Workplace Wellbeing for Council Adoption and Foster Team

YOLO Wellbeing delivered a workplace wellbeing day for the Lancashire County Council, Hyndburn and Rising Bridge Foster and Adoption Team. Manager Hannah Loffman and her team provided the feedback below.

What do you do at the Foster and Adoption Service?

In my team we support over 120 fostering families and 50 adoptive families in the Hyndburn, Rossendale and Ribble Valley areas. We provide face to face and telephone support, training, peer support groups for carers. We also support those families when they are in crisis and experiencing challenges. This can be a very demanding and emotionally challenging role for all the staff on a daily basis.

What did you expect from the YOLO Wellbeing experience for you and your staff?

I expected a much needed opportunity for my staff to have 15 minutes to be able to concentrate on themselves, to think about how they are feeling and to experience some relaxation. I hoped that staff would find it a positive experience, feeling better afterwards.

Do you think the YOLO Wellbeing Experience met your expectations?

The YOLO experience very much exceeded expectations. The environment of the wellbeing session was perfect, the space feels very calm, relaxing and professional. The therapist was a wonderfully warm and nurturing person who helps people to relax quickly. The images on the screen and sounds to listen to were perfect for the relaxation process. The head massage and shoulder massage were perfect for relieving stress and were very much individualised to each person’s needs and preferences.

What workplace benefits did you receive as the employer of the  Council Adoption and Foster Team?

Everyone had very positive comments after having their wellbeing session. All staff members felt relaxed and very happy that they had chance to prioritise themselves for 15 minutes. The atmosphere in the office for the rest of the week was very positive and people are still commenting now on how much better their shoulders and neck feel after the massage.

As the manager I feel there were many benefits;

Staff members were able to have time during work hours to prioritise and consider their own health and wellbeing

Staff have fed back that they now know that I am thinking about their health and wellbeing on an ongoing basis which makes them feel valued.

The team saw that I, as the manager, also needed and benefited from some wellbeing time.

The visit from YOLO Wellbeing has prompted many more discussions about what other health and wellbeing activities we could do as a team in the future.

Feedback from the team

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