and the audience around the lack of support services that are available for working carers from ethnic minority backgrounds. 

Working carers shared the impact on their mental health and overall wellbeing which often left working carers feeling lonely, isolated and unsupported by services due to the lack of cultural competency.

Some of the comments made by the guest speakers on the webinar:

• There is an expectation of me to care for my family. I don’t see my caring responsibilities as pressure, this is my duty. My faith, religion and compassionate managers have helped me” – Head of Equality and Diversity, Bradford
• “Caring for my parents was my priority, they became my children so I had to create structure and routine. Working in the voluntary sector gave me the flexibility I needed to care for my parents and having a supportive board was very helpful” – Manager, West Bowling Youth Initiative.
• “I am a manager in the voluntary sector and I struggle to get timely help and support from the system. Getting support 3 months down the line is just too late. More needs to be done to promote the support available for working carers from ethnic minority communities” – Manager, Womens Zone, Bradford.
• “As working carers, we often put ourselves last which can impact our mental health. I felt isolated, alone and guilty for going to work. Services need to be more culturally aware and respond to the needs of diverse communities” – Carers Lead, SWYFT

Recommendations:

• It should become mandatory for all organisations within statutory sectors including NHS, Health & Care and local authorities to a develop robust programme to support working carers via the working carers passport.
• These organisations should offer training to all managers and the senior leadership team on working carers passport to enable them to better support their staff that are working carers
• The need to develop support services for working carers from ethnic minority backgrounds around loss and bereavement, lifting and handling, counselling etc
• Developing a network of working carer champions and culturally sensitive support groups and safe spaces enabling peer support for working carers
• A social media campaign to promote the visibility of the working carers passport and ethnic minority working carers
• It should be compulsory for all staff working within these sectors, especially managers to undertake cultural competency training to enable staff to develop skills and knowledge on how to best support working carers from diverse backgrounds

West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership developed case studies and videos shared on our YouTube page and website for people to understand cultural competencies of being a working carer from ethnic communities.