National Association of Police Welfare Advisers

GUIDANCE ON THE ROLE OF POLICE WELFARE ADVISERS

Members of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Human Resources/Personnel Managers and Occupational Health, Safety & Welfare Managers need to consider carefully the selection of police welfare advisers, their role, training and continuous professional development to maximise their contribution to police officer and police staff attendance management. 

Aim 

Police Welfare Advisers will liaise with other professionals to underpin the strategies of the Health & Safety Executive, the Home Office and individual Forces proactively to implement and promote attendance management policies.

Objectives

Police Welfare Advisers will:

Manage

The integration of employee support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services into the Occupational Health Safety & Welfare provision.

The provision of employee support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services for all members of staff.

The selection and appointment of  external providers for employee support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services.

The co-ordination of trauma support programmes, and follow-up processes, for critical incidents/major disasters including initial assessment of and the implementation for appropriate employee support provision in conjunction with operational requirements.

Support for members of staff in specialist roles.

Provide

Professional advice in the preparation of Force Policies and Best Practice Guidelines relating to OHSW.

Professional assessments of  the needs of individual members of staff and where appropriate of families and retired staff.

Input into the induction for all recruits, police staff and transferees.

Input into training for managers, supervisors and specialist groups.

Liaise with, assist and advise

Managers on employee support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services and provide input into appropriate manager training programmes including attendance management, stress awareness, trauma debriefing and special role requirements.

Managers on recognition of appropriate methods of early intervention in employee support and attendance management issues.

Individuals to determine appropriate interventions and, where appropriate, to provide counselling, advice and support.

Individuals to review and monitor interventions.

Evaluate

The effectiveness of the interventions by reviewing and monitoring the provision of employee support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services provision to include:

Statistical information, analysis and recommendations.

Information on indicators or trends.

The value of welfare input by attendance at management meetings.

Reports from managers and supervisors on employee

Support/rehabilitation/counselling and welfare services provision.
 

Maintain Professional Competencies

By participating in training opportunities for personal professional development, in order to keep abreast of new thinking, innovation and change within the police service.

By abiding by a Code of Ethics as a member of a Professional Organisation and giving recognition to the need for the confidentiality in client-based work.

By ensuring that professional and independent supervision is available if involved in client-based work.

Selection of Police Welfare Advisers 

Police Welfare Advisers will already possess or be willing to work towards: 

The Advanced Certificate in Employee and Organisation Support

The Advance Diploma in Employee and Organisation Support

A Diploma in Counselling (preferably working towards accreditation) where the role is focussed on counselling practitioner.

Post Trauma Management Expertise

Training and presentation skills

Management/supervisory qualifications

Negotiation/mediation, advocacy and coaching skills

A working knowledge of confidentiality and ethics

A working knowledge of police systems/culture.

Continuous Professional Development 

Police Welfare Advisers must seek continuous professional development to ensure maintenance of up-to-date professional knowledge and skills for: 

Advanced Certificate in Employee and Organisation Support

Advance Diploma in Employee and Organisation Support

Attendance Management issues 

Management skills including business planning, budgets, statistical data, etc.

Trauma management

Stress management (self and others)

Counselling/therapies

Counselling practice where applicable

Bereavement care

Best practice guidelines relating to Occupational Health, Safety & Welfare

Presentation and Training skills

Background

Welfare provision within the police service is constantly changing.  Until the publication of The Richbell Report by the Association of Chief Police Officers in 1991, the work was focused traditionally on visiting not only sick police officers and support staff but also retired staff and widows.

The Richbell Report instigated a general change in the nature of police welfare work to a concentration on providing support services for serving officers and police staff experiencing a wide range of personal, domestic and work-related problems.  Major areas of concern were low morale, high sickness levels and premature retirements.

Legislation, particularly the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Police (Health & Safety) Act 1997, prompted police forces to assess the nature and scale of risk to health in the workplace for both police officers and police staff and to devise procedures to address such issues.

Major incidents in the 1980’s and 1990’s indicated the need for a well-managed and adequately resourced welfare response to support police officers and police staff facing traumatic situations.

Since 2000 it has become increasingly important that the work of police welfare providers should not be viewed in isolation but as part of a co-ordinated and shared approach with, where appropriate, occupational health, health & safety, line management, senior management, and staff associations (including the National Association of Retired Police Officers).

The National Association of Police Welfare Advisers

The Patron of the National Association of Police Welfare Advisers is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England & Wales.

The aims and objectives of the Association which was formed as the Police Welfare Officers Association  in 1995 are:

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 officers who, by training and experience, obtain these standards.

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.

To provide a supportive network for all Police Welfare Advisers 

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

The Association is administered by a National Executive Committee which is elected by the members annually at the Annual General Meeting, consisting of:

            Officers: Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer
            and

            Regional Representatives for:

            North West Region

            North East Region                               

            East/West Midlands Region                 

            Eastern/South Eastern/London 

            South West/Wales                               

            Scotland                                              

Membership of The National Association of Police Welfare Advisers which offers members relevant, up-to-date knowledge and networking opportunities is recommended.