What we've been up to
2023 was a busy year for the National Police Wellbeing Service, and through December the team have been busy planning for 2024 and now with Christmas and the new year behind us we are excited to start sharing those plans with you.
What's coming soon
Neighbourhood policing week of action
We are supporting the college of policing and forces across the country during neighbourhood policing week which commences on Monday 22 January.
Neighbourhood policing week takes place on 22-26 January 2024. During the week there will be lots going on nationally to highlight the vital work that neighbourhood officers, police community support officers (PCSOs) and volunteers do to protect the public and keep people safe.
During the week our wellbeing vans will be out an about at various locations, if you see one pop along, say hello and find out more about what's on offer from your force wellbeing team and Oscar Kilo.
Throughout the week the College of Policing are hosting a wide selection of online events and practitioner sessions which are open to all officers, staff and volunteers interested in neighbourhood policing.
One of these sessions will be hosted by us - 'Oscar Kilo – what can the National Police Wellbeing Service do for you' - it takes place on Friday 26 at 10am, you can register using the button below.
The full timetable of the events and links to join the sessions, which all take place via Microsoft Teams, are available on the College of Policing website. These sessions are open to all officers, staff and volunteers interested in neighbourhood policing. Use the 'book a place' button under each event to register on Microsoft Teams.
Nutrition for wellbeing: Seven days of healthy eating
Next week, 22 January, we will be launching our new seven days of healthy eating programme, developed by nutritionist Anna Earl, it's a great way to kick start your healthy eating plan.
How to get started
For recipes, resources and more, go to seven days of healthy eating.
Sleep challenge 2024: Supercharge your sleep, and wellbeing
Do you wish you could wake up with more energy? Does a racing mind keep you awake?
If you could do just ONE thing to improve your wellbeing, what would it be? In the new year we will be running a two-part Sleeposium series, where sleep expert and TedX speaker, Dr Sophie Bostock, makes the case for sleep. Using examples from colleagues working in policing, she will explain how understanding the science of sleep could make your daily routine more productive, reduce stress, and make you happier.
There will also be a sleep survey you can take to benchmark your own sleep habits.
The first webinar will be on Tuesday 30 January and the second on 20 February. You can register for the sessions below:
Supercharge your sleep and wellbeing part one
Supercharge your sleep part two
Launch of our 'leavers' package
In February we will be launching our brand new leavers package which will provide help and advice on a range of topics that are relevant to those who are voluntarily leaving the Police Service. The programme aims to support a successful transition for those who are leaving, and those who have left, useful information regarding the help that is available, and encourage them to create their own plan of action.
Providing support to those who are leaving or who have left the service is a key pillar of the Police Covenant. The Covenant recognises the unique contribution and sacrifices that both police officers and police staff make as a result of their service. Find out more about the Police Covenant here
You'll be able to access this programme directly from the home page of the Oscar Kilo website.
Events
During the next few months we will be getting some of our practitioners together to learn new skills and share good practice. Occupational health practitioners from forces across the country will get together in February and our OK9 wellbeing and trauma support dogs and their handlers will come together in March.
There are also a few national events which the team will be attending over the coming months, including the Home Office security and policing and Health and wellbeing at work if you are at any of these please pop along and say hello.
We will also be supporting the College of Policing with the re-launch of the Code of Ethics. Our vans will be accompanying College leaders on their roadshow at forces across England and Wales.
We are also busy planning our first national conference for November, which will include the 2024 Oscar Kilo awards.
Oscar Kilo awards
We will be opening the Oscar Kilo awards for entries in February 2024.
If there is a piece of work or project that you are proud of and you feel has made a difference to the wellbeing of your officers and staff in 2023, please consider entering our awards.
You can find out more and see our previous winners on our awards page.
Third edition of the Blue Light Wellbeing Framework
We’ll be writing to all Blue Light Wellbeing Framework owners in the coming week to update you on the forthcoming third edition of the Framework. We’ll explain what this means and provide timescales for the changes in the communications that will be issued shortly – so if you are a Framework owner, keep your eyes peeled for that email.