Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network – Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy notice tells you how we, Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network, will collect and use your personal data.

Why does Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network need to collect and store personal data?

In order for us to provide you with a service we need to collect personal data for the purposes of allowing our members to connect and work together within the network and keeping you informed of our programme of events. In any event, we are committed to ensuring that the information we collect and use is appropriate for this purpose, and does not constitute an invasion of your privacy.

Will Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network share my personal data with anyone else?

Your personal data will be shared with members of Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network who have indicated their consent for their personal data to be shared, in a secure and protected way only. We will not pass your personal data on to third-party service providers. In the event that we do wish to pass your personal data to a third party we will only do so once we have obtained your consent.

How will Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network use the personal data it collects about me?

Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network will process (collect, store and use) the information you provide in a manner compatible with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We will endeavour to keep your information accurate and up to date, and not keep it for longer than is necessary.

Under what circumstances will Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network contact me?

Our aim is not to be intrusive, and we undertake not to ask irrelevant or unnecessary questions. Moreover, the information you provide will be subject to rigorous measures and procedures to minimise the risk of unauthorised access or disclosure.

Can I find out the personal data that Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network holds about me?

At your request, Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network can confirm what information we hold about you and how it is processed.

Contact details for Labour Women’s Parliamentary Staff Network data queries:

Contact Name:Hannah Carson
Email: [email protected]

Back to LWPSN main page

Westminster Gym

Exclusive gym for Parliamentary employees – work out, right next to work. The Westminster Gym has all the latest facilities:

Fantastic gym including brand new Technogym treadmills, rowers, steppers, cycles and cross trainers all with TV screens and digital connectivity
Strength machines and free weights which now come with Technogym Rep range and counters – tone up, slim down or build muscle fast.
Fully Air conditioned Gym, Spin Studio, changing rooms and exercise studio – keep cool, even when the action gets hot.
Classes and therapies: Numerous classes including spinning, circuit-training, yoga and pilates, all included in your membership fee.
Changing Rooms, Lockers and Saunas
If you need some extra motivation or a more personal training plan, our friendly staff and team of Personal Trainers will take you in hand to help you achieve your goals.

The gym is managed by the Jubilee Hall Trust, a charity which uses the gym’s profits to run outreach community programmes to promote healthy lifestyles. The Trust works in partnership with the Health, Safety & Wellbeing Service offering stretch and relaxation classes elsewhere on the Parliamentary Estate.

Please contact the Westminster Gym on x5546 or

email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.thewestminstergym.co.uk/

All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group

All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group

The All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group is a cross-party group of Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords of all the main parties, including members from the Crossbenches in the Lords.

The Group has grown rapidly, from its first beginnings in the 1960s; in 1996 it had 47 members and it now has over 110. Associate membership of the Group is also open to staff of MPs and peers and staff working for the House of Commons or House of Lords.

The Group is not part of Humanists UK, but Humanists UK provides the secretariat for the Group.

For more information you can email Karen Wright, Humanists UK Public Affairs Manager and the APPHG Administrator.

The Group meets around four times a year to hear speakers and discuss relevant issues, as well as to share information and receive briefings on matters of interest. These matters are wide-ranging and include the promotion of a rational approach to bioethical, medical, and scientific issues; the defence of free speech, civil liberties, and education; constitutional issues and freedom of religion or belief; and other issues of relevance to humanists.

On 25 February 2020, members elected the following individuals as officers for the parliamentary term.

Chair: Crispin Blunt MP (Conservative)

Co-Chair: Baroness Bakewell DBE (Labour)

Vice Chairs: Clive Lewis MP (Labour), Tommy Sheppard MP (SNP), Jeff Smith MP (Labour), Lord Warner of Brockley (Crossbencher), Lord Taverne of Pimlico (Liberal Democrats), Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrats), and the Viscount Ridley (Conservative)

Secretary: Baroness Massey of Darwen (Labour)

Treasurer: Lord Dubs of Battersea (Labour)

For more information, please contact Crispin Blunt MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. Tel: 020 7219 2254. Email: [email protected]

or view the Group’s website: https://humanism.org.uk/about/humanists-in-parliament/

Christians in Parliament

Christians in Parliament is an All-Party Parliamentary Group, which exists to support all Members and staff in their work in the Houses of Parliament.

