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This section contains references to suicide and self-harm, which may be distressing for some readers. Please take care of yourself while engaging with this material.

🌿 Self-Care Tips

If you feel overwhelmed or affected:

🧘‍♀️ Take breaks – Step away and return when you're ready.

💬 Talk to someone – Reach out to a friend, tutor, or support service.

🧠 Use grounding techniques – Try deep breathing or mindfulness.

🕊️ Create a calm space – Surround yourself with comforting things.

📞 Know where to get help:

Samaritans (UK) – Call 116 123 (free, 24/7)

Mind – Visit mind.org.uk

Your wellbeing team – [Insert contact info or link]

💡 Your wellbeing matters. Please engage with this content only when you feel safe and supported.

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Watch this short clip to understand wellbeing and its importance.

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The Five Ways to Wellbeing - boosting mental wellbeing

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 1

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 1

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Please watch and download the study guidance below to use as a self checker before submitting your answers to your tutor for marking.

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Here you will find useful tips, resources, links and more...

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Browse all our live apprenticeship vacancies below. We regularly update this page with new apprenticeship openings – if there are no live vacancies in your area but you would like to be added to our talent pool, please email the team apprenticeshiprecruitment@learningcurvegroup.co.uk

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Join us ahead of the curve, and invest in your business’s workforce of the future.

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Important Document Level 3 Study Guidance 

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Important Document Level 3 Study Guidance 

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Please use this LCG Level 3 Study Guidance document to help plan your study time and to self check your answers before submitting to your tutor to ensure that they meet the outcomes.

It will help you understand how to showcase your answers to ensure you meet all the outcomes successfully.

Please ensure you do not copy from the course workbooks, websites, books or use Artificial Intelligence to generate answers as it is important to showcase your own understanding.

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We use cookies to collect information about how you use the National Careers Service. This information is used to make the website work as well as possible and improve our services.

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Free videos and downloadable worksheets to help adult learners improve their calculation and numeracy skills.

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Supporting your mental health

Mental health resources to help you take better care of yourself
Checking in with yourself is important for your mental health. So learn to pay attention to your state of mind - detecting everyday anxiety, changing moods, or conflicting feelings -- and turn to Headspace's tools and evidence-based practices.

Evidence-based practices are designed to make a difference in your life, with programs tailored to sleep, stress management, and doing more of what matters to you.

From episodes of 'Radio Headspace' to 'Dear Headspace' to 'Goodnight World' with our friends from Sesame Street, we cover a vast range of topics to inspire hope, love, and respect.

Drop in and listen to a series of real conversations between real Headspace members, encouraging open dialogue on anything from shame and anger, sadness and parenting.

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Mental Health and Wellness Resources and App | Headspace

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Explore our articles, courses, and guided mindfulness meditations for a more balanced you.

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Phishing: Spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and calls

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How to recognise and report emails, texts, websites, adverts or phone calls that you think are trying to scam you.

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Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Details

This guidance is for:

local authority chief executives

directors of children's services

safeguarding partners

teachers and education staff

social workers

health service professionals

adult services

police officers

voluntary and community sector workers in contact with children and families

It applies to:

A version of the guidance for young people and a separate version suitable for younger children are also available for practitioners to share.

Statutory guidance is issued by law - you must follow it unless there's a good reason not to.

Working together to safeguard children 2018

This is a factual update to Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 to reflect recent changes to legislation, including:

Integrated Care Boards: from 1 July 2022, integrated care boards have replaced clinical commissioning groups as a result of the Health and Care Act 2022

Public Health England: has now been replaced by the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), which is part of the Department of Health and Social Care, and by the UK Health Security Agency. The Chief Public Health Nurse role has transferred to OHID

Domestic Abuse Act 2021: references to the Domestic Abuse Bill should be read as the Domestic Abuse Act 2021

UK GDPR: references to the GDPR should be read as the UK GDPR. The UK GDPR is the retained EU law version of the GDPR. The UK GDPR sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018

Statutory framework

The updated statutory framework sets out the legislation relevant to safeguarding and it should be read alongside the statutory guidance.

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Statutory guidance on inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

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Posted on August 23rd, 2022

ETF Associate Selina Stewart considers the integration of British values into teaching and learning in adult learning, offering examples of how the subject can be included in a meaningful way for this audience.
Over the last few years I have delivered Prevent and British values training for adult learning providers across the country in areas with very different demographics. Providers might be delivering ESOL, literacy, numeracy or access courses to adult students or apprenticeship qualifications to adults. They might equally be delivering yoga, art or foreign languages to daytime or evening classes.
Some staff worry about the idea of delivering British values to adult learners. They may be concerned that British values exclude learners who were born and brought up in other countries; sometimes they worry that adult leamers who have been born and brought up in the UK will see this as patronising. However, once practitioners integrate the exploration of British values into their lessons in a relevant way, this leads to interesting discussions about, and an understanding of, as Ofsted refers to it, "modern Britain".

In the early stages of the integration of British values into the curriculum Ofsted stated that the role of providers was to:

"promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs". https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-and-skills-inspection-handbook - 2015

To some, the use of the phrase, "promotion of British values" suggested that this was about telling people that Britain was better than other countries. However, the promotion of British values was never part of the Prevent duty guidance, which talked about staff exemplifying British values in their work, and in fact it did not generally reflect the approach that Ofsted was actually taking in their inspections.

In reality, Ofsted inspectors were looking to see whether learners had an understanding of British values in the context of their lives and work and signs that learners...

"...develop and demonstrate skills and attitudes that will allow them to participate fully in, and contribute positively to, life in modern Britain."

Ofsted reports at that time do not generally refer to the promotion of British values but they do note where learners lack an understanding of British values.

The latest Ofsted handbook [1] refers to:

developing responsible, respectful and active citizens who are able to play their part and know how to become involved in public life

developing and deepening learners' understanding of the fundamental British values of democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law and mutual respect and tolerance. [2]

How do I develop and deepen learners understanding of British values?

A key approach is to make the understanding of British values integral to your teaching and relevant to learners' lives. Whether the British values being explored are democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, or mutual respect and/or tolerance, you do not have to look very far for relevant examples.

Democracy

Some of your learners will have the right to vote in the UK whilst others, especially ESOL learners, will not. All will benefit from an exploration of what is meant by democracy. At the most local level this might be about using voting to make decisions in class; for ESOL learners it might be asking about the system of government in the country they have come from. This could include comparing different forms of democracy and voting, or it might be the difference between living in a country without democracy versus the UK.

For those who do have the right to vote in the UK, staff can encourage and enable learners to register to vote. The registration website - https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote - explains who has the right to register to vote in the UK. Registering to vote and then using that vote is at the core of understanding and participating in democracy.

To further learners' understanding of democracy, you might also want to explore how your learners have been in contact with local or national politicians and in what circumstances they might contact them either for help or to campaign for a particular issue. Campaigns can be wide ranging and might include improving local facilities such as a getting a zebra crossing or saving a local library, or it might be a national or international issue.

It could be helpful to explore which politicians have most power or influence to help in different circumstances; e.g. a councillor for local issues and an MP for national or international ones. This campaigning and interaction with their local community or council are core elements of democracy and the way most people experience democracy. It is obviously important to show that abuse and trolling are not acceptable ways to influence politicians, but it is important to show appropriate ways to influence politicians as part of the democratic process.

Rule of Law

In teaching adults there are many ways to explore rule of law. This might be in relation to everyday laws that we all have to obey, employment rights, or traffic law. It might equally apply to the rules we have in our organisations which learners and staff have to keep to.

One area of law that may impact on your learners is the National Minimum Wage; this can be used in literacy and numeracy lessons as in the table below which shows the rates for 2022.

The minimum wage levels could be used for numeracy work or to support a discussion about the impact of the National Minimum Wage and the reasons for government maintaining and increasing the rates.

Rule of law discussions can also relate to VAT calculations and National Insurance contributions.

In ESOL and literacy classes students can explore how the rule of law influences our everyday lives. This might relate to the rights we have to be kept safe at work, the duty on employers, or on any public body not to discriminate against us because of a protected characteristic.

Individual Liberty

In discussing Individual liberty, it is important to explore the balance between liberty and restrictions on liberty. None of us has absolute liberty, if one person speeds on a road then that undermines the right of others to be safe on the road and pavements. If one person gets angry and shouts at a shop worker, transport staff or an official, that employee feels threatened. Society cannot allow total liberty, but we do all have the freedom to make many choices in our lives.

That liberty may be at a basic level of what time you choose to go to bed, what route you take to your class or which course you want to take and what career you want to follow. These choices are not absolute.

I might want to be a GP but if I don't have the qualifications that is not possible; although if I get the qualifications that situation could change.

I might want to live in an expensive part of my neighbourhood but if I don't have the money that will not be possible; that situation might change in the future, but it might not.

In the UK we have the right to Freedom of Expression which is limited by UK law. One explanation of this from the Equality and Human Rights Commission is that:

"Although you have freedom of expression, you also have a duty to behave responsibly and to respect other people's rights. "Public authorities may restrict this right if they can show that their action is lawful, necessary and proportionate." https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights-act/article-10-freedom-expression

It is important to distinguish this from Freedom of Speech which the US has enshrined in its constitution. In the UK people often think we have freedom of speech, which is much broader, because we consume so much US media.

So it is very important to understand the constraints on Individual liberty. In our everyday lives we have to keep to the law and rules set at work or the rules we set for our families such as bedtimes for children. If we break rules we have to accept that there are consequences.

Mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs

The Prevent duty refers to mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Ofsted however, are looking for mutual respect and tolerance in general including that of faith and belief. This mutual tolerance and respect links to the to the protected characteristics of the Equality duty which are broader as can be seen below.
The protect characteristics
The following are protected characteristics:

age

disability

gender reassignment

marriage and civil partnership

pregnancy and maternity

race

religion or belief

sex

sexual orientation.

( https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/4)

We can explore all of these British values through behaviours in the classroom, expectations at work and in society as a whole. The following text can be used as an example of how British values relate to life in modern Britain. This is followed by a second version of the text with key areas highlighted. These can be used to explore British values and how in this case they were ignored.
The following account of an employment tribunal gives learners the opportunity to see how British values are linked to a case which came before the employment tribunal.
See below; the red text highlights the parts of the text which can be linked to British values.

The following shows how each part of the text can be linked to British values:
Rule of Law:

Mr Morgan experienced racism on the part of his colleagues

Mrs Miles did not deal with the case appropriately

The case was taken to an employment tribunal - as a case of constructive dismissal.

Mutual Respect and Tolerance:

The colleagues and Ms Miles did not show respect for Mr Morgan and his colleague

The colleagues did not show tolerance when they heard Mr Morgan and his colleague speak Patios.

Individual liberty:

Mr Morgan chose to resign citing contrastive dismissal

He chose to take the case to an employment tribunal.

Democracy:

The legislation which protected Mr Morgan from racism, and which gave him the right to go to an employment tribunal because of his constructive dismissal has all been put in place by Parliament. The House of Commons is elected on a regular basis using the first past the post electoral system.

