The guide referred to here is no longer available. Please consult the Mental Health Guidance and toolkit page on Parlinet.

Here’s something really useful we spotted at the Open Day for constituency-based staff on 9 July: MP and Staffers’ guide to Mental Health.

Apparently it’s been around for a year or so but we hadn’t seen it before and we suspect many of you hadn’t either.

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 Mind 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

Now here’s something useful.  We were asked for a model confidentiality agreement which could be used for interns, volunteers etc working for a period in a Member’s office.

W4MP recently had a request from the Legal Ombudsman to tell you more about what they do.  Here it is.

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The Legal Ombudsman for England and Wales was set up by the Office for Legal Complaints (our Board) under the Legal Services Act 2007.

Our service is open to all members of the public, very small businesses, charities, clubs and trusts.

• Our service is free to these consumers.

• We can get involved in different types of complaints about legal services. Some examples are wills, family issues such as divorce, personal injury and buying or selling a house. There are many others.

• We are independent and impartial. This means that when we start to receive complaints, we will look at the facts in each case and weigh both sides of the story.

• Most complaints can be resolved informally. If needed, we will carry out a formal investigation. As this could involve us getting more information from you and your lawyer, it could take longer to deal with.

• Once an Ombudsman decision is accepted, we can make sure that the lawyer does do what we say is needed.

We can only deal with complaints about lawyers who are regulated, for example we can take complaints about Barristers – regulated by the Bar Standards Board or Licensed conveyancers – regulated by the Council for Licensed Conveyancers. For a full list of the lawyers we can deal with and types of complaints we receive visit our website www.legalombudsman.org.uk.

If you have any questions or would like to know any further information contact Rhiannon Walpole Stakeholder and Public Affairs Officer at Legal Ombudsman Rhiannon.walpole@ legal ombudsman.org.uk

W4MP recently met Ellen Wright who is currently coming to the end of her year on the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme (SPPS).  She’s about to move back into the ‘real world’ but, before she does, she agreed to tell us about her experience.  Here it is below.

We get a certain amount of flack at W4MP about taking some unpaid internships on our Jobs page so it’s good to be singing the praises of a scheme which provides paid internships for exactly those people who would otherwise not have the opportunity or not be able to afford to work in Parliament.

Ellen also said some nice things about W4MP which we can’t resist adding, too; it’s at the end of her piece below.

For those interested, applications for the 2013/2014 SPPS cohort closed on 22nd April 2013. No date has been set for the 2014/15 applications yet, but we understand that they are most likely to open again early spring 2014.  You can, though, read more about the scheme:

• Either on the website of the Social Mobility Foundation
• Or on www.speakerscheme.co.uk/.

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By Ellen Wright, 2012/2013 SPPS Cohort

The Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme, set up by the Speaker and the Rt. Hon Hazel Blears MP along with Jo Swinson MP and Eric Ollerenshaw MP, is approaching the end of its second year. The Scheme offers a nine-month paid internship working with an MP in Parliament. Administered by the Social Mobility Foundation and funded through sponsorship from the private sector, it enables talented people, who would not otherwise have the opportunity, to get a foot in the door of the world of politics. I was one of nine successful candidates selected from a field of over 500 to participate in this year’s Scheme.

Previously I worked at a start-up streetwear clothing label – our brand was positive and all about making people feel not only proud about where they had come from, but positive about where they could get to. As part of this I did a lot of community engagement work – trying to affect a positive change and build confidence in young people. This was what really sparked a deeper interest in politics and ultimately was what led me to apply to the Scheme.

I was keen to gain further experience in the world of politics, but found it difficult to get a break – I didn’t know anyone who worked in Parliament and definitely couldn’t afford to do an unpaid internship. I saw the Scheme advertised on the Jobcentre plus website – and it was the opportunity for which I had been waiting – I didn’t hesitate in going for it.

Initially, I felt that someone like me wouldn’t fit in at Parliament. I viewed it as a world of privilege, and thought people would assume I would be a hindrance rather than a help. However, with drive and commitment there is scope to achieve a lot in Parliament regardless of your background. People were welcoming and for the most part do respect hard work and aspiration. I have already secured a fantastic new role in a private sector organisation with global brand recognition and could not have done this without the experience gained on my placement.

