Employee Assistance Programme

Make sure everyone in your team gets the support they need whatever their worries, at home or at work

Coronavirus: supporting education staff

Our Employee Assistance Programme continues to be available by telephone, helping you to look after yourselves and each other in the face of the challenges that lie ahead in schools, colleges and universities. Existing customers can still access telephone counselling and personal advice around the clock; new customers can still be set up to roll out support services to staff.

About the Employee Assistance Programme

We know that teaching and working in schools is inherently rewarding. However according to our research, 76% of education professionals have experienced behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work, compared with 60% of UK employees.

As the UK’s only charity committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of everyone working in education, we understand the impact that the intense and demanding nature of the work has on your team members’ work life balance, energy levels and mental health – and that this in turn impacts on school effectiveness and performance.

That’s why we work directly with senior leadership teams in over 600 schools, colleges and universities across the UK. Our unique staff-led approach to change leads to improved staff satisfaction, lower sickness rates and reduced turnover. We can also confidently say it impacts positively on pupil outcomes.

We know that the risk of poor wellbeing amongst educators can be reduced through early intervention

Our confidential, 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) helps to manage employee stress, offers specialist counselling and information and helps your staff to feel supported.

It allows you to provide your whole team with access to professional, confidential and practical support when they need it, so that issues are addressed before they escalate and become problems for the individual, the school and ultimately your pupils.

What does it provide?

We have been in education for over 140 years and our specialist team of counsellors and information experts are fully trained to deal with a wide range of personal and professional issues affecting your staff. It provides:

• confidential emotional support and counselling available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
• up to six sessions of face-to-face or telephone counselling
• access to online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• management consultation to support those responsible for managing others
• specialist information on work-life balance
• financial and legal information
• information on local services such as elder care and childcare

What are the benefits?

• reducing levels of sickness absence and associated costs
• improving employee engagement and morale
• supporting reduction of stress levels
• enhancing effectiveness and performance
• providing a staff benefit enabling you to attract and retain the best staff for your school
• enhanced support to managers in dealing with difficult or sensitive people issues
• helping you meet your duty of care, particularly in respect of stress at work

Our experts assess each call individually and decide what the best course of action for each caller is, whether that be counselling, online CBT or signposting to additional services.

Why choose us?

As the only UK charity focused on the wellbeing of all education staff, we truly believe our EAP is the most holistic offering for you and your staff. In addtion:

• we have a network of over 1,200 counsellors based across the UK
• all our counsellors are British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accredited
• we drive the utilisation of the service, increasing your value for money through pro-active promotion and account management

Services for existing customers

If your school or organisation has purchased an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) please call the numbers provided on your leaflets and wallet cards to access the full range of additional services offered. If you don't have the number contact servicedelivery@edsupport.org.uk with the name of your organisation and postcode. 

If you wish to log into the online advice centre to download useful tip sheets or access our live connect online chat service please visit: Online Advice Centre

If you do not have your login and password for the online advice centre please check your EAP launch leaflets and wallet cards or email servicedelivery@edsupport.org.uk letting us know the name and postcode of your organisation.