Annual report 2005

National Association of Police Welfare Advisers

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of the National Police Welfare Advisers’ Association, which was formed in 1995, are: -

1. To maintain and improve the status of Police Welfare Advisers by establishing high standards of knowledge, skill and personal conduct and by giving recognition to those Welfare Advisers who, by training and experience, obtain these standards.

2. To advise the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Police Advisory Board or any other National Body or Committee considering welfare matters that impact on persons employed by Police Forces.

3. To provide a supportive network for all Police Welfare Advisers.

Membership

Membership is open to every person appointed by a Constabulary to the post of Welfare Officer (with whatever job title is used) whose job specification requires them to be responsible for the provision of welfare and/or counselling services.

National Executive Committee

The Association is administered by a National Executive Committee, which are elected by the members annually at the Annual General Meeting.

The officers serving for 2007: -

Chairperson John Hussey (City of London)
Secretary: Mary Parker (Gloucestershire)
Treasurer: Cilla Smith (Lincolnshire)

Regional Representatives:

North East Region Christopher Goodson (South Yorkshire)
East/West Midlands Region Tony Simpson (Nottinghamshire)
East/South Eastern/London Joyce Milligan (Thames Valley)
South West/Wales Mary Parker (Gloucestershire)
Scotland Norman Mackenzie (Northern Constabulary)

Joint Advisory Group John Hussey (City of London)

Training Co-ordinators Cilla Smith (Lincolnshire)
Tony Simpson (Nottinghamshire)

www.policewelfare.co.uk

FOREWORD

Sir Ronnie Flanagan GBE MA

As I enter my third year as Patron of the National Police Welfare Advisers’ Association I continue to be humbled by the contribution the Association makes in supporting police officers and staff in some of the most challenging times the service has ever faced.

There has never been a time when the demand for policing has been stronger, with individuals and communities seeking a sense of reassurance and security, and looking for the Police Service to provide it.

Yet again the men and women of the Service have responded to the challenge laid before them, reacting in all situations and on occasions with a level of selflessness and bravery rarely seen beyond the family of emergency services. In doing so many colleagues have been grateful for the considerable help provided by Welfare Advisors across the country, providing support for those affected by the trauma caused by extraordinary circumstances.

The Service itself now faces a period of unprecedented change. My own Review of Policing recently identified a ‘Vision of 21st Century Policing’ a central theme being the need to better understand and manage the threat, harm and risk inherent in delivering the complex demands of modern policing. As I write this, the Government’s Green Paper on policing is eagerly anticipated and will, I am sure, consider wide ranging and far reaching proposals for the future of policing. This is an exciting time for the Service, with new opportunities and high expectations for the police.

However, opportunity can also bring uncertainty, colleagues sometimes feeling unsure of how they may fit into a changing future. In dealing with these negative effects the role of the Welfare Advisor is again of crucial importance. By providing advice and guidance and a supporting hand and a listening ear for all staff, your contribution is immeasurable.

We all recognise the need to give reassurance and support to others at a time of difficulty. Similarly, we all know this is something, which is easier considered than done. The Welfare Advisor answers this need, considering both the individual and the Service, by providing support, hope and encouragement. The skills you have are unique and to your considerable credit. The positive contribution you make to colleagues and the wider Service cannot be overstated.

I remain immensely proud to be associated with all that you do and give my sincere thanks to every member of the Association for the increasing contribution you make to meet the challenges of delivering policing in the 21st Century. Thank you.

Having been the Chairperson since 2004 I am again privileged to report on our activities during the year and outline a glimpse of what we hope to achieve in 2008.

The National Association of Police Welfare Advisers (NAPWA) is the only organisation for Police Welfare Advisers, which has a recognised code of ethics, together with a discipline procedure if these are broken. The Association offers national training with good practice guidelines and national best practice. We are represented on the Joint Advisory Group where we are able to give opinions on welfare matters and staff wellbeing.

I was pleased to welcome delegates to the 29th Annual Training Meeting which was again held at Stratford upon Avon on the 14th and 15th May 2007. Some had travelled from Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Scotland, Northern Island and Jersey to attend.

