A joint awards submission from two Forth Valley College departments was commended at the College Development Network (CDN) College Awards.
The Departments of Learning Support and Student Services were nominated for the Health Promoting College Award at the event which was held in Glasgow’s Hilton Hotel on Thursday 23 November.
The submission focused on enhancing new approaches to the delivery of health and wellbeing services for students and staff. The college successfully gained funding from the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) who’s focus is on prevention, early intervention and care in the wider community. The Integrated Joint Board Chair commented on the innovative approach taken by FVC.
The grant was used to fund a Wellbeing Support Officer (WSO), a qualified mental health practitioner who offers early stage intervention through one-to-one support with regards to anxiety, stress and positive steps to support wellbeing. This new role complements existing services and on-going Wellbeing Projects, such as in-house counselling and sign posting to other agencies and is available for students on pre-entry, on-course and pre-exit.
Simultaneously, in response to an increasing need for support relating to students’ mental health and wellbeing, the equalities and Inclusion team supported the development of FVC’s Mindfulness Project. This project provides a flexible, experiential programme, introducing students and staff to a range of mindfulness techniques, supporting participants to establish their own mindfulness practice.
These projects link directly to the objectives and subsequent award from Healthy Body, Healthy Mind (HBHM) led by the College’s Student Association.
Anna Vogt, FVC’s Equalities and Inclusion Coordinator, said: “This was a great opportunity for Learning Support and Student Services to collaborate on this piece of work which resulted in Forth Valley College being shortlisted in the top three from around 20 submissions from Colleges across Scotland. While our submission didn’t win the overall award, we were commended for our submission and the both teams had the opportunity to work with, and learn from, each other thus enhancing our relationship and contributing to an overall improved student experience.”