We do this through:

Bible study and prayer groups, one-to-one contact and chapel services
Speaker events and discussion groups examining the truth and relevance of the Christian faith to personal and political life
Policy discussions and briefings informed by the Bible and Christian theology
Organising the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast

Particular events of interest may be:

weekly chapel services on Tuesday lunchtimes when Parliament is sitting
weekly prayer meeting for Parliamentary staff on Thursday lunchtimes

For further information, please see the Christians in Parliament website here: https://www.christiansinparliament.org.uk/

Follow them on Twitter: @CiPAPPG

Westminster Wanderers Football Club

Westminster Wanderers Football Club is an established and successful adult amateur Sunday league club. The club is affiliated to the London FA and plays in the Southern Sunday Football League which operates across Lambeth, Wandsworth and Merton.

We have players from politics, researchers, advisers, public affairs, policy, the civil service, PR, journalism, academia and beyond, and are cross-party. We’re very grateful for the support we’ve had and players we’ve found from W4MP in recent years.

We welcome new players and would be delighted if you want to get in touch and try out for the Club. Just contact us and we’ll provide you with details of forthcoming sessions. We also have a casual 8aside match on Monday night for players who can’t be involved in regular 11aside.

We are an FA Charter Standard Club and run four teams in league and cup competitions. The Club is managed by a committee and has policies for welfare and the health and safety of our players.

Our home ground is Fishponds Field in Tooting and we have practice sessions most weeks usually at Battersea Park. The club also has a strong social programme and an annual tour which has taken us to Iceland, Latvia and Spain in recent years.

You can see more about us on social media – on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@WestminsterWFC). And you can reach us via these channels or email: [email protected]. Please do get in touch.

Wellness Working Group

The Wellness Working Group is a cross party group of MPs’ staff with the aim of placing a focus on staff welfare and improving support for MPs’ staff well-being. Support mechanisms have tended to focus almost exclusively on Members and House Staff, with MPs’ staff needs often being forgotten or left in the background. The uniqueness of working for an MP cannot be overstated. The Wellness Working Group is firmly of the belief that more needs to be done to recognise the often complex and challenging role of MPs’ staff and the unparalleled challenges they face. Many staff have already shared their experiences and we are keen to hear from as many MPs’ staff as possible, regardless of party colours since the challenges we face are some that only MPs’ staff will be fully able to relate to.

MPs’ staff are increasingly under pressure with intense workloads and are often dealing with very distressed and vulnerable constituents who bring issues that are harrowing and emotionally demanding. The cumulative effect of this type and volume of work can have impacts on our own mental health. This makes it crucial that we have measures in place to cope and be able to look after ourselves. It is only by looking after ourselves that we will be able to continue perform well and to help others. Staff are often overstretched, which in a crisis gets worse. Also, staff are often left with lots of distressing details and nowhere ‘to put’ them. This is not exclusive to caseworkers. Administrators are often the first point of contact in the office by answering the phone or filtering the inbox and researchers and parliamentary assistants can be involved in very harrowing topics for debates. Office managers are often in a difficult place between the Member and the staff team and many find themselves picking up any additional workload the team faces. In addition, they often feel responsible for their team’s well-being, which can be especially difficult given the harrowing nature of the work, whilst perhaps not having the same outlet or well-being support that they are providing to their teams. The Wellness Working Group believes more adequate support needs to be put in place for MPs’ staff well-being. Furthermore, training on mental health ought to be offered so that a greater focus is placed on self-care, allowing staff to be better equipped to cope with demanding and important work.