The main focus of the training was ‘Psychological Preparedness within the Police Service’ and facilitated by ‘The Work Skills Centre’. The South West Region led by Mary Parker (Gloucestershire) put the excellent programme together. Mary was assisted by Jocelyn Hayter (Dorset), Linda Hopkins and Phil Norman (South Wales), Nigel Pocknell (Gwent) and Rachel Ackland (Devon and Cornwall). This was an enormous task to undertake when coupled with the ‘day job’ as well. I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the members when I say well done to Mary Parker and her team for producing such a stimulating and useful Training Meeting for our continuous professional development.

It was a pleasure to meet Chief Constable Martin Baker QPM (Dorset) who kindly spoke at the formal dinner and Assistant Chief Constable Andy Parker (Warwickshire). Their attendance was very much appreciated and for the support shown for our important work.

The National Executive Committee met on four occasions during the year when matters from the Joint Advisory Group, Regions, future training, membership, finance and the web site were discussed.

In 2006 we reviewed how we supported our membership and the expenses involved administering Association. The new structure is working well, allowing members subscriptions to be used now additionally for continuous professional development.

Changes of staff are inevitable so I was delighted that we were able to facilitate an Induction Course for new Welfare Advisers. The course was held from 29th to 31st October in Colville, Leicestershire and organised by Cilla Smith (Lincolnshire) and Tony Simpson (Nottinghamshire). The feedback from the students was very positive and I convey my thanks to both Cilla and Tony for doing this.

Congratulations to Henry Sacramento (Royal Gibraltar Police), who was awarded as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours, the Gibraltar Award for services to the Royal Gibraltar Police and the community.

The future for the Association and the role of Police Welfare Advisers is improving. I urge all Chief Officers to continue giving their support to Welfare Advisers and acknowledge the often difficult and demanding role that they have. I am sure that some Welfare Advisers undersell themselves in the important and vital role they perform providing that ‘front line’ support for Police Officers and Staff. Our Patron, Sir Ronnie, in his Foreword acknowledges that our skills are unique and to our considerable credit.

Sir Ronnie has just completed a year long review into policing and inevitably there will be some changes in the future but we as an Association are committed to provide that important welfare support to ‘front line’ police officers and staff with the positive outcome of preventing long term sickness and improving their well being.

I once again conclude my report by thanking all the members of the Executive Committee for their hard work and support during 2007. I am sure that I speak on behalf of all the Chief Police Officers when I say that the work of the Police Welfare Adviser is a vital role in 21st Century policing.

Regional Groups

The National Association of Police Welfare Advisers’ is divided into Regional Groups, which follow ACPO Regional Areas for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with an additional Group for members in Scotland.

Each Regional Group holds a least one meeting per year and many of them hold four. The Regional Group elects from its members their own Chairperson and Secretary They also arrange their own programme, which includes continuous professional development, sharing best practice, networking and most importantly supporting each another.

A member together with a reserve from each Regional Group is elected to the National Executive Committee.

North East

Northumbria, Cleveland, Durham, Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire

It's been a year of many changes in the Region, not least in staffing. Glynis Marshall retired from South Yorkshire last summer and is greatly missed by all of her colleagues in the Region. Malcolm Smith left North Yorkshire in September for a new post as Trauma Manager, with British Transport Police. Diana Smith, Occupational Health Advisor for North Yorkshire for many years, was forced by ill health to take early retirement. Northumbria now has four counsellors. Wendy Hindhaugh is now full-time and permanent and Karen Collinson who joined in the summer has supplemented the team. Cleveland are awaiting a replacement for a Senior Occupational Health Nurse, who resigned to work for North Yorkshire County Council.

North Yorkshire has a new Chief Constable, Graham Maxwell. He has begun a review of all of the Force's resources prior to seeking savings of six million pounds this year. One effect of this review is that Malcolm Smith and Diana Smith's posts will not be replaced. Terry O'Neill is now working part-time from January 2008 and a part time 2 days per week Welfare Advisor vacancy will be advertised soon.