I would encourage MPs to think seriously about whether to offer long-term unpaid internships – unpaid placements will limit your field of candidates and as Alan Milburn’s 2012 report on fair access to professional careers found ‘clearly disadvantage those from less affluent backgrounds who cannot afford to work for free for any length of time – they are a barrier to fair access and indeed, to better social mobility.’ Parliament should reflect society as a whole – opening up opportunities to all is vital in ensuring that people from all backgrounds have fair access to a career in politics.

My advice to others that want to work in Parliament would be to be confident, if you don’t know how to do something, don’t shy away from it, ask a lot of questions, seek advice and give it a go. If you want something enough, go for it – do not let anything hold you back.

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….and here’s what Ellen said about W4MP:

“W4MP is an incredibly useful resource and I found it invaluable when applying for my placement. For those of us who do not already have friends or relatives working at Parliament, it helps to level the playing field somewhat – so thank you.”

Thanks Ellen and Good Luck in your new job!

W4MP had the following request from the DWP this week and we are happy to publicise this useful new app.

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We launched the Sorting Out Separation web app in November 2012. It’s had 1000’s of visitors so far and some really positive feedback which we are really proud of.

We’re embedding the Sorting Out Separation web app on websites that parents already use to make the service as easy as possible for parents to access. Many MPs already have the app on their websites and we’re keen to get the app on as many more MP websites as possible as we know that constituents often go to their local MP’s website for support during the difficult time of separation.

The Sorting Out Separation web app is part of the Government’s Help and Support for Separated Families initiative, designed to coordinate expert support services to help parents work together to achieve what’s best for their children. It also incorporates the online hub outlined in the Family Justice Review. See more information on the app attached.

Alongside this we have also this week launched a video which signposts people to the Sorting Out Separation web app. The minute-long video follows a boy’s journey from childhood through to adolescence and adulthood, showing the positive parenting of both mum and dad at every step of the way. The video aims to raise awareness of how working together benefits children and where to find support and advice through the Sorting Out Separation web app.

Here is a link to the video so you can find out more: tinyurl.com/vidSOS

Visit www.SortingoutSeparation.org.uk today

Introducing the Sorting out Separation web app

…a quick and easy way for you to:

• help your clients access support on separation

• show your commitment to helping parents work together through separation

• help parents collaborate for the benefit of their children

How can I support parents in one simple step?

***Embed the Sorting out Separation web app TODAY!***

• It’s easy and only takes minutes

• It works on any website

• Visit www.SortingoutSeparation.org.uk and click on “EMBED” in the bottom left corner

• Follow the simple step-by-step instructions

• You can easily change the colour, size and location to suit your website

• OR you can insert a link to the web address above.

NEED HELP? Contact [email protected] and we can talk you through or provide technical support.

What is the web app?

• The first place to look for anyone needing help and support after separation.

• An interactive tool that signposts bespoke help and support.

• Includes helpful videos and information on:

   – Children and parenting – Housing

   – Relationships – Work and benefits

   – Health – Legal and money

Who else is on board?

• Over 150 organisations are already signposting parents to the great support on offer, including:  Money Saving Expert; BBC Eastenders;  Mumsnet; Wikivorce; DAD.info; Bounty; 4Children; Gransnet; Marks & Spencer; Relate; Family Lives and many more…

Join them and show your support today.

W4MP has previously publicised the DWP reform communications toolkit, which explains the context behind welfare reforms and provides an overview of all the changes that DWP will be delivering over the next few years.

The latest, updated version (dated 10 June 2013) of the toolkit is now available on the DWP website.

More detailed packs, such as the Personal Independence Payment toolkit and the Universal Credit toolkit for partner organisations are also available online to support you in your work.

Please contact the DWP stakeholder team if you have any questions or feedback on the reform communications toolkit

The Commons Library produces loads of research papers, many of which are available for all to see on the public parliamentary website here.

If you work for a Member and have a detailed enquiry, it may help to speak with a Commons Library subject specialist. There is a comprehensive list on the intranet here.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has recently published the following POSTnote: Monitoring Internet Communications .

The POST website is at https://post.parliament.uk/.