The increase in the number of campaigns and heated nature of politics means it is common for MPs’ staff to be put in the position of answering aggressive correspondence, directed to their Member as a public figure, and feeling the force of people’s anger. This extends to threats and abuse made to staff who have not signed up to be publicly accountable. So often staff are isolated, whether in small offices in Westminster or in constituency offices all around the country. Now with Covid-19 and home working, we are conscious that staff might feel even more disconnected and overwhelmed with the work they are facing. We understand many staff relied on their workplace for social interaction and support, which has been somewhat lost in many cases, also meaning boundaries between home and work are blurred.

We were pleased that IPSA added £4000 to the MPs’ staffing budget for well-being and training recently. We see this as a starting point in staff welfare being recognised as a concept and see that we have much further to go if staff welfare is to be properly considered. The Wellness Working Group has several aims, which include: developing a well-being policy, establishing peer support networks that could provide a space to share experiences, knowledge and expertise whilst creating more of a sense of community, the provision of better mental health training and having a ring-fenced budget from IPSA so that well-being costs do not have to come from already stretched budgets, to name a few.

We would encourage you to join our Group because it is by supporting one another that we can make a difference. What we have in common as staff is unique. Working for an MP is a job that is often hard to describe to those who have not experienced it. Members of the Group come from all parts of the UK and from all political parties. We understand that the challenges may differ but all are equally valid when people are struggling. So far we have held meetings in Scotland and in London, but we are now holding these meetings virtually. We are trying to avoid the focus being on people reaching crisis point and more on creating something that helps people to avoid that point, or recover quickly if they do.

The Wellness Working Group can be found on ParliNet. or on Sharepoint. If you would like to be involved or have any questions, then please feel free to get in touch: [email protected]

JustUs

JustUs advocates for people when they’re homeless to access the statutory support they are eligible for.

They currently offer training via Zoom on Homelessness Law aimed at new and experienced front line workers and volunteers as well as managers of services that regularly have contact with homeless people. The course provides:

An awareness and basic understanding of Homelessness Legislation.
An understanding of the legal definitions of homelessness, priority need, intentional homelessness and local connection.
The information needed to know when a homeless application is appropriate.
A practical understanding of how to help someone make a strong application for housing assistance.
An awareness of other statutory help relevant to homeless people.

Please see their website for details of how to book: http://www.justus.org.uk/

Coronavirus – useful links

This page is no longer current and the links probably don’t work. It is left as a record of an historic time.

The current parliamentary guidance on COVID-19 can be found on ParliNet.

Advice about long Covid can be found on the NHS website.

COVID-19

This page is intended to be a list of links to useful sources of information in the United Kingdom about Coronavirus, how to help your constituents and how to work remotely.

Since publishing this page of links, we have been inundated with requests to link to numerous external sites, predominantly in the USA, which, whilst very useful and informative in their own right, are not directly relevant to the work of MPs’ staff in the United Kingdom. Please note that we are not accepting requests to publish external links but thank you for your interest in our site.

House of Commons Information

An update from the Cabinet Office for Members (2 June 2020)

Cleanliness and hygiene measures on the Estate

Coronavirus Hub

Data protection guidance

Digital guidance (scroll down page)

FAQs for Members

HSE Working Safely guidance and support

IPSA guidance

Member briefing pack

Returning to work guidance (opens in ACT)

Risk assessment (office)

Risk assessment (individual)

Situation in the UK

Template signage

Test and Trace

Wellbeing advice and guidance

Working from home advice (W4MP)

Casework

Data Protection and Coronavirus

House of Commons Library: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

Immigration and Borders: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-immigration-and-borders

Working Remotely

Log into Office 365 with your Parliamentary credentials for access to all of your usual apps: https://portal.office.com/

Learn how to use Skype for Business for online meetings – factsheet and video

Health and Wellbeing

Your Mind Plan (NHS): https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/your-mind-plan-quiz/

MIND: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing

Anxiety UK: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/coronanxiety-support-resources/

Glide: https://glidegroup.co.uk/remote-working-a-practical-safety-guide-for-businesses#mental