All of the Forces have seen big increases in the numbers of specialist groups to be seen. Some Forces have had to conduct these sessions annually whilst other continue to do them every 6 months. The numbers of cases being progressed through respective Complaints and Discipline Departments is also very high. In some cases, it appears that the way in which some of these cases are being dealt with has increased levels of sickness & absence. Some Welfare Departments are talking to Heads of Complaints & Discipline about ways of working more closely to minimise these effects.

Overall, there is a mixed picture in our Region, with some Forces increasing the staffing of their Occupational Health and Welfare teams whilst others seem to be looking for ways to cut back on the services we provide. The expectation for the next 12 months is for more of the same as Forces start to reduce spending across the board.

Officers:
Chair: Terry O’Neill (North Yorkshire)
Secretary: Terry O’Neill (North Yorkshire)
NEC Representative: Christopher Goodson (South Yorkshire)

East/West Midlands

Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia and West Midlands

It has been a quiet year with only 2 meetings during the year with the intention that the 3rd meeting would be a Training Day. Unfortunately lack of numbers able to attend caused its cancellation. It is hoped to try again in 2008 with the topic of Stress Risk Assessments.

The Group considered at length how to include a training element in the meetings and the programme for 2008 will include an update on Debt Management and Stress Audits.

A number of staff have left the Region during the year and their presence will be missed. Judith Sullivan has moved on from Leicestershire and Dorothy Wright has retired from Derbyshire. Fiona Bryant has retired and Angie Hill has left the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Unit at Northamptonshire.

Officers:
Chair: (Rotates)
Secretary: Rob Williams (Staffordshire)
NEC Representative: Tony Simpson (Nottinghamshire)

Eastern/South Eastern/London/ South West and Wales

Bedfordshire, British Transport Police, Cambridgeshire, City of London, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Metropolitan, National Crime Squad, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, Dorset, Dyfed Powys, Gloucestershire, Gwent, South Wales and Wiltshire

There have been four meetings during the year, held every three months and Chaired by Sue Roberton. They have all been held at Snow Hill Police Station in the City of London, an excellent venue, and central for all the neighbouring forces.

There has been good attendance at all the meetings. We have not only been pleased to have Jocelyn Hayter and Jon Nickson join us from Dorset, but following the 2007 National Conference, we have also been pleased to welcome to our meetings Mary Parker from Gloucestershire and Linda Hopkins and Phil Norman from South Wales.
At our June meeting, we elected our Regional Officers for the next year. Sue Roberton was re elected as the Chair and Annemarie Buttwell was elected as the new Secretary. Karen Cattermole (City of London) the retiring Secretary, who had held the position for a number of years, was thanked for her important contribution to the Region. Following the meeting we shared best practice in the area of critical incident procedures together with force policies on the role of the Welfare Advisor following a major incident. It was an interesting and valuable session into the insight of various options.

In September, following our meeting, our guest speakers were Dr Rowan Diamond and Dr Samar Salah, who presented the results of their research they had just completed. The subject they had researched was “barriers that police officers and staff face when they are considering seeking psychological and emotional support in the police service, working with vulnerable groups and access to welfare interventions”. It was a subject very relevant to Welfare Advisors and an excellent afternoon of training.

December, of course, is the time when we all like to wish our fellow welfare advisors the compliments of the festive season. Following our meeting we all shared an excellent buffet lunch followed by an opportunity to view the Trauma Support Training Package DVD produced by Dr Noreen Tehrani, which is a workshop for the emergency services. Karen Cattermole (City of London) was involved in the production of this important training aid.

The Region has already planned training for 2008. At the March meeting we will be welcoming Dr Noreen Tehrani who is a chartered occupational, counselling and health psychologist, will be delivering a presentation on ‘Wellbeing’. She will also be talking about her PAM programme, which deals with recovery, rehabilitation and retention of personnel who are absent from work through sickness. In June there will be a training session on ‘Suicide’ which has been kindly organised by Delphine Davies (Hertfordshire). The training will be delivered by Sue Hahn, a Senior Lecturer in mental health.

