- Conference
- 2021 Police and Justice Conference
- Date
- 15 June 2021
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that the police and justice sectors used to be equality trail-blazers in terms and conditions for staff and also in the quality, accessibility and inclusivity of health service delivery. This, coupled with a strong public service ethos, has contributed over the years to high numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) workers, along with other equality groups, working within both the police and justice services.
Conference welcomes the increased recognition that mental health is a serious workplace issue for police and justice staff. It also has a strong equalities dimension.
Even without the impact of the pandemic, people vulnerable to discrimination face worse levels of mental ill health. In the wider community, around 1 in 4 people are affected by mental ill health. But in the LGBT+ community these figures can be as high as 70%, with trans people – and in particular young trans people – significantly over-represented (41% having attempted to end their lives). Many LGBT+ people will avoid healthcare settings they do not feel safe in, and are far more likely to access LGBT+ specific services for support with their mental health.
In the pandemic, calls to LGBT+ help lines have increased dramatically.
The pandemic has physically removed LGBT+ workers from LGBT+ support groups in and outside of the workplace, limiting their ability to seek help. For some, their own homes have been unsafe with LGBT+ workers, particularly young workers, having been forced to stay in hostile environments with unsupportive family.
Galop, the LGBT anti-violence charity, found an escalation in the number of reports they received about hate crime and hate speech. Some of this violence and abuse was perpetrated by people who blamed the LGBT+ community for the pandemic, and often included references to the AIDS epidemic and COVID-19 as a ‘punishment from God’.
The escalation in violence experienced by police and justice workers from members of the public in general has seen a 40% increase during the pandemic. Many attacks have been threats to infect workers with COVID by spitting or coughing. Working in such a hostile environment, coupled with the abuse related to being LGBT+, increases stress and has a serious impact on mental health.
Conference recognises the importance of ensuring that all police and justice employers have policies and procedures that help to protect the mental health of staff in general and provide support to workers experiencing mental health problems, and welcomes the UNISON “Bargaining on mental health policies” guide for branches.
It also recognises the importance of occupational health services, employee health and wellbeing programmes and employee assistance programmes being fully LGBT+ inclusive.
Conference therefore calls on the Police and Justice Service Group Executive, in liaison with the national LGBT+ committee and other parts of the union as appropriate, to:
1)Seek to ensure that workforce health and wellbeing is on the bargaining agenda with all police and justice employers;
2)Urge employers to acknowledge the impact of discrimination on mental health and include a strong equality dimension in mental health initiatives and strategies;
3)Promote the UNISON ‘Bargaining on mental health policies’ guide to branches;
4)Gather and publicise examples from branches organising in the service group of good practice in occupational health services, employee health and wellbeing programmes and employee assistance programmes;
5)Call on employers to acknowledge the importance of specialist support services, such as LGBT+ support services, and publicise them to staff, where these exist;
6)Signpost information and support on LGBT+ mental health to police and justice branches, stewards, equality co-ordinators and LGBT+ officers.