Staff welfare services
Staff Welfare services are available to Isle of Man Government employees only
For all of us there are times when we may need help or support with a problem, either at work or in our personal lives. Sometimes this can be found by talking to a friend, relative, colleague or line-manager.
Occasionally it can help to talk to someone who is independent and removed from the situation.
Our services
The Staff Welfare Service offers professionally trained staff who can provide emotional support, counselling and sign-posting on a wide range of issues. The Staff Welfare officers will listen non-judgementally to the issues and discuss through any options that are available to you.
Both Civil and Public Service staff can access this service which is available for full-time, part-time, bank and seasonal staff. Staff of all levels and grades can ask to see us.
Staff Welfare can offer emotional support, counselling and sign-posting on a wide range of issues such as:
- Work related problems
- Personal problems
- Home responsibilities
- Ill health or disability
- Returning to work after prolonged absence
- Critical incident or trauma support
- Stress, anxiety and low-mood
- Bereavement and loss
Confidentiality
We at Staff Welfare pride ourselves on our discretion; the conversations we have with our clients are confidential within Staff Welfare. The only exceptions to this would be if;
- a serious crime has been committed,
- we consider someone to be at threat of serious harm
- there is safeguarding issue
- or on the rare occasion that we are contacted by the Covid-19 track and trace team.
Wherever possible in such situations, we would discuss with you what we felt necessary to take forward and who we would be contacting.
It may be that we need to talk to someone else about information which you require, but your permission to do this will be obtained first. In the case of any discussions you feel it would be appropriate to have with your GP or other health provider or support person, we would ask for your written consent prior to contacting them.
Also see Privacy notice for details of how we manage your data
Assessment and Appointments
The first appointment will be a short telephone assessment session which will be arranged as soon as possible.
At the telephone assessment the options for support will be discussed. Sometimes these discussions will include the options of support from other helping agencies if this is considered appropriate.
Once the assessment is complete, and if further appointments are required, you will be added to our waiting list and will be contacted within 8 weeks to arrange an appointment. This is usually for an in-person meeting although we can also offer a phone call or video appointment. Appointments normally last between 45 minutes and an hour.
Feedback and evaluation
An electronic evaluation form will be sent to you after your work with the Staff Welfare Service is complete.
We ask you to take the time to fill this out and return it to us as it is a valuable method of monitoring the service we provide.
Evaluations are anonymous but you may want to add either your name or your Staff Welfare Officer’s name if you wish to raise anything specific and would like a response to your comments.
Code of Ethics
Staff Welfare offers a service which is based on trust and discretion and operates under a strict code of confidentiality within the requirements of the law.
The Staff Welfare Service is an Organisational Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). In addition, all Staff Welfare Officers are registered members of either the BACP or the Institute of Welfare (IoW), working within the boundaries of their Ethical Frameworks.
Privacy Notice
This privacy notice explains what information the Staff Welfare collects and what that information is used for. Staff Welfare is an autonomous part of the Office of Human Resources (OHR), a Division of the Cabinet Office.
How and why we ask you to share your personal information
Staff Welfare needs to process personal information to provide support services to Isle of Man Government employees.
You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide your personal information to Staff Welfare however, if you do not provide your information, we may not be able to offer our services properly or at all.
Our legal basis for processing your information
We process your personal information on a consent basis. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting staffwelfare@gov.im
Types of personal information we collect about you
Below you will find an overview of the categories of information that we may collect.
- We collect personal information from you when you enquire about our counselling services in order to set up an initial appointment. This information includes contact details and other relevant personal information.
- We make notes after each counselling sessions which act as an aide memoire and are kept securely by each individual counsellor.
- Communications between the counsellor and client to arrange appointments or send information e.g. texts or emails.
- Once a client finishes counselling, all data regarding their counselling is destroyed within a month.
- All Staff Welfare Officers are required to receive clinical supervision. This is confidential and anonymised and no personal information is shared.
- Your personal information will be used only to provide you with our services and to give you information relating to our services. We will not share your personal details with any other person or organisation without your knowledge and permission, unless there is a legal requirement, such as if there is a child or adult safeguarding issue, a perceived risk of harm or a serious illegal activity has come to light.
Information you provide to us directly
Category of Information: Personal details
Example of that type of information: Name, email address, telephone number, address
Category of Information: Employment details
Example of that type of information: Isle of Man Government Department
How do we use your data?
Once a client finishes counselling, all personal data regarding their counselling sessions is routinely destroyed within a month. However, anonymised data is held for statistical purposes.
If you have any questions or comments on this Privacy Notice please email the Cabinet Office Data Protection Officer.
Contact the Data Protection Officer for the Cabinet Office:
Email: DPO-CabOff@gov.im
Phone: +44 1624 686779
DPO, Cabinet Office
Government Office
Buck's Road
Douglas
IM1 3PN
Isle of Man
Feedback from clients
“The service offered was individualised, fair and non-judgemental, understood diversity and treated information confidentially at all times. Highly recommended.”
“Welcoming, non-judgemental and professional.”