This example and the National Minimum wage bring to life how British values can link to experiences in everyday life.

Conclusion

The way to create a real understanding of British values is for adult learners to see how they impact on all of our lives. Using this approach adults will remember the British values and will be able to talk about them. They will also understand that British values are actually positive; not an imposition; they can contribute to a greater understanding of our rights and responsibilities as we live our lives. Using real life examples such as the National Minimum Wage and tribunal cases can bring British values to life for learners and staff.
References:

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Integrating British values into adult learning - The Education and Training Foundation

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ETF Associate Selina Stewart considers the integration of British values into teaching and learning in adult learning, offering examples of how the subject can be included in a meaningful way for this audience.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvwMHuAB8Q4

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How to create a study timetable you’ll actually stick to

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There are 9 qualification levels.

Entry level

Each entry level qualification is available at three sub-levels - 1, 2 and 3. Entry level 3 is the most difficult.

Entry level qualifications are:

entry level award

entry level certificate (ELC)

entry level diploma

entry level English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)

entry level essential skills

entry level functional skills

Skills for Life

Level 1

Level 1 qualifications are:

first certificate

GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G

level 1 award

level 1 certificate

level 1 diploma

level 1 ESOL

level 1 essential skills

level 1 functional skills

level 1 national vocational qualification (NVQ)

music grades 1, 2 and 3

Level 2

Level 2 qualifications are:

CSE - grade 1

GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C

intermediate apprenticeship

level 2 award

level 2 certificate

level 2 diploma

level 2 ESOL

level 2 essential skills

level 2 functional skills

level 2 national certificate

level 2 national diploma

music grades 4 and 5

O level - grade A, B or C

Level 3

Level 3 qualifications are:

A level

access to higher education diploma

advanced apprenticeship

applied general

international Baccalaureate diploma

level 3 award

level 3 certificate

level 3 diploma

level 3 ESOL

level 3 national certificate

level 3 national diploma

music grades 6, 7 and 8

T Level

tech level

Level 4

Level 4 qualifications are:

certificate of higher education (CertHE)

higher apprenticeship

higher national certificate (HNC)

level 4 award

level 4 certificate

level 4 diploma

Level 5

Level 5 qualifications are:

diploma of higher education (DipHE)

foundation degree

higher national diploma (HND)

level 5 award

level 5 certificate

level 5 diploma

Level 6

Level 6 qualifications are:

degree apprenticeship

degree with honours - for example bachelor of the arts (BA) hons, bachelor of science (BSc) hons

graduate certificate

graduate diploma

level 6 award

level 6 certificate

level 6 diploma

ordinary degree without honours

Level 7

Level 7 qualifications are:

integrated master's degree, for example master of engineering (MEng)

level 7 award

level 7 certificate

level 7 diploma

master's degree, for example master of arts (MA), master of science (MSc)

postgraduate certificate

postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)

postgraduate diploma

Level 8

Level 8 qualifications are:

doctorate, for example doctor of philosophy (PhD or DPhil)

level 8 award

level 8 certificate

level 8 diploma

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Find the difficulty level of a qualification and compare qualifications across different countries.

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This section will support you on what to do if you have a referral. Please don't be disheartened if your tutor returns your work. Your tutor is there to provide developmental guidance to support you in how to achieve the course.

As a top tip we highly recommend that you arrange a support call with your tutor to discuss the referrals you have. This is so that you can benefit from further guidance and resubmit more robust answers with a higher likelihood of achieving the outcomes.

Tutors have a responsibility to ensure your answers meet the assessment criteria and are unique to reflect your knowledge and understanding throughout the course.

It is important to read all of the feedback provided by your tutor to identify how you can improve upon your answers.

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Level 3 Access To Higher Education Diploma (Education)

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If you'd love to inspire the next generation and want to start a career as a teacher, the Access to Higher Education Diploma (Education) is a level 3 qualification designed to prepare you to study for a teaching degree.

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Her appointment follows the departure of Clare Marchant in September 2023, after 6 years in the position, to take up the role of Vice Chancellor at the University of Gloucestershire.

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UCAS connects people to University, post Uni studies including teacher training, apprenticeships & internships. Find all the information for your next step.

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Using Effective Time Management To Improve Your Studying

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Employ a three step time management process to greatly improve the effectiveness of your studying. Watch your grades increase and study skills improve.

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Print this page

There are different versions of the Harvard referencing style. This guide is a quick introduction to the commonly-used Cite Them Right version. You will find further guidance available through the OU Library on the Cite Them Right Database.

For help and support with referencing and the full Cite Them Right guide, have a look at the Library's page on referencing and plagiarism. If you need guidance referencing OU module material you can check out which sections of Cite Them Right are recommended when referencing physical and online module material.

This guide does not apply to OU Law undergraduate students. If you are studying a module beginning with W1xx, W2xx or W3xx, you should refer to the Quick guide to Cite Them Right referencing for Law modules.

Table of contents

1. In-text citations and full references

2. Secondary referencing

3. Page numbers

4. Citing multiple sources published in the same year by the same author

5. Full reference examples

In-text citations and full references

Referencing consists of two elements:

in-text citations, which are inserted in the body of your text and are included in the word count. An in-text citation gives the author(s) and publication date of a source you are referring to. If the publication date is not given, the phrase 'no date' is used instead of a date. If using direct quotations or you refer to a specific section in the source you also need the page number/s if available, or paragraph number for web pages.

full references, which are given in alphabetical order in reference list at the end of your work and are not included in the word count. Full references give full bibliographical information for all the sources you have referred to in the body of your text.

To see a reference list and intext citations check out this example assignment on Cite Them Right.

Difference between reference list and bibliography

Examples of in-text citations

You need to include an in-text citation wherever you quote or paraphrase from a source. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author(s), the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. There are a number of ways of incorporating in-text citations into your work - some examples are provided below. Alternatively you can see examples of setting out in-text citations in Cite Them Right .

It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill (Harris, 2015).

OR

It has been emphasised by Harris (2015) that good referencing is an important academic skill.

It has been emphasised (Shah and Papadopoulos, 2015) that good referencing is an important academic skill.

OR

Shah and Papadopoulos (2015) emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill.

It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill (Wong, Smith and Adebole, 2015).

OR

Wong, Smith and Adebole (2015) emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill.

It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill (Wong et al., 2015).

OR

Wong et al. (2015) emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill.

Note: When referencing a chapter of an edited book, your in-text citation should give the author(s) of the chapter.

Corporate author

When there is no named author, use the title of the resource in italics

It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill (The Open University, 2015).

Information from The Open University (2015) emphasises that good referencing is an important academic skill.

It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill ( Information Literacy in Higher Education, 2015).

Information from Information Literacy in Higher Education (2015) emphasises that good referencing is an important academic skill.

Secondary referencing

You use secondary referencing when you want to refer to a source that is mentioned or quoted in the work you are reading.

To do this, you add the phrase 'quoted in' or 'cited in' (depending on whether the author of the secondary source is directly quoting or summarising from the primary source) to your intext citation, along with the details of the source that you are reading.
In-text citation examples:
West et al. (2007, quoted in Birch, 2017, p. 17) state that...
Positive identity can be affirmed in part by a supportive family environment (Leach, 2015, cited in The Open University, 2022).

You would then include full references to Birch and The Open University in your reference list as these are the sources that you have read. There is no change to the structure of the full reference for these sources.

You should include page numbers in your citation if you are quoting directly from or using ideas from a specific page or set of pages.

Add the abbreviation p. (or pp. if more than one page) before the page number(s).
Examples:
Harris (2015, p. 5) argues that...

In the drying process "polyphenol oxidizing reactions" form new flavour compounds (Toker et al., 2020, pp. 585-586)...

Citing sources published in the same year by the same author

Add a lower case letter to the date in the in-text citation and in the matching full reference to distinguish between the sources.

In text citations: Snow is formed in part because the temperature drops enough that rain freezes (The Open University, 2022a), however the freezing temperature of water is often below 0°C under certain conditions (The Open University, 2022b).
Matching full references:
The Open University (2022a) '1.2 What are clouds?'. S111: Questions in science. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1938785&section=3 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

The Open University (2022b) '1.3.1 Snow and ice'. S111: Questions in science. Available at: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=1938785&section=4.1 (Accessed: 22 November 2022).

Note: this only applies when you are using multiple different sources with the same author and year - if you are referring to the same source more than once then you do not need to add a letter to the date. The citation will be the same each time and you only need to include the source once in your reference list.

Full reference examples

Online module materials

(Includes written online module activities, audio-visual material such as online tutorials, recordings or videos).

When referencing material from module websites, the date of publication is the year you started studying the module.

OR, if there is no named author:

Examples:

You can also use this template to reference videos and audio that are hosted on your module website:

Note: if a complete journal article has been uploaded to a module website, or if you have seen an article referred to on the website and then accessed the original version, reference the original journal article, and do not mention the module materials. If only an extract from an article is included in your module materials that you want to reference, you should use secondary referencing, with the module materials as the 'cited in' source, as described above.

Example:

Note: When an ebook looks like a printed book, with publication details and pagination, reference as a printed book.

For ebooks that do not contain print publication details

Example with one author:

Example with two or three authors:

Example with four or more authors:

OR

Note: You can choose one or other method to reference four or more authors (unless your School requires you to name all authors in your reference list) and your approach should be consistent.

Note: Books that have an editor, or editors, where each chapter is written by a different author or authors.

Example:

If accessed online:

Examples:

Examples:

Examples:

Note: Cite Them Right Online offers guidance for referencing webpages that do not include authors' names and dates. However, be extra vigilant about the suitability of such webpages.

Example:

Note: If no title can be found then replace it with a short description.

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Cite This For Me™ was launched in October 2010, we began with the mission of helping students quickly create citations. Since then, the Cite This For Me™ citation generator has assisted millions of students across the world including in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, and beyond.

Our tools are designed to help you quickly prepare an entire bibliography or reference list. Even if you know very little about references, our forms and automatic citation features can help guide you through the process and tell you what information is needed. This means less guessing for you and an easier citation process!

Nearly any style you can think of is supported by the Cite This For Me™ citation generator, including Harvard referencing, APA (American Psychological Association) style, MLA (Modern Language Association) style, Chicago style, Vancouver, and thousands of others.

Citing isn't something you usually think about, but it's important nonetheless. You already do it in your everyday life without realising it. Have you ever said, "I heard on XYZ News that . . . ", or "I read in XYZ that those two celebrities are dating", or even "Mom said that you can't do that". By saying where you got your information, you are casually citing a source.

We do this because it gives credibility to what we say, but also because it credits the originator of the information. It also allows others to follow up if they need more information. Formal citing done for papers and projects takes this a step further. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, citing sources in academia provides evidence of your research process and helps you avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarism is a word you never want to hear describing your work. You've probably seen headlines in the news and heard stories in school about the negative consequences of plagiarism. It's not good but it is preventable. By creating references and citations with Cite This For Me™ tools you're taking steps to help avoid this.

