Guidance

Cross-Government Mental Health Network

Updated 1 February 2024

Aims

The Cross-Government Mental Health Network aims to:

• connect networks to share best practice and promote mental health and wellbeing at work

We will do this by:

• joining up staff mental health and wellbeing networks across government, so that they can share knowledge, best practice and advice, and collaborate on shared goals
• working with key stakeholders within the Civil Service, building connections with mental health and wellbeing networks outside government as well as external organisations specialising in mental health and wellbeing
• keeping local networks informed on issues around mental health, both inside and outside of the workplace, to enable them to most effectively continue their work to break down stigma, and build confidence
• planning and hosting cross-government events to raise awareness and shine a spotlight on topical issues
• supporting local networks to ensure upskilling is delivered to improve line manager confidence and capability around mental health
• acting as a collective voice, in conversation with Civil Service HR, to raise concerns and suggest solutions to issues in the workplace that may directly impact upon people across government affected by poor mental health
• championing flexible working across government, and ensuring application of sickness absence policy takes into account the specific requirements of people experiencing mental ill health
• working to ensure a consistently excellent mental health and wellbeing provision across government, both internally and through third parties; we will ensure this by benchmarking wellbeing provision in all UK government organisations
• providing peer support to and sharing guidance with mental health network leads on running their networks and working to ensure their organisations are excellent places for all people to work; this includes helping networks to work with the existing HR and People structures within their organisations, and helping colleagues to build new networks where required
• supporting work to ensure all sites have access to trained Mental Health First Aiders, and that those specially trained colleagues are supported by their places of work

Membership

The membership of the Cross-Government Mental Health Network will be made up of representatives of local and regional mental health networks across UK government.

Membership should include UK government departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies as well as devolved institutions and parliaments/national assemblies.

Decision-making

Decision-making will be by consensus, taking account of differing experiences and viewpoints, and without giving prominence to any organisation based on its size or level of representation within the network or to any member based on grade or role.

Steering group

The steering group will consist of one network lead (or two co-leads in a job-share) and work-stream leads representing ongoing work streams. The steering group should not be larger than the equivalent of six full-time members of staff.

The steering group is responsible for carrying out the network’s aims with the help of network members and their local networks. They are also responsible for supporting other steering group members, regardless of their main responsibility.

Meetings

We will hold six-monthly face-to-face meetings, for sharing best practice and to ensure a cohesive network. These should be rotated between departments and regions, ensuring that they are not always in London, but taking account of travel times for members.

We will hold more frequent meetings as required using teleconferencing or internet conferencing.

The Cross-Government Mental Health Network lead is Gordon Hodgson-Day.

Contact for general enquiries

Please contact: cross-government-mental-health-network@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk

You can also contact the network or follow them on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/XGovMHN