Chapter 11 - Counselling and support service
Appendices
- Selection of blood donors |
- Warning features and complaints associated with stress |
- Ways of reducing your staff's job related stress |
- Problem drinking and alcohol dependency: Notes for guidance to line managers |
- Sickness absence report to CSS (not currently available)
- BMI referral notification to CSS (not currently available)
- This chapter sets out the policy and organisation of welfare responsibilities in the Crown Prosecution Service. It also gives information on some health issues, including smoking, AIDS and alcohol or drug dependence.
- The main principle underlying the Department's Counselling and Support Service (CSS) is that management and employees at all levels should have access to help in dealing with problems which might have an adverse effect on the health and well-being of the individual concerned, and in turn, might also affect their efficiency.
- Line managers must take direct responsibility for the welfare of their staff. Employees should normally seek their help and advice first if they have a problem. Employees may also seek help from their Trade Union representatives. Line managers may, in turn, seek help and advice from HR officers or their Staff Counsellor, particularly if the problem is one which requires special knowledge, skills or experience.
- As part of their welfare responsibilities line managers should:
- inform new entrants of the availability of the CSS;
- take an interest in the general health and well being of employees including ensuring that their working conditions do not adversely affect their health e.g. making sure offices are clean, tidy and suitably furnished and that heating, lighting and ventilation are adequate. This will also include reacting quickly to the special needs of employees with a disability;
- make sure employees take their annual leave for rest and recuperation;
- look quickly into any queries on leave and other HR issues;
- identify and refer employees to CSS where the nature of the illness or the duration of the absence give cause for concern;
- keep in touch with employees suffering prolonged or serious illness;
- inform the appropriate Staff Counsellor of any cases of inefficiency or disciplinary action and bereavement amongst their staff.
- If a line manager senses a change in, for example, someone's pattern of behaviour or standards of time-keeping and attendance, they should arrange to discuss this with the individual to try and find out if they can help with any problem that exists. Line managers may also seek advice from Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff or CSS.
- Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services and Pay, Pensions and Allowances Unit for HQ staff will be responsible for:
- informing CSS when any employee has been or is likely to be on sickness absence for 20 consecutive days or more, and all cases where the reasons for the absence are related to stress, anxiety or depression, or hospitalisation;
- informing CSS of any major organisational changes;
- informing CSS of all cases of inefficiency or disciplinary action and bereavement which come to their notice (provided line management have not already done so);
- informing those near retiring age of the facilities available to help them prepare for it;
- informing CSS of cases to be referred to the Department's Occupational Health Adviser (OHA), currently BMI Health Services Ltd (BMI), in accordance with paragraph 13.
- The role of CSS is to help managers, individuals and groups of staff to face and resolve health, personal, family and work related problems without diminishing the role of the line manager so that employees may continue to give effective service to the Department.
- Although line managers have primary responsibility for the welfare of their staff and are their first point of contact, the nature of the problem may be complex or outside the experience of the line manager. There may also be times when an employee wants to speak to someone outside the management chain. In these circumstances an approach to the Staff Counsellor may be appropriate. The Staff Counsellor will support both the manager and the individual by providing a confidential counselling service, expertise, information and practical support if appropriate.
- Although the nature of the work involves close liaison with HR officers and managers, line managers and individuals need to feel confident that when a decision is made to involve CSS, their confidence will be respected and they will receive a professional service. All approaches to CSS are, therefore, confidential. However, at no time does the involvement of CSS allow line management to abdicate its responsibilities.
- Neither line managers nor HR officers may insist that individuals seek assistance from their Staff Counsellor. The decision to approach CSS is entirely voluntary.
- All employees of the Department are entitled to approach CSS for assistance. Telephone calls to the Staff Counsellor can be made during office hours and staff are entitled to travel during office time and have their travel costs reimbursed from Area/Directorate budgets. Courtesy dictates that should an appointment be made during office hours employees should inform their manager of the proposed visit. They are not, however, obliged to disclose the reason for the approach.
