At this time of year, it is not unusual for many of us to experience financial anxiety or the “January blues”. After all, our spending often goes up during the festive season which can lead to increased financial pressures in the new year. Our finances underpin most areas of our lives and money problems can cause serious issues— even affecting our mental health…
The session will offer expert, non-judgemental advice on how to manage your money worries. You will learn how financial wellbeing and mental wellbeing are linked—and how to improve both in one fell swoop. The session will also cover:
Key facts behind financial wellbeing, and the ways they affect our mental health
The emotional impact of money worries, as well as the physical toll
Practical tips and advice on managing money, using credit wisely, and being financially aware
The session will be delivered by Joy Whitehead from Health Assured, our EAP provider. If you have any questions about the session email [email protected]
The Royal British Legion has produced a brand-new caseworker guide, designed to help MP’s staff in the help they provide to their constituents from the Armed Forces community.
This new digital guide has been specifically designed with MP caseworkers in mind. It includes a wealth of information about RBL services and other assistance that is available to constituents.
If you would like a copy of the guide, please email us. Please note that it is for MPs in England only, and is available only to those who have an @parliament.uk email address.
This guide is part of a new and complimentary MP caseworker training package, with a new training opportunity commencing from January 2022. To find out more about the RBL MP Caseworker training sessions and to book your place, please follow this link here.
If you have any questions about the guide or the training sessions starting next year, please do not hesitate to get in touch – [email protected]
Please ensure that all MPs and staff take the time to read it – it provides simple and effective methods of reducing the risk to you, your Member and your constituents.
On 30 September 2021, Gresham College broadcast a 1-hour lecture by Professor Leslie Thomas QC and David Neale.
It’s really worth watching as it gives an excellent background to the history of Britain’s immigration law which will be of interest to anyone who works as an MP’s caseworker, particularly those who process immigration casework.
Here’s the lecture summary:
“Commonwealth citizens once enjoyed the right to live, work and settle in the UK without any restrictions. But a racist backlash against Black and Asian immigration led to legislators introducing immigration controls in the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962, which were broadened by the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968 to deprive East African Asians of the right to settle in the UK. Its shameful successor, the Immigration Act 1971 continues to form the basis of our xenophobic immigration laws today.”
This is a briefing / Q&A session from the Members’ Services Team.
National Audit Office (NAO) / Education Team
The National Audit Office is the nation’s independent spending watchdog. It reports to, and is funded by, Parliament to value for money reports on subjects ranging from HS2, Defence contracts, local authority finances, Covid-19, to environmental sustainability. In this session, Adrian Jenner and Sadie Smith from the NAO will give a brief overview on how they can assist Members’ staff with queries on major programmes and Departmental spending, and point them in the direction of resources which can assist with drafting speeches, briefing papers, articles, and constituency correspondence.
We will also hear from the Education and Engagement Outreach Team who do brilliant work organising events, tours and activities to promote the work of Parliament. They will provide an update on their work and give details of activities to help Members’ offices better engage with their constituencies.
If you would like to register a question ahead of the event, please email [email protected]. You will also be given the opportunity to ask questions during the session.
Please note that links to the old Parliamentary intranet have been removed as of October 2023. Please use search on ParliNet to find relevant current details, if available.
Members’ Staff Roadshows – Refreshed: Launch event for the North West region
The Members’ Services Team (MST) have recently taken ownership of the regional constituency events (or roadshows). We very much intend to return to face to face roadshows in due course, but in the meantime we have consulted MPs’ staff and other stakeholders on what our virtual roadshows might look like. We are therefore piloting a new type of virtual roadshow that will have two phases:
A short launch event on MS Teams, where the MST will ask you what you would like included in the roadshow. The first launch event is on Thursday 15th July at 09.30 for the North West region.
As well as constituency based staff, we want to hear from staff who work in Westminster, whose constituency is in the North West. If you work for an MP in this region, you will receive an email asking you to vote on whether you will attend, and if you vote yes, you will then receive an invite to the roadshow itself. At the launch event, you can let us know what subjects you would like to discuss, and which of the break-out groups we are planning will be beneficial for you. We will not be having presentations from House services, but staff from those services will be at both the launch event and the roadshow itself. Your views will be key and we really want to hear from you.
The actual roadshow event will then follow the launch event between 4-6 weeks later. For the North West region, the roadshow is on the 7th September at 09.30 and will be virtual.
It is really important that you register for the event, so please vote; and if you haven’t received an email, please contact [email protected].
The next event will be for staff working for MPs in Scotland, and further details will follow.
The Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests runs workshops for Members and their staff on the following subjects together with the next available dates.
‘Openness and Registering Members’ Financial Interests’, covering:
How to help your Member register and declare interests
The rules on paid lobbying by MPs
How and when to register your own interests
Thursday 1 July 2021 at 2pm
‘How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)’, covering:
The Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests runs workshops for Members and their staff on the following subjects together with the next available dates.
‘Openness and Registering Members’ Financial Interests’, covering:
How to help your Member register and declare interests
The rules on paid lobbying by MPs
How and when to register your own interests
Thursday 17 June 2021 at 2pm
Thursday 1 July 2021 at 2pm
‘How to Support an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)’, covering:
Please note that, when trying to access these courses, if you receive automated messages such as “you don’t have Moodle” or “it is not for learners”, please check, in the first instance that you have valid security clearance by contacting the Security Vetting Team. If you do have valid security clearance and still receive error messages, please contact the Digital team on x2001.
Core skills when supporting emotional service-users.
Understanding the use of empathy when communicating on the telephone.
Recognising the impact of our approaches when supporting challenging (distressed) callers.
Responding to challenging callers and those with differing needs.
Looking after ourselves after the call
Approach
The training will experiential to enable attendees to practice skills and build confidence through role play scenarios and the opportunity for supportive feedback and encouragement.
This is a short introductory webinar on vicarious trauma.
Vicarious trauma is a term for the emotional changes a person can experience when helping people who have traumatic stories to tell.
The session is an initial opportunity to define vicarious trauma and look at why we are at risk, how to identify the signs and how we can minimise the risk in our response.
Regularly hearing about or responding to traumatic events can take its toll on those people who work in helping professions and supportive jobs.
Vicarious trauma is a term for the emotional changes a person can experience when helping people who have traumatic stories to tell.
It may be that you have taken a call, read something or seen images and they stick in your head and you keep thinking about it. Or you often find yourself reflecting, outside of your work, on the upsetting and emotional things that you’ve heard from people contacting your service.
This insightful and practical course provides a more in-depth opportunity to focus on your self care and well being in relation to vicarious trauma. It will explore how to address and effectively manage vicarious trauma to keep a healthy workplace.
