Stour Vale Academy Trust partners with Kooth Work to support the mental health of its employees

Stour Vale Academy Trust has become the first multi-academy trust to partner with Kooth Work to support the mental health and wellbeing of its teachers, teaching support staff, on-site staff and governors across every one of its member schools.

Kooth Work was selected by Stour Vale Academy Trust for its holistic approach to mental health and the workplace. In addition to its potential to help the forward thinking Trust meet the goals of the Department of Education’s Education Staff Wellbeing Charter published in 2021. This includes its innovative Flourish Mental Health Check- a benchmark tool that, unlike others, is based on the ‘whole self’. This recognises that home life and past experiences play an important part in people’s wellbeing at work. 

The anonymous insights garnered from the Flourish mental health check will help Stour Vale Academy Trust identify priority issues, ensuring that it invests in the right initiatives, as well as developing and implementing new policies, practises and support programmes, that meet the needs of all staff. This will aid in the creation of a mentally healthy workplace where everyone can flourish and no one is left behind. 

Running alongside Flourish is Kooth Work’s award-winning anonymous digital mental health platform. It will provide all staff across Stour Vale Academy Trust’s schools with a safe, confidential and welcoming place to access non-judgemental professional help for any mental health concerns. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, staff will have access to a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated community with a library of peer and professional created content, alongside the ability to book one-to-one sessions with experienced counsellors. 

James Murray, Director, Kooth Work, commented: 

“It is vital that multi-academy trusts not only check-in but proactively support the mental wellbeing of their workforce. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the mental health of the nation, not least those in the education sector that have kept the country ‘learning’.

“We are looking forward to supporting Stour Vale Academy Trust with its mission to promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for everyone in its community of schools; from teachers, staff and governors, to pupils and their families.  As a digital platform Kooth Work will ensure employees can access immediate help, however big or small the issue, when and where they need it – be it at school in between lessons, or at home – counselling sessions are unrestricted and by anonymous chat. This approach has been the secret to Kooth’s success supporting children, young people and adults across the country with mental health over the last 20 years. “

Rachel Salter, CEO at Stour Vale Academy Trust explained:

“Stour Vale Academy Trust is committed to promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing for everyone in our community of schools. We understand that work can have its pressures, as can life outside work, which is why we sought a partner to support our staff and their families with a wide range of issues that could affect their mental health and wellbeing. Kooth provides staff members and their families with tools to help them maintain good mental health, help to recognise when they may need support, and easy access to trained and accredited counsellors, should the need arise. We encourage everyone across our community to sign up to the service and discover how it can help them.”

Kooth Work is the only digital mental health provider to hold a UK-wide accreditation from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). It is available to Stour Vale Academy Trust employees immediately, once registered, they can access the platform via any internet-connected device such as a laptop, smartphone or tablet.