Click the button "Create citations" to begin. You'll be prompted to choose a source type and guided through the rest of the citing process. For source types like websites, journal articles, and books, the Cite This For Me™ citation generator automatically tries to find your source's information based on details you provide. That could be anything from the author's name to the source's URL to the article's DOI number. This makes citing more efficient and helps you easily create references and citations for your paper in a timely manner.

Beyond simply creating references or citations, most citation styles have additional guidelines about paper formatting, in-text citations, and other details. Cite This For Me™ citation guides cover a lot of this additional information, so your paper is more properly prepped and less likely to get points taken off for these details. The guides cover several citation styles, but the most popular are Harvard referencing, APA format, MLA format, and Chicago style.

A good paper references several sources. Multiply that with the several papers most schools assign in a year, and you get dozens of sources that will need to be cited within your academic career. That's a lot of references to create, sort through, and keep track of.

That's where Cite This For Me™ Premium comes in. With a premium account you can cite as many sources as you want, organize the sources into bibliographies, and save ALL of those bibliographies so you can easily refer back to your references. It's a great way to manage your bibliographies and cite with confidence.

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Cite This For Me: Harvard, APA, MLA Reference Generator

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Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian citation styles. Now supports 7th edition of MLA.

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How do you write SMART learning objectives for adult learners?

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Learn how to design SMART learning objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound for adult learners in continuing education.

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Ever wondered about the psychology of literature or stories? Or how a certain narrative might change our attitude or perspective?

This free course,What happens to you when you read?explores our relationship with books and the ways in which engaging with fiction in particular can change readers.

Research shows that as well as providing us with a form of entertainment, the activity of reading can bring benefits to our wellbeing in challenging times. People have experienced and explored these benefits throughout history.

A good story can entertain us, develop our creativity and imagination, and transport us to different fictional worlds, but it can change us psychologically as well.

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Ever wondered about the psychology of literature or stories? Or how a certain narrative might change our attitude or perspective?

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Cheap eats for kids during October half-term

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Cheap eats for kids during October half-term

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Student Minds: Looking after your mental wellbeing

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Student Minds: Looking after your mental wellbeing

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It's important to notice when your mental wellbeing may be slipping, so that you can take action to boost it.

Here are some questions that you might find helpful to ask yourself if you think that you are experiencing lower mental wellbeing. This is not an exhaustive list of things that you may notice when your mental wellbeing is starting to drop; don't treat it as a checklist where you have to notice a certain number to take action. It's worth taking action as soon as you notice one of these signs.

University can be a busy time, which can make it harder for you to take the time to look after your mental wellbeing. When you're busy, stresses can mount up and really take their toll - so it's important to take the time to prioritise your own mental wellbeing. ​If you have:
Taking the time to look after your mental wellbeing can be a challenge. A powerful way to take positive steps is to write down your intention in a clear, time-specific goal.
Clear, time-specified goals enable us to succeed, as goals can be achieved. Even when goals aren't achieved, this can be used to think specifically about what was difficult and how to adjust these goals to make it easier to try again.

Try choosing one way to prioritise your mental wellbeing this week. It is best to anchor the intention to a known time or other commitment e.g. 'after the biology lecture on Tuesday'. Use the phrase "I will do this specific action on this day at this time." and see how it goes!

Sometimes, the thought of doing anything is just too much. If this describes your situation, don't punish yourself. The great thing about taking small steps is that it doesn't matter how small your goal is. You decide what you want to achieve and what is realistic for you to achieve. That way, the completion of any task - no matter how simple it may seem - is recognised as the achievement that it is.

You may find it useful to record how you felt during/after doing things to support your mental wellbeing in pictures or a journal. Doing this means that you can look back when you next feel low and remind yourself of how the activity helped you.

If you find yourself experiencing mental health difficulties which are preventing you from doing the things you want to do, seek help - whether through friends, family, a doctor, or your university support services.

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​We all have mental health and our mental wellbeing can fluctuate day-to-day . When you're not feeling great, it can feel harder to take action to benefit your wellbeing. However there are small...

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Protect your learners with an app that allows them to report concerns from their mobile phone. Simple, safe and branded to your organisation.

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What do 'British values' mean? According DfE, 'fundamental British values' comprise: democracy the rule of law individual liberty mutual...

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Percentage is way of representing an amount of something, so 50% equals a half. Percentages can have values of between 0% and 100%.

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Learning a new language like English can be a challenge, but with regular study, it can be done. Classes are important, but so is disciplined practice. It can even be fun. Here are some guidelines to help you improve your reading and comprehension skills and become a better English student.

Study Every Day

Learning any new language is a time-consuming process, more than 300 hours by some estimates. Rather than try and cram a few hours of review once or twice a week, most experts say short, regular study sessions are more effective. As little as 30 minutes a day can help you improve your English skills over time.

Keep Things Fresh

Instead of focusing on one single task for the entire study session, try mixing things up. Study a little grammar, then do a short listening exercise, then perhaps read an article on the same topic. Don't do too much, 20 minutes on three different exercises is plenty. The variety will keep you engaged and make studying more fun.

Read, Watch, and Listen

Reading English-language newspapers and books, listening to music, or watching TV can also help you improve your written and verbal comprehension skills. By doing so repeatedly, you'll begin to unconsciously absorb things like pronunciation, speech patterns, accents, and grammar. Keep pen and paper handy and write down words you read or hear that are unfamiliar. Then, do some research to learn what those new words mean. Use them the next time you are role-playing dialogue in class.

Learn the Sounds Separately

Non-native English speakers sometimes struggle with certain word pronunciations because they do not have similar sounds in their native tongue. Likewise, two words may be spelled very similarly, yet be pronounced quite different (for instance, "tough" and "though"), or you may encounter combinations of letters where one of them is silent (for example, the K in "knife").

Watch Out for Homophones

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same way but are spelled differently and/or have different meanings. There are a number of homophones in the English language, which is one of the reasons why it can so challenging to learn. Consider this sentence: "Pack your clothes, then close the suitcase." Both "clothes" and "close" sound the same, but they are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Practice Your Prepositions

Even advanced students of English can struggle to learn prepositions, which are used to describe duration, position, direction, and relationships between objects. There are literally dozens of prepositions in the English language (some of the most common include "of," "on," and "for") and few hard rules for when to use them. Instead, experts say, the best way to learn prepositions to memorize them and practice using them in sentences. Study lists such as this one are a good place to begin.

Play Vocabulary and Grammar Games

You can also improve your English skills by playing vocabulary games that are related to what you're studying in class. For example, if you are going to study English on topics that focus on vacations, take a moment to think about your last trip and what you did. Make a list of all the words you might use to describe your activities.

You can play a similar game with grammar reviews. For example, if you are going to study conjugating verbs in the past tense, stop to think about what you did last weekend. Make a list of the verbs you use and review the various tenses. Don't be afraid to consult reference materials if you get stuck. These two exercises will help you prepare for class by making you think critically about vocabulary and usage.

Write It Down

Repetition is key as you're learning English, and writing exercises are a great way to practice. Take 30 minutes at the end of class or study to write down what happened during your day. It doesn't matter whether you use a computer or pen and paper. By making a habit of writing, you'll find your reading and comprehension skills improve over time.

Once you're comfortable writing about your day, challenge yourself and have some fun with creative writing exercises. Choose a photo from a book or magazine and describe it in a short paragraph, or write a short story or poem about someone you know well. You can also practice your letter-writing skills. You'll have fun and become a better English student. You may even discover you've got a talent for writing.

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Become a Better English Student With These Study Tips

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Learn how to study English more effectively with these tips and tricks. Improve your reading and speaking skills and find links to more study aids.

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Percent and fractions: Comparing fractions and percentages

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Percent and fractions are very useful to know when dealing with money or sales. 50% is equal to a half. 25% is equal to a quarter. 1% is equal to a hundredth.

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Explains what mental wellbeing means, and gives tips to help you take care of your mental wellbeing.

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It's easy to forget about school work when you're on the internet. From cat videos on YouTube to Reddit to TikTok, there are so many rabbit holes to go down! But the internet has also made studying much easier. There are thousands of websites out there designed specifically for learning new skills, managing everyday life, and study tools to help college students better prepare for their classes.

Here we'll shine the spotlight on 12 online study tools dedicated to being your new best study-buddy. Whether it's time management, digital flashcards, self-made quizzes, study games, or other educational tools, these sites and apps can help students of any age get ready for upcoming tests, all for the low, low price of absolutely free.

Study Tools for College Students

Visual learners, rejoice. What makes this site unique are the mind maps, a web of information that breaks down broad subjects into smaller topics. When you create a map, it allows you to see how things are connected. This helps with both memorization and understanding.

The site also has numerous other helpful features like flashcards, a note-taking platform, self-created quizzes, study planner, a collaboration tool, and a way to track how much you're learning. This versatile tool is also available across multiple platforms for studying on the go.

With this site, you provide the information and Quizlet provides the study tools. Users can create "sets" in any subject under the sun. Based on the set, the website will generate flashcards, quizzes, practice tests, matching games, and even auditory tools. Quizlet also has a free app for learning on the go and studying even offline.

The two games, Scatter and Space Race, allow you to learn the material and have fun doing it. In Scatter, users drag definitions or information to their related counterparts as quickly as they can, clearing the screen. In Space Race, definitions scroll across the screen and you type in the correct word or phrase associated with it before the definition reaches the end of the screen. With leader-boards and high-scores, you can compete to get the best times, adding the motivation of competition to your studying.

Studying can sometimes cover several different platforms, but with Evernote, all of your notes, information, and research can be together in one place. An invaluable organizational tool, this site can sync your info across computers and phones, share with other users, gather web-clips, and create all from one central platform.

Evernote can be used in a multitude of ways: keeping research paper information in order, organizing presentation notes, creating study guides off of in-class note-taking, not to mention everyday non-school related tasks, too.

Chegg is a great resource for studying, and did you know they offer flashcards to help you study? Accessible anywhere on mobile devices, you can take advantage of over 500 million flashcards on the site! And don't see what you need? Don't worry - you can make your own. They have sets on everything from accounting to religion and law to medicine.

Chegg is also a great resource for textbook explanations, exam prep, topic breakdowns, grammar assistance, and more.

Despite making you hungry for some spaghetti, this site is dedicated to increasing productivity. Inspired by the Pomodoro method of productivity-working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break-Marinara Timer allows you to customize your own personal timer (complete with entertaining alarm sounds like "alien bot ordering lunch" or "echoing into space") to study effectively.

Taking a small break while studying increases attention span, focus, and productivity. This site can help you reward yourself for your hard work by letting you know it's time to sit back scroll through your Twitter feed or watch a few funny videos. It then lets you know when it's time to get back to work.

Studying with flashcards has never been so easy. StudyStack allows users to create flashcard sets and use what others have already made. When a card is flipped, you can choose whether you got it right or wrong. Wrong cards then repeat until you've learned it, making it a great tool for memorization.

Once created, the site can turn the information into a number of tools and games perfect for studying. You can play hangman, unscramble, or a matching game before taking quizzes and practice tests.