Tax Debt and Mental Health: https://www.riftrefunds.co.uk/tax-rebates/uk-tax-refund-advice/tax-debt-and-mental-health/

Information for the Public

Government Advice for the Public

Coronavirus information homepage: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Time off for Family and Dependants – https://www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

Children’s Commissioner – Coronavirus, children and you. Advice, information, suggestions, answers and resources to help during the pandemic: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/coronavirus/

Coronavirus Crisis: Guidance on Compliance with Family Court Child Arrangement Orders: https://www.judiciary.uk/announcements/coronavirus-crisis-guidance-on-compliance-with-family-court-child-arrangement-orders/

Employment Issues

ACAS employment advice: Helpline 0300 123 1100 / https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus

Coronavirus support for employees, benefit claimants and businesses: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-support-for-employees-benefit-claimants-and-businesses

Health & Safety Executive: https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/coronavirus.htm

Support for businesses: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

Lay-offs and short-time working: https://www.gov.uk/lay-offs-short-timeworking

Unite the Union: https://unitetheunion.org/campaigns/coronavirus-covid-19-advice/

If Unite members need advice on a COVID-19 related employment law query that is not covered by the information above and your workplace rep is not available, you can call Unite’s dedicated COVID-19 Legal Advice Line on 0333 202 6557.

If members need advice on a COVID-19 related benefits query, information is available from the DWP online here and Unite have set up a dedicated benefits advice line which members can access by calling 0333 202 6563

Unite has launched a helpline and volunteer care service for its vulnerable members during the coronavirus crisis.

All UK-based Unite members can call the helpline number 0330 1072351. The helpline is fully staffed between 08:00 until 19:00 Monday to Friday with an overflow service at other hours. A Unite volunteer will then be assigned to assist anyone who needs help with picking up shopping, posting mail, collecting urgent supplies, such as prescriptions, or simply talking to those who are experiencing loneliness.

Businesses

Coronavirus Business Advice – including business closures, stay at home FAQs, self-employment income support scheme, and more: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support

Claim for wage costs through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – a guide for employers. includes information relating to people on zero hours contracts: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Competitions and Markets Authority – report concerns about business practices, including shops raising prices: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cma-covid-19-response

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme: https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-scheme/

Coronavirus Financial Support: https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme/

Federation of Small Businesses: https://www.fsb.org.uk/campaign/covid19.html

HMRC Tax helpline to support businesses affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) – news article: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-helpline-to-support-businesses-affected-by-coronavirus-covid-19 leads to helpline: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/coronavirus-covid-19-helpline

Information on support for self-employed individuals: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-gives-support-to-millions-of-self-employed-individuals

Information Commissioner: https://ico.org.uk/global/data-protection-and-coronavirus-information-hub/

Coronavirus: what IPSE (Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed) is doing and advice for freelancers and the self-employed: https://www.ipse.co.uk/ipse-news/news-listing/coronavirus-ipse-activity-and-advice-freelancers.html and IPSA Coronavirus hub: https://www.ipse.co.uk/coronavirus-hub.html

Royal Mail: https://www.royalmail.com/coronavirus?iid=HP_M2_2_CORONAVIRUS

Sage – financial advice for small and medium businesses:- https://www.sage.com/en-gb/coronavirus/

Save a Small Business (Greater Manchester only): https://sasb.today/

TUC: https://www.tuc.org.uk/resource/covid-19-coronavirus-guidance-unions

Benefits

Entitledto – What help is available from benefits if you are affected by coronavirus: https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Coronavirus_help

Turn2Us – Benefits and Coronavirus: https://www.turn2us.org.uk/get-support/Benefits-and-Coronavirus-new

Disability Benefits: Claimants on disability benefits will no longer be required to attend face-to-face assessments. The change also covers health checks for Universal Credit.: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/face-to-face-health-assessments-for-benefits-suspended-amid-coronavirus-outbreak

Employment & Support Allowance: https://www.gov.uk/employment-support-allowance

Information on Universal Credit: https://www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk/coronavirus/

