Wellbeing and mental health for aid workers

A free seminar on how to ensure your humanitarian and in-country staff are supported and safeguarded.

Learn how to best address the challenges that your employees face during and after deployment in humanitarian contexts at this half day seminar, in partnership with Cigna.

You'll find out how your organisation can safeguard employees from harm wherever possible and how to deal with mental health issues, such as trauma.

The seminar will cover:

Your responsibilities to partner organisations and their workforces
Your organisation's responsibility after your contract finishes
Examples of what happens to people while working in-country or in humanitarian contexts
How to overcome these pitfalls

This is the first seminar in a series of events on wellbeing in the international development sector.

This event is for Bond members only. If you are interested in becoming a Bond member please email: [email protected]

Programme

13:30: Arrival and refreshments

14:00: Welcome

14:05: The need for a supportive environment for mental health and wellbeing
Annika Olsson from DFID will be setting the scene for the day, explaining what wellbeing is and why it is important.

14:50: Trauma and the impact on field workers
Cat Carter from Save the Children International will be sharing her personal experience of working in fragile states and the impact that trauma can have.

Dr Kathleen Thornberry from Cigna will be sharing her first hand experience of dealing with trauma cases from her time with Doctors without Borders and Cigna.

15:50: Break for refreshments

16:05: Implementing initiatives in your organisation
Jody-Gunn Russell from CAFOD will share her learning of setting up a wellbeing network for NGOs.

Hitendra Solanki from Action Against Hunger UK will highlight the experiences of working with national staff on wellbeing initiatives.

16:50: Wrap up and next steps

17:00: End