When you keep track of assignments, tests, and events, planning time to study becomes a lot easier. Schooltraq is an online digital planner that keeps due dates in check. An alternative to the traditional paper agenda, this site ensures you never lose your schedule as it syncs up between your phone and computer.

The design is sleek and simple, allowing for clarity and low stress. When your ducks are all in a row, school life becomes more manageable. This site can go beyond helping you study for your next test since you can use it for your personal life as well.

Part of doing work in college is ensuring your grammar and spelling are correct. If your writing can do with a bit of assistance, Grammarly can help make sure that your studying and resulting work are correct. The browser add-on is easy to use, informative, and will help correct your writing, teaching you where your work can be improved.

Whether you're writing an email or collaborating on a project, this free tool can assist you with your approach to work. It clearly outlines what needs to be changed and tells you why it needs to be changed, so you learn from the experience.

How do you learn? If visual stimuli help you approach your study time better, then Hippocampus may be for you. Free, it contains information and multimedia content on a wide variety of subjects from economics to religion.

Visiting the website will give you access to 7,000 videos on all their available subjects. The website also shows you other collections or tools that can further your education.

Khan Academy is another amazing option for those who want to study and learn more outside the classroom. This free resource presents you with class options tailored to your education level and interests. You can find information on basic geometry, electrical engineering, organic chemistry, microeconomics, personal finance, and more.

Once you select your interests, Khan will set you up with courses to get you on your way to your goals. The program tracks your progress to help you stay on track!

Many of the sites on this list have upgraded packages or "pro" accounts for some cost. However, every single one has free tools ideal for any student. Give them a try and see which ones help you out the most.

Duolingo is a great resource if you need a bit of extra help practicing a foreign language! There is a free version which is perfect for getting started with a new language and is plenty for most students. Available on a browser and as an app, the program tracks your progress as you learn new words, practice pronunciation, and study vocabulary. You can also compete against your friends to see who can study and learn the most.

Udemy is an online platform with a wide variety of courses available in everything from drawing to Python. While the resource does have a lot of paid classes, there are also several free resources and courses available on the site! These classes can cover things like communication skills, time management, coding, animation, marketing, and personal development. These can be great assets in addition to your courses in college and help you get ahead in your class.

These are just some of the free study tools college students can use to help study and better prepare for their classes! And there's more, too. Check out our other article for an additional 10 free study resources you can take advantage of today right here.

Taking the initiative to learn on your own time and enhance your skills can pay off big time for college. It also looks amazing on college applications! If you're ready to start crafting your applications, it's time to start looking for the colleges that meet your goals. Our College Match tool allows you to identify the best schools out there for your wants and needs - and it's completely FREE! Start here today!

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12 FREE Online Study Tools for College Students - College Raptor

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Did you know there are some really great online tools that can help college students get their study on? Click here for free online tools!

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British Values - Harwich and Dovercourt High School

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Fundamental British Values underpin what it is to be a citizen in a modern and diverse Great Britain valuing our community and celebrating the diversity of the UK. These mirror the Harwich and Dovercourt High School principles, values and vision of the school.

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How to stay safe when studying online courses

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How to stay safe when studying online courses

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Evidence suggests there are 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing. Trying these things could help you feel more positive and able to get the most out of life.
1. Connect with other people

Good relationships are important for your mental wellbeing. They can:

help you to build a sense of belonging and self-worth

give you an opportunity to share positive experiences

provide emotional support and allow you to support others

There are lots of things you could try to help build stronger and closer relationships:

2. Be physically active

Being active is not only great for your physical health and fitness. Evidence also shows it can also improve your mental wellbeing by:

raising your self-esteem

helping you to set goals or challenges and achieve them

causing chemical changes in your brain which can help to positively change your mood

Read about exercise guidelines and workouts to help improve your fitness and wellbeing

3. Learn new skills

Research shows that learning new skills can also improve your mental wellbeing by:

boosting self-confidence and raising self-esteem

helping you to build a sense of purpose

helping you to connect with others

Even if you feel like you do not have enough time, or you may not need to learn new things, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life.

Some of the things you could try include:

4. Give to others

Research suggests that acts of giving and kindness can help improve your mental wellbeing by:

creating positive feelings and a sense of reward

giving you a feeling of purpose and self-worth

helping you connect with other people

It could be small acts of kindness towards other people, or larger ones like volunteering in your local community.

Some examples of the things you could try include:

saying thank you to someone for something they have done for you

asking friends, family or colleagues how they are and really listening to their answer

spending time with friends or relatives who need support or company

offering to help someone you know with DIY or a work project

volunteering in your community, such as helping at a school, hospital or care home

5. Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)

Paying more attention to the present moment can improve your mental wellbeing. This includes your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you.

Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". Mindfulness can help you enjoy life more and understand yourself better. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

Read more about mindfulness, including steps you can take to be more mindful in your everyday life.

Further information

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Read about 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health and wellbeing.

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Some people say that the hardest step in studying is to get started. Once you have taken the first step, the rest is easy, they suggest.

Other people, however, find it difficult to stay motivated when studying, especially when the end seems a long way away.

This situation arises, for example, when you are revising for exams that are still some months away. It can also be difficult to keep up the motivation with a long or extended piece of work, such as an extended essay or dissertation, or even a professional qualification.

This page provides some advice to help you remain motivated while studying, and can also be used by parents to help motivate young people and children studying for exams.

A Strategy for You
There is no single strategy that will work for everyone in supporting ongoing motivation.
However, there are plenty of options that you can try, to see if they work for you. If they do, you should incorporate them into your ongoing strategy. If not, then put them aside and try something else.
The important thing is whether your strategy keeps you motivated, not whether other people agree with you.
Here, therefore, are our top tips for staying motivated.

1. Break the task down into manageable chunks
A big task, such as writing a dissertation, or revising for an extended period, can be demotivating because it seems so big.
Breaking the task down into manageable chunks can therefore help make it seem less daunting.

For example, if you are undertaking a piece of research leading to a dissertation, you might set yourself a period of time to do your literature review. After that, you would plan to develop a proposal for your research methods within a certain period, then do the research. As you start to pull together your results, you may realise that you need to do more research, so that part might be iterative. The point is to have clear sections and tasks to do, to make it simpler.

2. Keep your end goal in mind-but also use interim goals on the way
One of the best ways to stay motivated is to remember why you are studying in the first place.
' Getting good exam results ' is not necessarily very motivating. Instead, you need to look beyond that to what the exam results will get you, whether that is a place at your chosen school or university, or a new job. The more detail you can provide for your goal, the easier it will be to keep in mind.
However, even an end goal may not be enough to keep you going, especially over a long period.
A system of interim goals and suitable rewards may also be needed. This is likely to be particularly true for children and young people who are starting a long period of study for the first time, and who may find it harder to see the end point, but also applies to others. You will need to work out whether you are better with a small reward daily, or after each task, or a rather bigger reward saved up for the week or month.

Suitable rewards include time off, treats and visits, but should be things that you really want, to keep you motivated. Set yourself a budget ahead of time if necessary.

3. Get into a study routine
It is generally easier to stay motivated if your studying becomes part of your everyday life and routine.
For example, you might choose to get up an hour earlier, and spend that hour studying each day, or work every other evening, or perhaps study for one day a week. That way, it is easier to avoid being distracted during your study time, because you know that it is set aside for a purpose. Your friends and family will also get to know when your study time happens, and hopefully avoid you then.

You should also ensure that when you start your study period, you minimise distractions. For example, put away or switch off your phone, so that you are not tempted to check it.

4. Try different study approaches
Especially when you first start studying, you will not necessarily know what works for you.
It is therefore worth trying different approaches, to see which you find most productive.

It is also worth varying your studying to keep you interested. Some days you may want to look at one subject, and try another on a different day. You may also find it helpful to vary your style of working. You could, for example, try working in different places, and varying whether you work alone or with friends.

You could also try different types of activities. Options include reading over your notes, writing a mind map or drawing pictures, making up songs or poems to help you remember facts, doing practice questions, or even teaching something to your friends, and having them teach you something you find difficult. Meeting as a group to share and discuss exam answers prepared by each person can give you a helpful critique of your own answer, and also help you think of other ideas.

It all helps to keep you interested and motivated, and stop you getting stale.
This need for variety is another reason to break your studying down into tasks, so that you can start a new one if you are finding one especially hard to manage.
5. Don't let your studying take over your life

When you start a long course of study, whether a degree course or a period of study for professional exams, it can feel like it is all-important. This is especially true when exams loom.
However, it is important not to allow your studying to take over your life.
Especially when you are going to be studying for some months, or even years, you need to make sure that you build in time for family, friends, and exercise, to keep you feeling healthy in mind and body.

For more about this, see our pages on Personal Skills for Mind and Body.

There is no 'one size fits all'
There are plenty of people to tell you that they have the answer to staying motivated while studying. They may have the answer for them, but only you can work out the answer for you. This page may, however, provide some ideas to help you work out a strategy that will work for you. You may also find our quick quiz, How Self-Motivated are You? helpful.

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Learn how to keep your motivation up when you are studying, particularly when you are revising or involved in a long piece of work like an extended essay.

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Have you ever found yourself reading a textbook and highlighting, well, almost everything? Or have you taken notes during class but not really known what to do besides reread them before an exam?

You're not alone.

Some of us were never taught how to study, to begin with. Or we have to work to remember our old study skills because it's been a while since we were in school-sort of like having to dust off that old unicycle and learn to ride again. And many of us have to adapt our strategies as things change, such as shifting from pen and paper to PDFs or transitioning between online and in-person classes.

But there's hope and there's help! Wherever you are in (re)building your study toolkit, we've compiled a few of our Success Coaches' favorite methods so you can determine what works best for you. We hope the following tips will help you optimize your study routine.

Discover your study zone

Find or create an environment where you can concentrate. You're looking for a spot that's comfortable, but not so comfortable that you're likely to snooze.

At home, this could be a desk, a kitchen or dining table, a couch, or your balcony or backyard if you have one. Elsewhere, you could try a quiet coffee shop, a favorite bench at the park, a private study room or desk at your campus library, or a table at your local public library.

It might take a few tries to figure out the right place for you, but once you've found it, make it your go-to workspace.

Choose your soundscape

The effect of sound on one's concentration varies widely. Some of us thrive while listening to music, whether it's nonvocal (e.g., classical, film score, or other instrumental) or with lyrics. Others prefer ambient nature sounds or white noise (think forest, ocean, and rainstorm). A few like having the constant hum of conversation in the background, such as in a café. Still, others work well with absolute silence. Experiment to find what level of noise and what kinds of sounds help you focus best.

Make the time to study

Just as you need to scout out a designated place to study, you'll need to carve out time to read, research, and review each week.

Success Coach Manager John R. recommends one helpful strategy: "Identify your deadlines in advance, walk backward in your schedule from that due date, and identify those opportunities on your calendar to fit study time in." Planning ahead helps reduce the likelihood of cramming, which is both an ineffective study habit and a major source of stress and anxiety.