- Although Staff Counsellors deal with many problems, a significant proportion of their work is connected to sickness. Service Centre HR/Pay, Pensions and Allowances Unit for HQ staff need, therefore, to notify the CSS Administrator formally (Appendix 5) when:
- staff are suffering from anxiety, stress, depression or other serious illness;
- the absent employee lives alone or is hospitalised and the line manager considers assistance from CSS would be helpful; and
- in all cases of long term absence, i.e. 20 days or more continuous absence.
- After having notified the individual concerned that a referral is to be made to BMI, Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff will also notify the CSS Administrator (Appendix 6). Where appropriate, a counsellor will contact the individual to establish if a CSS report would be helpful. It is up to the individual whether or not a report is submitted. Unless otherwise stated, any report that is prepared by a Staff Counsellor will be enclosed in a sealed envelope for onward transmission to the medical adviser. The medical adviser will also seal the report in the medical papers when they are returned to the Department. This is to protect the confidentiality of the employee. Further guidance on BMI referrals can be found in Chapter 4 of this volume.
- In cases of serious or gross misconduct, arrest or conviction, bankruptcy or insolvency, where the individual has revealed information relating to the incident, the Staff Counsellor will enable the employee to make their own disclosure to management and will continue in support whilst management decides whether any formal action is appropriate. Any disclosure under these circumstances is made with the employee's knowledge.
- Line managers should notify Service Centre HR/Pay, Pensions and Allowances Unit for HQ staff, who in turn will inform CSS immediately a serving employee dies. The Staff Counsellor will then contact the next of kin, usually a family member, to offer support. The family may also welcome assistance with administrative and financial tasks, and, if so, the Staff Counsellor will provide the family with a G60 Death Benefit form, and liaise with HR on the family's behalf.
- Where they are made aware of the situation by line management, CSS contact employees who have lost family or close friends and colleagues. Usually, the Staff Counsellor will contact staff by writing to their home. A leaflet on bereavement is provided and CSS may be able to offer counselling to the bereaved employee.
- The Staff Counsellors are based in:
- London (Croydon);
- North West.
- All Counsellors are trained in counselling, adhere to the Code of Ethics of the British Association of Counselling and have appropriate independent professional supervision to ensure best practice.
- The CSS raises awareness of their function by publicising themselves using posters, leaflets, articles in CPS News, training events and office visits. When visiting offices the Staff Counsellors try to meet everyone on an informal basis to build good working relationships.
- BMI provides comprehensive occupational health care for staff through a team of doctors, nurses and hygienists who have received occupational health training. BMI gives advice to the Crown Prosecution Service about individual cases, general working conditions and first aid; they will also provide health screening if requested by the Department.
- Staff Counsellors or HR may consult BMI, in confidence, where there are health related problems with a member of staff. (Further details can be found in Chapter 4 of this Volume). BMI may also be consulted on health aspects of work conditions and/or the environment which may include:
- suitability of accommodation, ventilation, heating, lighting and sanitation;
- the control of infectious diseases;
- working with toxic substances or other special hazards;
- the effect of irregular working hours.
- The increasing use of office equipment incorporating visual display units may give rise to particular health problems for some staff. Line managers should seek to alleviate these problems by considering, in consultation with Area Business Managers, local Health and Safety representatives and Staff Counsellors, such factors as the position of office equipment, heating, lighting and ventilation in the workplace.
- Where staff are pregnant, or planning to become so, and have serious concerns about working with VDUs, any requests to transfer to a job where less VDU use is required will be considered sympathetically by line management. Every effort will be made to accommodate such a move provided this can be done within operational requirements.
- The Department encourages employees to give blood. The National Blood Transfusion Service organises and advertises local transfusion sessions, details of which are also made available to staff locally. Appendix 1 gives guidance on the selection of blood donors.
- The Department has a common law duty to take reasonable care to protect the health of its staff. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Public Health Act 1936 requires us to take reasonable steps to protect the health of employees as well as to provide ventilation which is not prejudicial to health.