The Region is very pro-active and members continue to support and contribute to meetings regularly. The members continue to give and receive a lot of pier support from each other and have already started to plan for the 2009 National Police Welfare Advisers Training Event, which will be held in the South East.

There is no doubt our members continue to promote the professional role of welfare in the Police Service, which is an organisation that is always changing.

Officers:
Chair: Sue Roberton (Kent)
Secretary: Annemarie Buttwell (Surrey)
NEC Representative and Deputy Chair: Joyce Milligan (Thames Valley)
NEC Reserve: Gordon Dyer (Cambridgeshire)

Scotland

Central Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway, Grampian, Lothian & Borders, Tayside, Northern and Strathclyde

There have been four meetings throughout the year, which were all well attended by the Welfare Advisors from Scotland.

In June we received an informative presentation from the Rivers Centre for Traumatic Stress and as a result of their work a workshop on the presentation of work related stress is being held at the Scottish Police College on 21st February 2008. This is being co-ordinated by ACPOS and the HSE and will comprise groups, which will include ACPOS, HSE, Welfare Advisors and HR.

Work is still in progress to develop a Scottish policy on Critical Incident Stress Management and it is anticipated that a generic course dealing with defusing and debriefing will be developed. The intention is to enable mutual aid to be possible in cases where individuals may be overwhelmed.

The year has been largely dominated by the National Conference, which is to be held in Edinburgh on 15th/16th May 2008. In addition to our regular meetings we have held a number of meetings to deal with the Conference. Invitations have been sent out and some responses have been received. The Conference is to be workshop based and it is hoped that this will provide those attending with an opportunity to participate in what is intended to be a dynamic and interactive event.

There are no welfare officers in Strathclyde and the numbers in Lothian and Borders have reduced. The workload of those remaining has increased considerably and the service provided continues to be valued.

Personnel Matters

The Scottish Welfare Officers are:

Lothian and Borders – Alison Leadbetter; Anne Miller; Gerry Lane
Grampian – Raymond Mack; Margaret Brooks.
Northern – Norman Mackenzie
Dumfries and Galloway – Heather Armstrong
Fife – Des Gale
Central – Michelle McCann
Tayside – Helen Orr

Officers:
Chair: Heather Armstrong (Dumfries & Galloway)
Secretary: Margaret Brooks (Grampian)
NEC Representative: Norman Mackenzie (Northern Constabulary)
ACPOS Liaison: Helen Orr (Tayside)

Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Northern Ireland, North Wales and the Isle of Man

Have not been able to meet during 2007.

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TREASURER’S REPORT

As Members of NAPWA we are all aware that our only means of funding comes through our membership fees. It may be that we shall have to look at these once again in order to promote our organisation in the future. The results of the survey carried out at the 2007 Conference indicated that members would like more from the Association. Enthusiastically I support this but the Association will require further funds in order to respond to those requests positively.

The number of Association members is reasonable at the moment and the value of being a member of our organisation, which recognises the importance of professional good practice underpinned by a robust code of ethics, is being spread throughout our Forces. In order for each of us to continue offering our organisations the benefits of working safely as professionals within occupational health, safety and welfare departments please keep up the good work and encourage your colleagues to join NAPWA.

The 2007 Annual Conference proved successful, once again. The facilitators presented with a high level of professionalism, this came at a cost but we still managed to make a small contribution to Funds thanks to the efforts of the organising committee. This small profit will help with further CPD training and assistance for this may be applied for through the Executive Committee.

We successfully held our National Training for ‘Newly Appointed Welfare Advisers’ and I believe this was a successful course for those who attended. We hope to repeat the course in 2008.

Nationally, Forces are experiencing financial constraints and I also appreciate that everyone has been working even harder this year, which has been reflected in the reduction of Regional CPD events. I would like to remind everyone again that support is available through Central funding for Regional events – please bear this in mind if you feel there are training issues that could be shared Nationally as well as regionally.

Best wishes to everyone and thank you for your continued support.

Cilla Smith
Treasurer