Another Success Coach Marlee M. further suggests creating time blocks on your calendar. "Schedule out your study time weekly like you would schedule your class time, doctor's appointments, etc., and commit to that schedule as best as possible," she says. If you make studying part of your weekly routine, you'll find it easier to get into the right mindset so you can get the most out of those regular study sessions.

Emergencies and unplanned events that take priority inevitably come up from time to time. But that doesn't mean canceling your study session entirely; instead, move your designated study time to a different slot on your calendar.

Break it up

Although you should avoid cramming, studying for an hour or two the day before a quiz or exam can still be a good idea. In fact, if you space out your study sessions across a week before a test and review the material or problem sets each time, you are more likely to understand and retain what you're learning. The same goes for researching an essay: trying to find, read, and synthesize all your sources for a paper in a single day is usually the path to information overload.

So try to break your studying into chunks. If you have to set alarms not just to start studying but also to remind you to take breaks or call it quits for the day (or night), do it! You'll keep stress to a manageable level, avoid burnout, and be better prepared to apply what you've practiced and memorized in class or on an exam.

Set your boundaries

Success Coach John R. also suggests that if you want to study effectively you live with family, friends, or roommates, be sure to "communicate your study needs to others, whether that be your partner or other family members, to help set expectations for yourself and others."

Part of this might mean asking loved ones to respect closed doors or quiet time in your designated study space. It may also require asking partners or children to take on certain chores or other responsibilities when you need to focus.

Making these requests can be truly difficult. After all, none of us wants to be a burden on others, and sacrificing family or social time can feel heartbreaking. So remind yourself why you want to complete your degree; this will help you prioritize. Remember: you deserve time for yourself, and achieving your goals is worth your effort and energy!

Choose your reading method

Many of us were taught or came to believe that simply reading a text over and over would somehow improve our understanding and recall of that information. But learning scientists have found that engaging actively with a reading assignment-such as creating questions and then answering them-is crucial for authentic reading comprehension as you study.

One reading strategy to try is known as , and it's a great way to an assigned chapter or text before sitting down to read it in preparation for class or an exam. It's also an effective technique for skimming research articles or books to determine whether they'd be relevant to an essay you're writing. Here's what to look for:

Success Coach Manager N'Digo K. further recommends the SQ3R method to get the most out of a reading assignment:

Survey: First, preview the reading by skimming for headings, bold words, and diagrams to determine whether and what you need to read.

Query: Before reading, ask yourself questions about each section and about the topic more broadly.

Read: Read through the whole assignment quickly but carefully, looking for answers to the questions you posed in the previous step.

Recite/ Recall: Now that you've read the material, review your questions, answer them, and ask new ones that arise. Write down notes as needed, such as where to find important information in the reading.

Review: Reread important sections slowly, and read through your notes. For extra benefit, try reading them aloud.

Revise your notes

Rewriting the notes you took during class, especially by hand, can help you better grasp the information and recall details later, such as during a discussion or exam. Try rewriting them longhand and neatly, and supplement them with notes from your assigned reading.

Adding visuals, such as sketching and labeling diagrams, can also improve your memory.

Teach to learn

Faculty will tell you that one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is getting to learn the material on a deep level. So apply the same concept when studying: try teaching the material to a study group or even to an empty room. Verbalizing the information can help you clarify details and uncover gaps in your knowledge. Recording yourself and then listening to your recording later, such as during a walk or your commute to and from work, can help you remember the material even better.

We hope the strategies above will give you a solid foundation for your new and improved study toolkit. Try one or two techniques at a time to see what works and what doesn't; then, replace the strategies that aren't effective with new ones. Soon, you'll build a study routine that you can depend on in any class-and all the way to graduation!

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Study Tips for Adult Learners - ReUp Education

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What's the best way to prepare for class and exams as an adult learner? Our Success Coaches share proven study tips.

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Fractions represent different amounts of a whole. For example, ½ ⅓ ¼.

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750 million+ members | Manage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights and opportunities.

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For many, the idea of going back to college or university (or considering a certification) while working a full time job can be daunting.

Handling a full time job and your studies at the same time requires a good level of planning and prioritisation. While some students would choose not to work while furthering their education, there is a massive group of students who are balancing a job while studying for a degree. There are various reasons for this but, generally speaking, money is key.

Studying while working gives you the confidence you need as you have financial control as a student. At the same time, the professional qualifications that you can acquire over time will give you a good head start in developing your career.

To help you juggle your two lives with a breeze, here are our top 10 tips on how to study while working.

1. Create a Plan
At the start of every semester, get all your syllabi and record all the examination schedules along with the deadlines for the papers required.
Use a different marker for each of your classes to see easily when these due dates are coming up for every course. Likewise, make sure to mark any company meetings or work deadlines you may know of in your planner.

See our page on Organising Skills for more information.

2. Update Your Employer
Assure your employers that you can manage your work schedules.
It is also a way to get their attention, and consider you to be really eager to work for them. If possible, sacrifice holidays and breaks to show that you are serious about your job.

If you prove your dedication, it will be easy to negotiate with them a more study-friendly schedule.

3. Use Your Free Time Productively
If you are studying and working at the same time, it may seem that you have no free time at all.
However, it's important that you use the free time that you do have constructively as this will help you balance your day job and your course work more effectively.

For example, you can read a book on the way to work if you are a commuter. Also, use a few minutes of your lunch or break time to study.

4. Look After Yourself
Having a heavy work schedule and studying will inevitably cause you to stress out every now and then.
Therefore, you should be able to handle your stress in a positive way. Exercise at the gym or go for a walk a couple of times a week, because physical exercise is an effective stress reliever.

You can listen to music, write in a journal, have a massage, visit the salon, etc. Try to devote at least 30 minutes of your day to doing something you enjoy as a way to reduce stress.

See our pages: Top Tips for Managing Stress and Looking After Your Mind for more information.

5. Don't Overdo It
Be realistic about the time you need to spend studying and work.
If you think you can only take one study course at a time together with your workload, then focus on that course. For example, if you are studying to become an accountant you may want to take the AAT course first before you look at other options.

If you work full-time, determine exactly how many classes you can take for every semester. When it comes to work or study, people tend to bite off more than they can chew. Having a full time job in any industry can have its challenges and expectations. If you add education to an already busy schedule, it will just increase the amount of pressure.
Keep in mind that you can only do what you are able to do.
6. Take Advantage of Technology
Class notes are essential. In spite of this, many students do not know how to take down notes properly.
Avoid jotting down every single word, as this will just get you far behind and miss out on important details. Find your own way of abbreviating words and phrases, so you can keep up with your teacher.

Take advantage of the technology today and use the necessary study apps. There are plenty of programs available that help students with every aspect of studying.

You may also find our page on Note Taking helpful.

7. Find Your Comfort Zone
With regards to the ideal place and time to study, everybody has their own idea.
Whether it is at the library after school, at a quiet coffee shop or your bedroom at night, find your study area and a suitable time for studying that will work for you.

Make sure you stick to it.

Where you opt to study is equally as important as the way you study. Remove any distractions such as turning off your phone. Have everything you need once you start, so you do not need to stop just to look for a pen.

See our page: Getting Organised for Study for more tips and advice about this.

8. Make Sure You Get Enough Sleep
Do not cut back on sleep.
You can wake up at 5 a.m. and study for about an hour, rather than burning the midnight oil, then go back to sleep until 7 a.m. You should wake up feeling reasonably rested. Doing this is much better than waking up and feeling tired from staying up half the night. In addition, you should take breaks when you are studying, especially if you are feeling worn out.

In any case, working or studying for too long can reduce your performance.

Learn more about sleep on our page: The Importance of Sleep.

9. Turn off the TV
Procrastination is definitely not one of our top tips.
At times, finishing your favorite TV series, taking a nap or chatting with friends will seem more interesting than starting or completing a course assignment. But bear in mind that the earlier you begin, the sooner you are done.

Check out your project and do the easy part first. As you begin to build momentum, the more difficult parts will just flow.

Get more tips on our page: Avoiding Procrastination.

10. Eat Properly
A hectic day at work requires endurance and focus. It means that you cannot let yourself go 8 to 10 hours without eating a healthy meal.
Take care of your body and it will also take care of you. Avoid eating foods that are high in saturated fats and calories, such as pastries, cakes, pies and meat products in order to address your hunger pains. This can contribute to the increase of your cholesterol levels, affect your metabolism and increase your weight.

See our page on Diet and Nutrition and also explore the relationship between Stress and Diet and Nutrition.

Further Reading from Skills You Need

The Skills You Need Guide for Students
Develop the skills you need to make the most of your time as a student.

Our eBooks are ideal for students at all stages of education, school, college and university. They are full of easy-to-follow practical information that will help you to learn more effectively and get better grades.

Conclusion
Living both the student and professional life can be tough and put a lot of strain on your personal life. Then again, you can turn this strain into motivation and get great results.
Apply these top 10 tips and you will benefit in the long run.

About the Author

Matthew Marley is the content specialist at ICS Learn, one of the UK's leading distance learning providers.

ICS Learn are pioneers in teaching skills and qualifications at a distance for over 125 years, giving students the opportunity to learn while earning and to fulfil their ambitions

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Studying and Working - 10 Tips | SkillsYouNeed

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Trying to balance study time with work can be a real challenge. Avoid the pitfalls and stay focused with our top tips.

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Council tax discounts. Income tax cuts. Where's the help for students?
​Even before the pandemic, evidence shows that students experiencing financial difficulties in the UK were at a greater risk of developing mental health difficulties than their peers. Students have endured years of uncertainty, disruption, and economic instability. Now, the cost-of-living crisis is another factor seriously affecting their mental health and wellbeing. Students still have to pay for rent, bills, and groceries, and this is before we even account for course costs like textbooks and fieldwork.

Most of the steps the government has taken so far in response to the cost-of-living crisis, such as council tax rebates and income tax cuts, are sadly not helpful for the majority of students. This isn't good enough. Something has to change. Not only is it deeply unfair that students are at the sharp end of the cost-of-living crisis, but the long-term harm can affect a whole generation mentally, academically, and financially. How can we expect students to thrive in their education when they don't know how they're going to make ends meet?

This hub is here to provide you with resources to learn and talk about the cost-of-living crisis and its impact on student mental health. Hear directly how students are already being affected and find support for those experiencing financial difficulties. You can also check out and share our open letter to government and university leaders demanding urgent change.

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Learn about how the cost of living crisis is affecting students, use your voice, and get support

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Probability calculates the chance of something happening in the future and is measured in per cent (%). It is regularly used to predict the weather. For example, ‘I predict that there is a 50% chance of rain tomorrow’.

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Learning a new language is always daunting, especially when that language is as full of weird rules and contradictions as English. Even native speakers sometimes have trouble mastering the nuances of tense and grammar. Fortunately, if English is not your first language, there are a variety of ESL resources online to help you master the English language. From speaking to writing, these tools will help you get a handle on English and give direction to your education and career. Don't let the size of the task deter you from getting it done. Use these resources to become fluent in no time.

Grammar and Usage

Use these sites to boost your grammar skills, from verb tenses to noun placement.

1. Purdue Online Writing Lab: The OWL offers a comprehensive repository of practice sheets and linguistic primers for learners at all levels.

