Midland Academies Trust makes mindful employer commitment

The Midland Academies Trust which supports schools in Nuneaton and Earl Shilton is the latest signatory to the Mindful Employer Charter, the brainchild of the Devon Partnership NHS Trust.

Established in 2004, Mindful Employer is a UK-wide initiative that provides organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors with easier access to professional workplace mental health training, information, and support. The initiative aims to help empower employers to take a lead in supporting the mental wellbeing of their people.

By signing the ‘Charter for Employers Positive About Mental Health’, the Trust has made a public statement of its desire to support the mental health of its staff across the organisation. Its commitments include proactive support for employees experiencing mental ill-health and a promise to ensure that there is no discrimination towards individuals, including applicants for job vacancies, who have mental health issues. As part of its Charter commitment, the Trust will undertake a review of its position every two years to ensure that positive ways of working are maintained over time.

Marion Plant, OBE FCGI, Chief Executive of the Midland Academies Trust said, “As an employer we recognise that, in the UK, people experiencing mental ill health continue to report stigma and discrimination at work. Having signed the ‘Charter for Employers Positive about Mental Health’, we are committed to creating a supportive and open culture, where colleagues feel able to talk about mental health confidently and we aspire to appropriately support the mental wellbeing of all employees.”