In March, Beacon Counselling Trust have continued their attempts to protect people from gambling related harms in the workplace. At the centre of this work is the ‘Workplace Charter to Reduce Gambling Related Harms’, the charter provides a framework of best practice to improve the health and wellbeing of staff and tackle gambling related harms. We know gambling harms can be the cause of short and long term ill health, to support this the charter offers practical, evidence-based ways in which employers and staff can commit to promoting the health and wellbeing of their workers.
Workplace signatories make a pledge to support the work to reduce gambling harms by attending educational sessions to improve knowledge and confidence of the subject, whilst also developing a policy to protect staff experiencing gambling harms to work in conjunction with, or alongside existing substance misuse policies. We believe this will improve conversations on gambling related harms and help reduce stigma and open up conversations on this issue moving forward.
During March the charter has been signed by the University of Central Lancashire, Citizens Advice Wirral and Copeland Borough Council. For each of these organisations we have either delivered our ‘Bet You Can Help’ Level 2 award training programme, or the one hour ‘Bet You Can Help Now!’ introductory session, or have planned to deliver the programme in the near future.