2. Dave's ESL Cafe: ESL teacher Dave Sperling's in-depth site provides numerous lessons about sentence structure, word use, and more. It's one of the best instructor-led websites for learning English.

3. The English Learner Movie Guides: This site takes popular movies and uses their summaries and idioms to examine the English language. This site is ideal for ESL students with a love of U.S. culture.

4. Wyzant Resources:
On this site, tutors share their knowledge and experience to help you learn to understand and recognize everything from a preposition to an irregular verb.

5. Breaking News English: These inventive lesson plans teach ESL online by drawing inspiration from recent news and global affairs. Each lesson is packed with information about word usage, grammar, and more.

6. ESL Lounge: ESL Lounge offers hundreds of language exercises, making this site ideal for students and scholars. Lessons in parts of speech and vocabulary are classified by difficulty.

7. Activities for ESL Students: This pared-down website offers grammar quizzes at multiple degrees of difficulty, designed for learners from dozens of different linguistic backgrounds.

8. Using English: This site offers a handy reference guide to major parts of speech and their usage, with bonus material for ESL instructors.

9. 5-Minute English: This comprehensive site not only offers a variety of lessons and exercises, it also boasts links to other helpful ESL online programs, books, and schools.

10. English, Baby!: ESL students can download MP3s, join chat rooms, take quizzes, and more on this useful site.

11. English Forums: Get help from English speakers and other ESL online learners in the world's largest ESL network. The site encourages students to speak up and ask questions.

Spelling and Pronunciation

These sites will help ESL online students learn how to speak or spell the English words they've been learning.

Vocabulary and Writing

Building a vocabulary is one of the most important parts of mastering any language. These sites help students start building a sophisticated vocabulary, learning how to use words verbally and on paper.

Quizzes and Worksheets

Put your knowledge to the test with these helpful tools:

Podcasts

These podcasts make great instructional tools for students on the go:

YouTube Channels

Dynamic, audio-visual lessons that you can both see and hear can make all the difference in learning conversational English skills. Check out these YouTube channels to get the experience of talking to someone face-to-face, and seize the opportunity to talk back!

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Learn ESL Online | Resources for ESL Students

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We've compiled many tools for teaching ESL, and resources for ESL students. Our list of websites to learn English will help any ESL teacher as well.

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Ginger Software | English Grammar & Writing App

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Powerful and effortless desktop & mobile solutions for improving your writing and productivity. Ginger Software is your personalized editor - everywhere you go.

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Grammarly is now free! But only on Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge browsers.

Please visit from one of these supported browsers. Or, if you would like to try Grammarly Premium, you may proceed below.

Grammarly makes sure everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free.

Instantly find and correct over 400 types of grammatical mistakes.

Detect plagiarism from 16 billion web pages and ProQuest's databases.

Improve word choice with context-optimized vocabulary suggestions.

Compatible with Word™ & Outlook®.

Grammarly is the world's most accurate grammar checker.

Powerful grammar checking

Grammarly scans your text for proper use of more than 400 advanced grammar rules, spanning everything from subject-verb agreement to article use to modifier placement.

Contextual spelling checker

Correctly spelled words used in the wrong context mean embarrassing mistakes for you. Grammarly spots erroneous use of lose/loose, affect/effect, lie/lay, there/their/they're, and many other commonly confused words.

Vocabulary enhancement

Words can make an impact, or they can fall flat. Enhance your sentences with Grammarly's context-optimized word choice suggestions to instantly improve the readability of your document.

Over 4 million people already use Grammarly to proofread their writing online.

Whether your writing is read by thousands of people online, or simply by close family and friends, checking your grammar is important. Business professionals, bloggers, students, and even professional writers use Grammarly to proofread their writing, so why shouldn't you?

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Grammarly's free writing app will make sure your messages, documents, and social media posts are clear, mistake-free, and impactful.

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Unlock hundreds of mood-boosting meditations, relaxing sleep exercises, focus music, and more with our biggest offer of the year.

It's the healthiest, happiest deal you'll find this Black Friday, and it won't last long.

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Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

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Live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app.

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Why do we have British Values?
One of the reasons that British Values are so important is that they help prepare young people for life in modern Britain as they grow older and leave school.

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Learning styles are a popular concept in psychology and education and are intended to identify how people learn best. VARK learning styles suggest that there are four main types of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic.

The idea that students learn best when teaching methods and school activities match their learning styles, strengths, and preferences grew in popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. However, most evidence suggests that personal learning preferences have little to no actual influence on learning outcomes.

VARK Learning Styles

There are many different ways of categorizing learning styles, but Neil Fleming's VARK model is one of the most popular. Fleming introduced an inventory in 1987 that was designed to help students and others learn more about their individual learning preferences.

According to the VARK model, learners are identified by whether they have a preference for:

Visual learning (pictures, movies, diagrams)

Auditory learning (music, discussion, lectures)

Reading and writing (making lists, reading textbooks, taking notes)

Kinesthetic learning (movement, experiments, hands-on activities)

What Type of Learner Are You?

In order to identify which type of learner people are, Fleming developed a self-report inventory that posed a series of situations. Respondents select the answers that best match their preferred approach to learning.

Example

Visual Learners

Visual learners learn best by seeing. Graphic displays such as charts, diagrams, illustrations, handouts, and videos are all helpful learning tools for visual learners.

Do you think you might be a visual learner? Then consider the following questions:

Are art, beauty, and aesthetics important to you?

Does visualizing information in your mind help you remember it better?

Do you have to see information in order to remember it?

Do you pay close attention to body language?

If you can answer yes to most of these questions, chances are good that you have a visual learning style. You may find it helpful to incorporate things like pictures and graphs when you are learning new information.

Aural Learners

Aural (or auditory) learners learn best by hearing information. They tend to get a great deal out of lectures and are good at remembering things they are told.

Are you an auditory learner? Consider the following questions:

Do you create songs to help remember information?

Does reading out loud help you remember information better?

Do you prefer to listen to class lectures rather than reading from the textbook?

Would you prefer to listen to a recording of your class lectures or a podcast rather than going over your class notes?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you are probably an auditory learner. You might find things like audiobooks and podcasts helpful for learning new things.

Reading and Writing Learners

Reading and writing learners prefer to take in information that is displayed as words and text. Could you be a reading and writing learner? Read through the following questions and think about whether they might apply to you.

Do you enjoy making lists, reading definitions, and creating presentations?

Do you find reading your textbook to be a great way to learn new information?

Do you take a lot of notes during class and while reading textbooks?

Do you prefer it when teachers make use of overheads and handouts?

If you answered yes to these questions, it is likely that you have a strong preference for the reading and writing style of learning. You might find it helpful to write down information in order to help you learn and remember it.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic (or tactile) learners learn best by touching and doing. Hands-on experience is important for kinesthetic learners.

Not sure if you're a kinesthetic learner? Answer these questions to find out:

Are you good at applied activities such as painting, cooking, mechanics, sports, and woodworking?

Do you enjoy performing tasks that involve directly manipulating objects and materials?

Do you have to actually practice doing something in order to learn it?

Is it difficult for you to sit still for long periods of time?

If you responded yes to these questions, then you are most likely a kinesthetic learner. Taking classes that give you practical, hands-on experience may be helpful when you want to acquire a new skill.

Criticisms

The validity of the VARK model as well as other learning style theories has been questioned and criticized extensively. Some critics have suggested that labeling students as having one specific learning style can actually be a hindrance to learning.

The VARK model remains fairly popular among both students and educators despite these criticisms. Students may feel drawn to a particular learning style. Others may find that their learning preferences lie somewhere in the middle, such as finding both visual and auditory learning equally appealing.

Why It Matters

People might find that understanding their own learning preferences can be helpful. If you know that visual learning appeals to you most, using visual study strategies in conjunction with other learning methods might help you remember and enjoy your studies more.

For example, you might rely on your reading and writing preferences when you are dealing with a class that requires a great deal of book reading and note-taking, such as a history of psychology course. During an art class, you might depend more on your visual and kinesthetic preferences as you take in pictorial information and learn new techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 4 VARK learning styles?

The four VARK learning styles are visual learners, aural learners, reading and writing learners, and kinesthetic learners.

What is the most common VARK learning style?

According to some data, the most common is a multimodal learning style referred to as VARK Type Two, which involves exhibiting a range of learning preferences. People with this learning style tend to collect information more slowly and take time to make decisions.

In terms of single preferences, kinesthetic is by far the most common, accounting for 22.8% of respondents.

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Are You a Visual, Auditory, Reading/Writing, or Tactile Learner?

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The VARK learning styles are a way to categorize different modes of learning. The VARK model determines visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic learners.

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Percent and fractions: Ratio and proportion

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The ratio or proportion between two numbers is how many times one is bigger than the other.

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Careers advice - job profiles, information and resources | National Careers Service

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The National Careers Service can help you with your career, learning and training choices. Find out more about us and the different ways we can support you. This service is available to people who live in England.

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The National Service Framework (NSF) for Mental Health published by the UK government sets out comprehensive quality standards for mental health services in England.

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Guidance

Sets out the government's quality standards for mental health services.

Documents

Details

The 'National Service Framework for Mental Health' sets quality standards for mental health services. It says what they aim to achieve, how they should be developed and put into practice and how they should be measured.

The NSF for mental health will:

combat discrimination against individuals and groups with mental health problems

make it easier for for anyone who may have a mental health problem to access services

create a range of mental health services to prevent or anticipate crises where possible

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National service framework: mental health

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Guidance Sets out the government's quality standards for mental health services. The 'National Service Framework for Mental Health' sets quality standards for mental health services. It says what they aim to achieve, how they should be developed and put into practice and how they should be measured.

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Here is a table of Mental Health legislation - You could use this to help you see the changes over time.

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Chronology of UK Mental Health Legislation

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INTRODUCTION The below Tables provide a chronological overview of mental health legislation within the United Kingdom. It outlines legislation that has an impact (directly and/or indirectly) on men…

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Why does your attitude towards mental health really matter?

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Why does your attitude towards mental health really matter?

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In the aftermath of an unconscionable act of random violence, many people are inclined to label the perpetrator "crazy." Although the criminal may have a mental illness, automatically assigning the label "crazy" does a great disservice to people who live with mental illness every day.

In reality, somebody with mental illness is much more likely to be a victim-rather than a perpetrator-of violence. Calling a violent offender "crazy" spreads a dangerous stereotype and belies the complex relationship between criminality and mental illness.

The media teaches us about people with whom we do not routinely interact. This constant flow of data gives us incessant social cues about the nature of other groups of people-including which groups of people should be praised or scorned.

Media portrayals of those with mental illness often skew toward either stigmatization or trivialization. Consequently, all forms of media-including television, film, magazines, newspapers, and social media-have been criticized for disseminating negative stereotypes and inaccurate descriptions of those with mental illness.

What Is Stigmatization?

Stigma involves negative beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors directed toward people based on some distinguishing characteristics. In the case of mental health stigma, it involves the presence of mental health symptoms or a mental health diagnosis.