To claim Universal Credit: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

Education and Childcare

Guidance for schools, childcare providers, colleges and local authorities in England on maintaining educational provision: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

Coronavirus (COVID-19): early years and childcare closures: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures

The Open University: Coronavirus – the lowdown – https://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/public-health/what-coronavirus

Health & Wellbeing

Get coronavirus support as an extremely vulnerable person: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable

NHS advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Age UK: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/health-wellbeing/conditions-illnesses/coronavirus/

Asthma UK: https://www.asthma.org.uk/advice/triggers/coronavirus-covid-19/

Autistica: https://www.autistica.org.uk/what-is-autism/coronavirus

Cancer Research: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/coronavirus-and-cancer and https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/one_cancer_voice_advice_on_coronavirus_for_people_with_cancer.pdf

Childline: 0800 1111 – https://www.childline.org.uk/

Children’s Commissioner: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/coronavirus/

Citizens’ Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/health/coronavirus-what-it-means-for-you/

Diabetes UK: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/about_us/news/coronavirus

Guide on Handling Coughs and Colds in the Elderly: https://www.covonia.co.uk/coughs-colds-elderly-guide/

MIND ‘Coronavirus and your wellbeing’: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/ and Coronavirus: supporting yourself and your team: https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/coronavirus-supporting-yourself-and-your-team/

Working from Home: A Guide to Creating a Healthy and Productive Workspace

Hardship Funds

Coronavirus hardship fund for musicians: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/news/latest-news/help-musicians-launches-5m-coronavirus-financial-hardship-fu

Travel and Transport Advice

Foreign Office Travel Advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

Compare the Market:

Coronavirus guidance on travel insurance: https://www.comparethemarket.com/travel-insurance/content/corona-virus/

Money Saving Expert:

Coronavirus Financial Help & Rights – Sick pay, mortgages, rental help, train refunds, energy top-ups & more: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/03/uk-coronavirus-help-and-your-rights/

Coronavirus Travel Rights – Holiday refunds, travel insurance cover and more: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/02/coronavirus-travel-help-and-your-rights/

Travel advice: coronavirus (COVID-19) – Guidance for British people travelling overseas during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus

MOT Tests: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-mots-for-cars-vans-and-motorcycles-due-from-30-march-2020

The AA: https://www.theaa.com/about-us/coronavirus-covid-19

Arriva Buses: https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/coronavirus/

Diamond Buses: https://www.diamondbuses.com/news/july-2021_latest-coronavirus-guidelines/

Network Rail: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/coronavirus

Northern Rail: https://media.northernrailway.co.uk/news/coronavirus-travel-information

Stagecoach: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/coronavirus

Transport for Greater Manchester: https://tfgm.com/coronavirus

Energy and Utilities

Compare the Market: Coronavirus guidance on energy: https://www.comparethemarket.com/energy/coronavirus/paying-bills/

British Gas: https://www.britishgas.co.uk/covid19

Ebico: https://ebico.org.uk/ebico-news/coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-announcement/

E.on: https://www.eonenergy.com/coronavirus-update.html

O2: https://www.o2.co.uk/covid-19

Ofgem – Coronavirus (COVID-19) and your energy supply: Coronavirus (COVID-19) and your energy supply

Helping the energy industry protect customers during coronavirus

Scottish Power: https://www.scottishpower.com/news/pages/covid_19_update.aspx

Shell Energy: https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/service

Three Mobile: http://www.three.co.uk/stay-connected

United Utilities: https://www.unitedutilities.com/Coronavirus-update/

Vodafone: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/coronavirus-advice

Supermarkets

Aldi: https://www.aldi.co.uk/covid19

Asda: https://corporate.asda.com/20200309/steps-we-have-taken-in-response-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak

Booths: https://www.booths.co.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-statement/

Iceland: https://www.iceland.co.uk/customer-support/help-articles#coronavirus

Lidl: https://www.lidl.com/coronavirus-update

Morrisons: https://groceries.morrisons.com/content/important-update-on-coronavirus-94110