- The Departmental policy aims to:
- create a non-smoking environment with facilities for those who wish to smoke;
- encourage smokers who wish to give up or reduce their smoking habit, offering help to do so; and
- discourage non-smokers from taking up the habit.
- The following policy applies in all CPS offices:
- smoking will only be allowed in areas set aside for that purpose;
- where common areas of the building are shared with other occupiers, local agreement will be reached with them as to whether or not smoking will be allowed in those areas;
- the policy will apply to all CPS employees, all visitors and contractors;
- those who wish to smoke will be able to do so in the room(s) provided for that purpose which should be clearly designated. However, employees who wish to smoke should ensure that they do so with the minimum disruption to their work. Staff should take into account that lengthy or frequent periods away from their desk for any reason not directly associated with work may lead to inefficiency and may mean that management action will be needed to bring about an improvement;
- line managers must ensure that restrictions on smoking are properly observed. Staff should be reminded that repeated incidents of smoking in no-smoking areas may result in disciplinary action and that failure to observe the policy in the longer term could lead to a penalty being imposed and ultimately to dismissal;
- Staff Counsellors are able to provide help and advice for employees who wish to give up smoking, including counselling, guidance and leaflets. They will also help organise support group sessions locally for employees who are interested.
- There is a growing awareness that stress is a very real problem which can seriously affect individuals, work teams and organisations as a whole. Departmental policy is to help employees to identify extreme stress, to make them aware of its causes and effects and what can be done to avoid it, and to provide advice and guidance on how to deal with it.
- Line managers are in part responsible for the environment in which their staff work and can make a positive contribution by reducing the harmful effects of stress on the people who work for them and on themselves. They should work in conjunction with Staff Counsellors and other interested parties, such as HR, Facilities Management and the Trade Union Side, to identify, manage and prevent stress. Further guidance on stress is contained in the Stress Policy Statement (Chapter 3 Appendix 3 in this volume).
- Stress is an individual's response to the demands made upon them. Such demands may be external or self-imposed. Although stress is often considered harmful it is not necessarily always so. Some elements of stress are healthy and necessary for us all to function effectively but it is only when too much or too little occurs that work performance may deteriorate. Everyone has a different tolerance of stress; one person's unbearable is someone else's challenge.
- By understanding how stress affects people, particularly in the work situation, line managers can make use of stress constructively and reduce the harmful effects. Obviously stress is also caused by factors outside work, such as financial or family problems, bereavement or health concerns. Although this section concentrates on the work environment, it is unrealistic to isolate occupational stress from domestic stress.
- Different people will find different ways of coping with stress. Line managers need to be aware of the importance of outside sources of stress which could affect the performance and mental and physical health of an employee at work. Three major sources of stress are:
- the home environment, for example marital and family circumstances, financial concerns and travelling;
- the social environment, for example social activities and relationships; and
- personality, for example we all react to situations differently, and sometimes we exacerbate our own problems by behaving the way we do.
- Line managers have little control over the factors outside work which are potentially stressful for their staff. However they do have influence over an employee's work and the environment in which it is carried out. They should watch for signs of undue stress and take steps to assist those who are suffering. Appendix 2 contains a list of warning features and complaints associated with stress. As personal stress increases, more of these features are likely to become apparent. By becoming familiar with these items and observing when they occur, everyone can get an early warning of an increase in stress, both in themselves and in staff who work for them. Ways of reducing job-related stress are outlined in Appendix 3.
- Line managers should recognise when a problem may require assistance from elsewhere and should encourage staff to seek help from their Staff Counsellor, HR, Facilities Management, their own doctors or from BMI. CSS can provide further information on this subject.
- The Department encourages female employees of child bearing age to obtain advice about rubella, more commonly known as German Measles, and to seek immunisation. Rubella is an infectious disease common in children. It does not do them much harm but it is well known what the risks of this infection are to pregnant women, or rather to the unborn child. If a woman catches rubella during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy her baby could be born with serious damage to its sight, hearing, heart or brain.