In other cases, stigma can also involve health conditions, disabilities, gender, race, sexuality, culture, religion, and sexuality.

Stigma happens when some person is viewed as an "other." A person considered an "other" is denied full social acceptance.

The impact of mental health stigma is serious. Evidence suggests that it is linked to worse mental health outcomes because it reduces the likelihood that a person will seek help, receive adequate care, and adhere to their treatment plan.

Stigmatization of Mental Illness By the Media

Stigmatization of mental illness in media is abundant. For example, certain mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia are seen as being so disruptive that people with those conditions must be isolated from society.

The stigmatization of mental illness is so entwined with the media that researchers have used newspaper articles as a proxy metric for stigma in society.

Media accounts tend to focus on the individual with mental illness rather than framing mental illness as a societal issue. Consequently, media consumers are more likely to blame an individual for the illness.

Mental Illness Is Overgeneralized

For instance, common depictions are that all people with depression are suicidal, and all people with schizophrenia hallucinate. In reality, 60% and 80% of people with schizophrenia experience auditory hallucinations. An even smaller number of people experience visual hallucinations.

It's also not uncommon for media portrayals to discount that many people with mental illness don't need to disclose their condition to everyone around them.

Instead, mental illness often goes unrecognized (whether by intention or not). The portrayals in the media tend to present situations where everyone in a character's life knows about their mental illness.

Trivialization of Mental Illness By the Media

The media can also trivialize mental illness, either by promoting mental illness as not being severe or being less severe than it really is.

For instance, many people with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa feel that their condition is made out to be less severe than it really is. This is in part because people with the condition portrayed in the media often minimize its seriousness and hide the severe consequences of the disease.

The truth is, the death rate for people with anorexia is high. In reality, anorexia has one of the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition. Research suggests the risk of dying is 10 times higher for people who have anorexia nervosa.

The symptoms of mental illness are sometimes portrayed as being beneficial. For example, in the popular television series Monk, the protagonist is a detective with OCD. The fact that he pays close attention to detail helps him solve crimes and advance his career.

People who do not have disabilities can use media channels to mock people who do have disabilities, such as by appropriating mental-illness terminology. For instance, the hashtag OCD (#OCD) is commonly used on Twitter to describe one's attention to cleanliness or organization.

Depictions of Schizophrenia in Film

Probably the most disparaging stigmatizations of mental illness in media lie in the film portrayals of antagonists with mental illness. In particular, when characters with schizophrenia are presented as "homicidal maniacs" in "slasher" or "psycho killer" movies.

In one study, researchers analyzed 41 movies that had been released between 1990 and 2010 for depictions of schizophrenia.

Based on the findings of the analysis, researchers drew several conclusions.

Most of the characters displayed "positive" symptoms of schizophrenia, with delusions being featured most frequently, followed by auditory and visual hallucinations.

The majority of characters displayed violent behavior toward themselves or others.

Nearly one-third of violent characters engaged in homicidal behavior.

About one-fourth of the characters committed suicide.

The cause of schizophrenia was infrequently noted. However, in about one-fourth of the movies it was implied that a traumatic life event for the character had been a significant causative factor.

Of the movies that alluded to or showed mental illness treatment, psychotropic medications were most commonly portrayed.

Why Such Portrayals Are Damaging

These portrayals are not only incorrect but damaging-and for several reasons.

They Spread Myths About Mental Illness

The portrayals of schizophrenia often focus on symptoms such as visual hallucinations, bizarre delusions, and disorganized speech, and present them as commonplace. In reality, symptoms like decreased motivation, poverty of speech, and flat affect are more common.

They Link Mental Illness to Violence

Several movies have spread the false stereotype that people with schizophrenia are prone to violence and unpredictable behavior. Some films even presented people with schizophrenia as being "possessed."

They Exaggerate Suicide Risk

While suicide is a significant concern for people with schizophrenia, the research on media portrayals of schizophrenia found that this risk is often exaggerated in film and tv representations. In one study, 24% of the characters with schizophrenia committed suicide.

In reality, estimates suggest that between 4% and 13% of people with schizophrenia die by suicide, and approximately 18% to 55% attempt suicide at some point in their lifetime.

They Misrepresent Who Is Affected

Demographics is another aspect of mental illness that is often misrepresented by media portrayals of mental illness.

For example, characters with schizophrenia are frequently depicted as being white males, but schizophrenia disproportionately affects African Americans. It also affects men and women almost equally.

They Spread Myths About Causes of Mental Illness

In a few movies, schizophrenia was depicted as being secondary to traumatic life events or curable by love-both of which are misrepresentations of the condition's causes and treatment.

Press Play for Advice On Navigating Mental Health Advice on Social Media

Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts / Amazon Music

What's Accurate In Media Portayals?

Not all the information presented about schizophrenia was found to be incorrect, misleading, or stigmatizing.﻿﻿ For example, in more than half of the movies that researchers analyzed, the use of psychiatric medications was depicted or alluded to.

Even when some movies get it right, the negative media portrayals-especially those that are violent-of people with schizophrenia and other severe forms of mental illness still contribute to stigmatization, stereotyping, discrimination, and social rejection.

Impact of the Media on Mental Health

The impact of mental health stigmatization by the media can contribute to a number of different effects.

Self-stigma: Media portrayals can contribute to self-stigma, which refers to feelings of internalized shame, negative beliefs, and negative attitudes that people have about their own mental health condition.

Incorrect information: Because of media portrayals of mental illness, people often get incorrect ideas about the symptoms of mental health conditions. It can also lead people to develop inaccurate ideas about how mental illness is diagnosed and treated.

Barriers to treatment: Media messages can also create barriers to treatment. Because people internalize stigmatized attitudes about mental illness, they may be less likely to seek out help or treatment when they experience symptoms.

Poor treatment adherence: People are more likely to adhere to their treatment if they have social support and encouragement from others. Negative attitudes toward mental illness and stereotypes portrayed in the media may contribute to worse attitudes about mental health treatments and poorer adherence.

Self-diagnosis: People might also be more likely to self-diagnose themselves based on viral social media posts seen on Tik Tok and Instagram. Such information is often shared by people who are not mental health professionals and is often inaccurate.

What Can Be Done?

We need a better understanding of how these messages are disseminated by the media before we can rectify them. There is limited research looking at how media promotes mental-illness stereotypes, stigmatization, and trivialization.

Nevertheless, certain suggestions have been made on how to improve the depiction of people with mental illness in the media, such as:

Analyzing mass-media production procedures to better understand screenwriters, producers, and journalists' current practices, needs, values, and economic realities (for instance, understanding the balance between being newsworthy or emotionally arousing and verifiable).

Implementing a mental health short course when training journalists.

Including expert input from psychiatrists during a film's production.

Preferring non-individualized descriptions of mental illness and instead focusing on the societal aspects.

Presenting mental illness only when relevant to the story.

Using mental-health terminology with precision, fairness, and expertise.

As individuals who consume copious amounts of mass media and engage with social media, the best thing we can do is stop using words like "crazy" and "deranged" in a derogatory or flippant fashion. We also need to remember that it's best to avoid making a psychiatric diagnosis outside of a clinical setting.

A Word From Verywell

Only a specialist can make a diagnosis of OCD, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions. When we give someone the label of being mentally ill without clinical evidence, we hurt people who live with mental illness on a daily basis.

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How Mental Health Issues Are Damaged by Mass Media

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Get information on how movies, film, and social media often stigmatize and trivialize mental illness.

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The "Transforming Mental Health" document by Mind outlines a bold vision for revolutionising mental health services in England. It identifies four key focus areas:

1. Prevention – Emphasising early intervention through public health programmes in schools, workplaces, and communities to reduce stigma and prevent mental health issues.

2. Access to Support – Calling for faster, more equitable access to timely and high-quality mental health services, including crisis care and integrated physical and mental health support.

3. Recovery – Advocating for comprehensive support in housing, employment, and education to help individuals rebuild their lives.

4. Inequality – Urging investment in underserved communities and tackling systemic issues like racism, poverty, and trauma that contribute to mental health disparities.

The document stresses that with political will and targeted investment, the UK has a unique opportunity to transform mental health care for future generations.

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L3 Progression Session Calendar and Booking Form

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L3 Progression Session Calendar and Booking Form

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Access the Level 3 Progression Sessions here and reserve your place. These sessions are structured to provide targeted support for each unit of study. Please ensure that you only register for the session that aligns with the unit you are currently undertaking.

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Key Themes

Developmental Perspective: Mental health and mental illness are viewed as evolving along trajectories influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors. Disorders may develop gradually, episodically, or rapidly in response to life events.

Critical Life Stages: It outlines key developmental tasks and transitions (e.g., acquiring language, entering school, forming identity, parenting, retirement) that impact mental wellbeing.

Risk and Protective Factors: The document identifies factors that increase vulnerability to mental illness (e.g., poor early attachment, parental mental health issues, poverty) and those that promote resilience (e.g., supportive environments, competent caregiving).

Intervention Strategies: It stresses the importance of a mix of interventions—mental health promotion, prevention before onset, and early intervention at the first signs of illness—tailored to age and developmental context.

Community Role: Mentally healthy communities are described as those that empower individuals and families to create environments that support wellbeing, development, and goal achievement.

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This resource is designed to support you in getting started with your responses. Please ensure that you are developing your answers fully to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Aim to expand on your points by incorporating relevant knowledge, examples, and critical reflection where appropriate.

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The Mental Health Act is outdated. It’s not fit for purpose. Read about some of the problems with the Act, and how we're campaigning to reform it.

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Get involved in supporting the latest mental health campaigns and download wellbeing resources.

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Throughout the year we take part in key awareness dates which help to raise awareness of mental health, and the problems faced by those living with mental illness. Browse our calendar below and find out how you can get involved.

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Mental health awareness days - Mental Health UK

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Throughout the year we take part in key awareness dates which help to raise awareness of mental health, and the problems faced by those living with mental illness. Browse our calendar below and find out how you can get involved.

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At the heart of the campaign is the free, NHS-approved Mind Plan. Users answer 5 simple questions online to get a personalised mental health action plan with practical tips to help them deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, sleep better and feel more in control. Watch the Explainer video here or find out how to embed the Mind Plan on your own website

To date, over 4.5 million Mind Plans have been created. Every Mind Matters encourages more people to get their own Mind Plan to improve their knowledge, confidence and motivation to take action and find what works for them to care for their mental health.

It also includes practical tips and videos from experts on dealing with stress and anxiety, boosting your mood, sleeping better and what you can do to help others - including advice for parents and for children and young people.

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Find out about the Better Health Every Mind Matters campaign, which offers tools, advice and support on how to look after your mental health.

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What factors can affect our mental health?

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What factors can affect our mental health?

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The Mental Health Foundation's page on factors that affect mental health outlines how our mental wellbeing is shaped by a complex mix of biological, psychological, and social influences.

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At the Mental Health Foundation, we know that mental health is complex and our wellbeing is determined by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors:

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Linking Physical Health to Mental Health 

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Linking Physical Health to Mental Health 

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Mental health and physical health go hand in hand | Find the words | Mind

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This content discusses substance abuse or addiction (which may include mentions of alcohol or drug use), depression and anxiety, which some people may find triggering.

