We would like to highlight the Wellness Action Plan (WAP) as a way for Volunteer Managers / Organisations to support the mental health of their volunteers.

• The WAP is inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP®): an evidence based system used worldwide by people to manage their mental health.
• WAPs are a personalised, practical tool we can all use – whether we have a mental health problem or not – to help us identify what keeps us well at work, what causes us to become unwell and the support we would like to receive from our manager to boost our wellbeing or support us through a recovery.

Mind.org.uk have three guides available which you can fill in electronically:

• Guide for line managers is for managers or supervisors who are interested in introducing WAPs to their team members.
• Guide for employees/volunteers is for any member of staff or volunteer who would like to try a WAP for themselves and introduce the idea of using WAPs to their manager or supervisor.
• Working from home WAP is designed to support staff with their mental health and wellbeing when working from home.

Further information:

• Mindwise
• Covid Wellbeing Northern Ireland
• Mental Health UK
• Clic UK
• NI Direct: Information & Services – Mental Health
• Mental Health Foundation – Northern Ireland