Training to improve mental health for people at high risk of flooding

Around 100 local authority employees are being trained in a new project to help improve the mental well-being of people whose properties have flooded or at are risk of flooding.

The Psychological First Aid Training will start this month and be delivered by specialist trainers Purple Dog to a diverse range of front-line staff including community first officers, flood risk managers, management teams, emergency planning officers, CCTV operators and gully wagon drivers. Psychological first aid is a technique designed to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This is part of a West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme (WYFLIP) project which launched after receiving £56,000 funding from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and Kirklees Council.

The Flood Risk and Mental Wellbeing Project is being led by Kirklees Council to reduce the impact of flood incidents by helping people become more resilient and recover more quickly from flood incidents by improving their mental wellbeing.

The project will include support from a mental health specialist charity, campaigns to raise awareness of available mental health support, promotion of green social prescribing, holding practical well-being events, and wellbeing packs.

There will also be wider environmental and recreational benefits for residents including improved physical wellbeing, connection to nature, community togetherness and resilience.

Initially teams working for Kirklees Council will receive the mental health training and then it will be rolled out to other local authorities in the region. It will help teams to provide information on flood resilience​ and signpost people to appropriate mental health services as needed.