Sainsburys: https://www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/feeding-the-nation

Tesco: https://www.tescoplc.com/news/2020/covid-19-a-message-to-our-customers-from-dave-lewis-tesco-ceo/

Waitrose: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/help-information/customer-service/coronavirus

Community Support

Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK – “a group of volunteers supporting local community groups organising mutual aid throughout the Covid-19 outbreak in the UK. We focus on providing resources and connecting people to their nearest local groups, willing volunteers and those in need.” – https://covidmutualaid.org/

Home Owners, Landlords and Renters

HomeOwners Alliance – Buying and selling a home during the coronavirus lockdown? https://hoa.org.uk/2020/03/buying-home-coronavirus/

Residential Landlords Association – what landlords need to know: https://www.rla.org.uk/campaigns/coronavirus/index.shtml

Complete ban on evictions and additional protection for renters: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/complete-ban-on-evictions-and-additional-protection-for-renters

Banks, Building Societies and Money

Bank of Scotland: https://www.bankofscotland.co.uk/helpcentre/coronavirus.html

Barclays: https://www.barclays.co.uk/coronavirus/

Bradford and Bingley: https://www.bbg.co.uk/personal-support

Co-op Bank: https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/news/2020/coronavirus-support-personal-customers

Help Musicians Coronavirus Hardship Fund: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/news/latest-news/help-musicians-launches-5m-coronavirus-financial-hardship-fu

HSBC: https://www.hsbc.co.uk/help/coronavirus/

Lloyds: https://www.lloydsbank.com/help-guidance/coronavirus.html

Money Advice Service: https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en

More Than Insurance: https://www.morethan.com/coronavirus/

Natwest: https://personal.natwest.com/personal/support-centre/coronavirus.html Telephone: 0800 051 4176

PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/uk/smarthelp/article/paypal%E2%80%99s-response-to-the-coronavirus-(covid-19)-pandemic-&-faqs-faq4003?Z3JncnB0=

Royal Bank of Scotland: https://personal.rbs.co.uk/personal/support-centre/coronavirus.html

Santander: https://www.santander.co.uk/personal/coronavirus?icid=php-Hero-Coronavirus-0320

TSB: https://www.tsb.co.uk/coronavirus/

Which?: https://www.which.co.uk/news/coronavirus/

MP and Staffers’ guide to Mental Health

The MP and Staffers’ Guide to Mental Health has been updated and is full of useful information on how to support and signpost constituents with mental health needs. We highly recommend that you read this guide.

Here’s what’s in it:

Quick-reference guide
An overview of mental health
How much help should you give?
How to help someone in distress
Handling difficult emails and phone calls
Signposting and local information
Glossary

You can view it on the Rethink Mental Illness website here.

As an aside from those of us at W4MP who have been around for a bit: if you are new to the job you might just be thinking that you are the only one who has ever had to help constituents with mental health problems. Everyone who has ever worked for an MP, and particularly those based in constituency offices and dealing with casework, tends to be surprised how much of an issue this can be, particularly in your first few weeks. Hopefully this booklet will help you put things in perspective. Good luck!

The leaflet is a joint production by:

All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health
Mind
Rethink Mental Illness
Royal College of Psychiatrists

Wikipedia/Wikidata for new and returning MPs

As soon as the first election results were announced on 12 December, Wikipedians – the volunteers who write and edit Wikipedia – sprang into action, updating Wikipedia’s articles about the election itself, about every individual constituency, and about every single MP.

The volunteers also added data, including for example MPs’ websites, Twitter names and Facebook profiles, to Wikipedia’s younger sister project, Wikidata. That’s a database that provides online, queryable data (linked open data, in technical jargon) that is used to populate Wikipedia articles.

MPs staff are able to update Wikipedia and Wikidata, as long as they follow the guidelines for the sites. If you would like to do this then you may want to refer to our guides

w4mp

The site for everyone working for an MP

Guide