- Any female employees of child bearing age who have not been immunised and, in particular, those who are in frequent contact with the public should ask their family doctor about immunisation. Line managers should allow time off, with pay, for a visit to seek medical advice and for immunisation where appropriate.
- Staff with rubella should note that it is a notifiable disease and should take action as set out in Chapter 3 of this Volume.
- Staff are encouraged to make full use of the many facilities for mass radiography and cervical screening. Staff are allowed to attend these facilities in official time.
- Departmental policy (Appendix 4) is to acknowledge the dangers of alcohol abuse and the importance of early identification and action.
- As with alcohol dependency, the Department views the misuse of drugs, which causes problems at work, as a condition which calls for help and requires treatment. Line managers, Staff Counsellors and, where appropriate, Trade Union representatives, should provide sympathetic support, help and encouragement whenever staff acknowledge they have a problem and are prepared to co-operate with their own rehabilitation.
- Often there are no obvious signs that a person is abusing drugs, either on an occasional or on a regular basis. Drug users might deliberately conceal the fact so that it goes undetected until it reaches an advanced stage. Some possible signs of drug misuse are:
- hyperactivity;
- fall off in performance;
- increased absenteeism or erratic time-keeping;
- increased lack of care in personal appearance;
- worsening relationships with colleagues;
- unexplained minor ailments;
- unusual or erratic mood changes or behaviour;
- financial difficulties.
- These features may of course arise from many conditions and not solely from drug misuse. Line managers, therefore, need to be very careful in identifying apparent problem cases. If, however, they do consider that an employee has a drug problem they should take prompt action as delay in obtaining treatment is likely to make matters worse. They should first discuss their concerns with the individual in a sympathetic manner to:
- tell them the reasons for the concern and invite their comments;
- encourage them to recognise their need for help and to seek that help;
- offer the assistance of a Staff Counsellor, HR or a Trade Union representative and encourage the member of staff to obtain medical help.
- Line managers should continue to encourage staff to embark on and continue with a course of treatment, allowing time-off with pay as appropriate. They should make a note of all meetings with staff and liaise closely with Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff regarding all developments.
- Staff Counsellors can also provide specialist assistance by:
- helping staff to admit to a drug problem;
- giving information about the various agencies which can help;
- continuing to support staff during periods of treatment;
- assisting with other problems which may result from the drug condition such as family/financial problems.
- Buying or selling drugs by staff, especially at work, is considered gross misconduct. Being under the influence of drugs at work is also a disciplinary offence. Line managers may lawfully take possession of any illegal drug that is found at work in order to prevent someone else committing or continuing to commit an offence.
- If line managers suspect that a criminal offence has been committed at work they should report the matter to the ABM/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff who will decide whether to contact the police after consultation with line management.
- Employees who do not accept that there is a problem and persistently refuse help, or who discontinue a treatment programme should be made aware that the normal disciplinary and inefficiency procedures will apply if there is no change in poor performance or unsatisfactory behaviour at work, whether or not it is drug related. For further details please refer to Volume 2 Chapter 3 (Discipline) and Volume 2 Chapter 4 (Inefficiency).
- Because of on-going publicity about HIV and AIDS there may be concern about the possibility of catching the infection from colleagues or members of the public during the course of work. To counter such fears, the following information, based on the latest medical advice, is given.
- The initial letters stand for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome". Following infection by a virus known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) the body's normal defences against illness break down. When this happens an individual is open to illnesses which they would normally be able to resist. If, as a result of this, the person develops a particular form of cancer or other serious illness eg pneumonia, the individual is said to have AIDS.
- Those who develop AIDS eventually die from their illnesses but not all who have been infected with HIV have gone on to develop AIDS. Less severe illnesses may develop, which are not fatal or individuals may have no symptoms at all and may be unaware that they are infected.
- The virus is passed on by sexual intercourse with an infected person, by taking infected blood into the bloodstream (for example by using contaminated syringes). Although it has been found in many body fluids, cases of transmission have been recorded only from blood, semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk.
- Although any person could catch HIV from a sexual partner already infected, the groups of people particularly at risk of catching HIV in the UK are:
- men who have sex with men;
- drug abusers who inject drugs and share needles and other equipment;
- haemophiliacs who were treated with blood products prior to about 1985, before these were sterilised;
- sexual partners of those mentioned above;
- babies carried by, or born to infected mothers.
- The risks of catching the virus are very remote for anyone not in one of the groups set out above. The virus cannot be transmitted by:
- food;
- normal social and work contact;
- coughing or sneezing;
- sharing food or drinking utensils;
- sharing toilet or washing facilities;
- working next to an infected person;
- shaking hands.
- Anyone who has the HIV virus or AIDS may continue to work, provided they are able to, and their own doctor or OHA does not advise otherwise. HIV is not amongst the list of notifiable illnesses (Chapter 4 of this Volume) and, even if the infection develops into AIDS, staff are not required to inform their line manager. If they decide to do so, confidentiality will be maintained and details will not be revealed to anyone without the individual's written consent. Any unauthorised disclosure of HIV or AIDS is considered a disciplinary offence.
- Staff and line managers who are concerned or who would like further information should contact their Staff Counsellor or Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff who will, if necessary, seek further advice from BMI.
- Staff may have concerns about the possibility of catching Hepatitis B from colleagues or from members of the public during the course of work. The following paragraphs give general information about Hepatitis B, how the infection is passed on and who is likely to be at risk from the virus. Staff should note that Hepatitis B is a contagious disease and should be notified immediately (see Chapter 4).
- Hepatitis B is a viral illness that occurs throughout the world. It leads to a range of disorders from being a "carrier" with no apparent symptoms to severe liver disease such as hepatitis and liver cancer.
- The most common method of passing on Hepatitis B is by infected blood or blood products entering the bloodstream, for example by means of a needle or other sharp instrument. Although the virus may also be found in urine, saliva, sweat, tears, breast milk and semen, there is no proof that the condition can be contracted by means of these fluids.
- The groups of people most at risk are:
- men who have sex with men;
- drug abusers who inject drugs and share needles;
- immigrants from areas where the virus is regularly found, for example the Far East, Africa and Southern Europe;
- health care workers who are in contact with blood or blood products.
- Hepatitis B is relatively uncommon in the United Kingdom. There is no evidence that the virus is spread:
- in the air;
- by normal social or work contacts;
- by sharing communal facilities such as toilets;
- by sharing cutlery or crockery; or
- by working next to an infected person.
- As with all medical matters, information about anyone who is infected with the virus, or is a carrier, is confidential and should only be communicated to others on a strictly need to know basis.
- Further information can be obtained from CSS or Service Centre HR/Corporate HR Services for HQ staff who will, if necessary, seek further advice from BMI.
Introduction
Principles
Role of line managers
Role of Human Resources
Role of Counselling and Support Service
Approaching Counselling and Support Service
Sickness absence
When notification is received the administrator will ask a Staff Counsellor to approach the individual and offer assistance.
Discipline
Death of an employee or other bereavement
The CSS team
Administrative support is located at Ludgate Hill.
Publicity
Health advice
Occupational Health Adviser (OHA)
Using visual display units (VDUs)
Blood donation
Smoking
Stress
What is stress?
How to combat stress at work
Rubella
Cervical screening
Abuse of alcohol
Misuse of drugs
Role of Staff Counsellor
If necessary, further advice and help may be sought from BMI through HR.
Discipline
HIV and AIDS
What is AIDS?
How is HIV passed on?
How great are the risks?
Hepatitis B
What is Hepatitis B?
How is Hepatitis B passed on?
Who is most at risk?
How great are the risks?
As this is the case, anyone who is infected with the virus or is a suspected carrier may continue to work; no special precautions need be taken.
Confidentiality
Back to Staff absence and welfare, including annual, special and sickness leave index
