During October, Beacon Counselling Trust delivered the ‘Bet You Can Help’ level two award programme in Liverpool as part of their programme to reduce gambling related harms in the workplace.
Attended by a group of professionals from a wide range of stakeholders including Merseyside and Cheshire Police, the Armed Forces community, GamAnon, GambleAware, New Start residential care service, YMCA and NHS staff, the programme contains three modules as a first aid approach to tackling this issue.
The group are initially provided with a background as to why the issue of gambling harms is considered an important one and a public health issue, with an evidence-based approach to a programme inspired and developed by those with lived experience. During the day there were several activities allowing the group to use tools and techniques in order to help identify gambling harms and support conversations those professionals may have with service users in the future. The session explores the various services providing specialist support to anyone impacted and is concluded with a multiple-choice assessment, which if the participant is successful they will obtain a level two award in tackling gambling related harm, accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health.
At the centre of this work is the ‘Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Harms’, a framework for organisations to build good practice and support staff regarding gambling harms. BCT support organisations to address this issue and develop policies to sit with, or alongside, substance misuse procedure to protect safety in the workplace and provide avenues of support should this issue arise in the hope that this will reduce stigma for individuals who may previous been unable to ask for support for fear of repercussions at work. The initiative is free to engage with and provides organisations, with not only the support of BCT in policy development, but also education and awareness raising sessions for staff. For more information, please contact support@beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk