Beacon Counselling Trust are delighted to announce that Cheshire Constabulary have recently signed up to the Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms. The Chief Constable, Mark Roberts, attended a signing event on Thursday 3 August, where the charter process was completed and presented to the Constabulary by Ian Whiteside from the Beacon Counselling Trust. Also, in attendance where representatives of Cheshire Constabulary’s Human Resources. Cheshire Constabulary are the first Police Force in the North West to join this important initiative, which is supported by the Cheshire Police Federation.
In signing the charter Cheshire Constabulary has made a commitment to support colleagues who may be experiencing gambling related harms and ensuring the correct resources are in place to do so. Commitment to the reducing gambling related harms charter forms part of the Constabulary’s wellbeing strategy and the financial wellbeing strand in particular.
An initial workshop – ‘Bet You can Help Now’ was attended by members of the Force’s wellbeing allies and members of People Services. The session provided learners with an understanding of the nature and the impact of the concepts of harmful gambling, and gambling-related harm, enabling them to signpost affected individuals to sources of reliable information, advice, guidance and support via the National Gambling Support Network (NGSN). Further sessions will be open to colleagues going forwards following the positive feedback of the initial workshop.
John Dwyer, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, first became aware of the workplace charter following discussions with fellow PCCs, in particular Joy Allen who had introduced the initiative in Durham, the first Police Force in the UK to sign the charter. Given the significant increases in household costs over the last year or so which have impacted everyone, John was very keen to look at ways in which police officers and employees in the organisation could be better supported and tempted away from the lure of gambling as a way of addressing rising household bills. After meeting with Joy and then attending a Beacon Counselling Trust event in Liverpool to learn more about the benefits of such an approach, John provided funding for Cheshire Constabulary to engage with the Beacon Trust on this hugely important initiative. The Chief Constable was happy to support the implementation of the charter and now looks forward to the Trust carrying on its important work with colleagues here in Cheshire.
The Workplace Charter provides a framework for action to help organisations, employers and staff build good practice in health and wellbeing in their organisation. The charter supports all types of employers, large and small, from public, private and the voluntary sector.
Cheshire Police Chief Constable Mark Roberts signing the Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms.