Summary

Why do people take drugs?

How can recreational drugs affect my mental health?

Getting support

What does dual diagnosis mean?

When we talk about drugs on this page, we're referring to recreational drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin, as well as alcohol, tobacco and some prescribed medicines if they are misused. Drugs may be legal, illegal or controlled substances (only legal if you have a prescription for them).

Why do people take drugs?

People take drugs for many different reasons. You may begin out of curiosity, rebelliousness, or because your friends take them. You may enjoy taking them and want to repeat the experience. You may take drugs when you're unhappy, stressed or trying to cope with problems in your life. If you have a mental health diagnosis, you may use drugs to help you cope with the symptoms.

Drugs can act as a temporary prop to get you through difficult times. However, drugs can make difficult feelings and emotions even worse. And in the long term, any feelings of relief won't last. You may find yourself using more and more drugs to deal with your problems and risk becoming dependent on them - which can create new problems for you.

How can recreational drugs affect my mental health?

There are different ways drugs can affect your mental health. For some people, taking drugs can lead to long-term mental health problems.

Regular cannabis use can increase your risk of or depression . There's also a link between using stronger cannabis and developing or schizophrenia . The Rethink website has more information on cannabis and mental health .

Stimulant drugs can make you feel depressed, anxious and paranoid. Cocaine - a type of stimulant - can make previous mental health problems recur and trigger psychosis and schizophrenia. Ecstasy users can experience memory problems.

Hallucinogenic drugs such as magic mushrooms can make any mental health issues worse. They can make you feel detached from your surroundings and cause flashbacks, which can be frightening or distressing.

Mixing it with alcohol or drugs can be dangerous or even fatal if you take medication. Mind has more information about the possible effects of mixing different drugs.

You may feel you're no longer in control of your drug use or need to take more of it to feel an effect. If so, you could be becoming addicted. Drug addiction is linked to mental health problems.

Taking any drug can be dangerous. The Frank website has more information about how different drugs can affect your mental and physical health.

Getting support

If drug use affects your mental health, don't be afraid to ask for help. You can either speak to your GP or contact a local NHS drug treatment service . If you're having trouble finding the right sort of help, visit the Frank website for free practical advice.

Be honest about your drug use. It may be difficult to talk about, but your treatment is likely to be more successful if your doctor or support worker has all the information about what you take, how often and how it affects you.

You may be offered talking therapy , such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) . It's unlikely you'll be offered medication for any mental health problems caused by your drug use. For example, antidepressants won't help with depression caused by taking ecstasy, and anti-psychotics won't help with psychosis caused by cannabis use. But if you already had a mental health problem before you started taking drugs, you may be given medication to treat it.

You may be offered help from drug treatment services to stop taking drugs or alcohol.

What does dual diagnosis mean?

You may be given a 'dual diagnosis' if you have a severe mental health problem and misuse drugs. It may be that your mental ill-health led to your drug misuse or the other way round, or they might not have been related.

If you have a dual diagnosis, mental health services should be in charge of your treatment rather than drug treatment services. They can refer you to other help you may need with housing, benefits or employment, for example.

There may be a dual diagnosis team in your area. If not, ask your GP to refer you to your local community mental health team (CMHT).

Some people with a dual diagnosis find it hard to get the help they need. For example, you may have been told that you can't access mental health support because of your drug problem. However, the government guidance is clear: mental health services should try to help you if you have a drug problem. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also says you shouldn't be turned away from mental health support.

If you're turned away by your mental health team, ask why. Ask if they have an eligibility policy - you may be able to use this to show you qualify for help. Otherwise, go back to your GP and ask for help.

Rethink has more information about accessing help with a dual diagnosis.

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Why people take drugs, how recreational drugs can affect your mental health, getting support and a dual diagnosis.

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The YouTube video "Nuggets" by Andreas Hykade is a powerful animated short that metaphorically explores the cycle of addiction through a simple yet emotionally resonant narrative.

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Mental Health Guidance within the Criminal Justice System

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Mental Health Guidance within the Criminal Justice System

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The College of Policing’s guidance on mental health and the criminal justice system provides comprehensive advice for police officers and staff on how to appropriately respond to individuals with mental health issues across various stages of criminal justice involvement.

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Mental health and the criminal justice system | College of Policing

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This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.

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The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) is a UK-based initiative dedicated to suicide prevention and awareness. Hosted by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and funded by Mersey Cares NHS Charity, ZSA aims to make suicide prevention a shared responsibility across society

🌟 Mission and Vision

ZSA operates on the belief that suicide is preventable, and that zero suicides should be the aspirational goal. While the term "zero" may be controversial, it serves to challenge complacency and encourage proactive efforts in suicide prevention

🧠 Core Objectives

ZSA focuses on three main pillars:

Empower: Challenge stigma, raise awareness, and build confidence in individuals to take action.

Educate: Use research and evidence to share knowledge and skills.

Equip: Provide accessible training, tools, and resources to help people intervene effectively

🎓 Free Online Training

ZSA offers a range of free suicide awareness training courses, tailored for different groups including:

General public

Veterans

University students

Prison staff

Taxi and private hire drivers

Probation staff

People with autism

Welsh speakers

These courses are designed to help individuals recognise warning signs and engage in potentially life-saving conversations

📊 Research and Data

ZSA maintains a suicide data map and dashboards that compile over 100 indicators related to suicide and suicide risk. These tools help inform policy, training, and community support efforts

🤝 Community and Membership

The alliance is supported by over 3,000 individuals and 850 organisations, all committed to mental health advocacy and suicide prevention. Membership is open to anyone who wants to contribute to the cause

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The Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) aims to empower, educate, and equip individuals and organisations to support suicide awareness and prevention. We offer free online suicide awareness and prevention training and resources.

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If you are looking for information on mental health, search our A-Z. Topics are listed alphabetically and cover both adults’ and children’s mental health.

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Talking therapies, medicine and psychiatry

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Find information and advice about different treatments for mental health problems, including talking therapies, counselling and medicines.

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Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) is a medical treatment for severe mental health conditions, particularly when other treatments have not been effective.

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What is the Care Programme Approach (CPA)?

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What is the Care Programme Approach (CPA)?

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The Care Programme Approach (CPA) is a package of care that may be used to plan your mental health care. This section explains what CPA is, when you should get and when it might stop.

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The SHARE guidance from the UK Government, developed by the Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA), provides best practice principles for consent, confidentiality, and information sharing in mental healthcare and suicide prevention.

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Produced by the Zero Suicide Alliance ( ZSA).

Foreword

Steve Mallen

As a father bereaved by suicide, I am acutely aware of the importance of seeking consent, respecting confidentiality and sharing information with families, carers and significant others in mental healthcare and suicide prevention. Despite considerable innovation within the healthcare sector, both routine and best practice in this complex yet crucially important aspect of healthcare is all too frequently overlooked or poorly applied.

This SHARE guide is designed to assist all healthcare practitioners and service user facing personnel in adopting best practice within the limitations of the appropriate legislation, rules and regulations. Properly applied, this guide will produce better patient outcomes and save lives.

Steve Mallen, co-founder, Zero Suicide Alliance

Dr Claire Iveson

Having worked in clinical practice in a range of settings for 20 years, I am aware of the challenges facing service users, families and practitioners regarding consent, confidentiality and capacity decisions in clinical practice. This SHARE resource and decision tool is designed to increase confidence, safety and better partnerships with all agencies in the best interest of those using healthcare services.

Dr Claire Iveson, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Clinical and Strategic Lead - Zero Suicide, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

Sharon Allison

Against a backdrop of 2 decades of reviews of Serious Incident Reports, representing families at inquests and subsequent civil actions, the single most common theme arising from such tragic and unimaginable loss is that of consent, confidentiality and sharing of information. Having clear guidance, which in part is derived from the learning achieved through tragedy, to help practitioners make difficult and challenging decisions is invaluable and is another clear step towards greater patient safety.

Sharon Allison, Partner, Ashtons Legal

SHARE means:

Seek consent to share information

Have regard to the law, rules and regulations

Always act in the patients' best interests

Record all discussions and activities

Ensure service user confidentiality is respected

Introduction and context

Consent, confidentiality and the sharing of information, both between agencies and with families and carers, is one of the most complex yet vitally important aspects of mental healthcare. The most effective Triangles of Care and service user care plans will invariably involve the exchange of information within the confines of the relevant legislation and professional codes of practice. Best practice in this area will not only produce better outcomes but may also avert serious incidents and tragedy.

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England (2012) placed a new emphasis on families bereaved or affected by serious incidents and suicide. Families had repeatedly raided concerns about the apparent reluctance of clinicians and practitioners to engage with families, friends and carers with regards to sharing information and signposting to resources relevant to mental illness and suicide risk.

The 2018 NHS Resolution ( NHSR) Learning from Suicide Related Claims report identified failure to share information as a recurrent theme in deaths by suicide. It is clear that further work is required in this key aspect of healthcare.

The 2014 Department of Health and Social Care ( DHSC) 'Information sharing and suicide prevention - consensus statement', prepared in collaboration with multiple organisations and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group ( NSPSAG), sought to highlight the theme of information sharing and strengthen its associated guidelines, both for those at risk from self-harm and suicide and those close to them.

The 2014 statement was updated and republished in 2021 to reflect the current legal position including the implementation of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), tailored by the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner's Office ( ICO) has confirmed that the 2021 consensus statement is consistent with the Data Sharing Code of Practice.

This SHARE guide, prepared by the ZSA, with support from DHSC and NHS England and Improvement ( NHSE/I), is designed to expand upon and enhance the DHSC statement. Recognising the tension between an individual's right to confidentiality and the sharing of information which may protect life and prevent harm, concern remains that practitioners may not feel adequately trained and equipped to seek consent and share information as a core, positive procedure in patient care.

As a basic principle, it is suggested that, in mental healthcare and most especially in suicide prevention, practitioners are aware of both the importance of sharing information and the legal and ethical justifications for doing so. It is important that there is a demonstrable and recorded reason with respect to whether information is shared - or not - with relevant agencies and individuals. Subject to the relevant rules and regulations, a change of culture is required.

In addition to the legal requirements, multiple professional organisations and governing bodies also recognise the importance of protecting the confidentiality of people in care. Many organisations have prepared detailed guidance on patient confidentiality and information sharing and these should also be consulted by practitioners. The General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Royal College of Nursing, Health and Care Professions Council, Royal College of Psychiatrists and others have all confirmed that the 2021 consensus statement remains consistent with their own regulatory standards and protocols.

The DHSC statement, now augmented by this ZSA resource, does not therefore seek to change existing guidelines and methods. Rather, these resources are designed to promote the lawful sharing of relevant information and the amplification of professional judgement within the current regulatory and best practice environment. This is under the precept that it is commonly better to seek consent to share information than not.

Who this applies to

The DHSC consensus statement says:

The DHSC statement applies to adults in England. The situation for children and young people under the age of 18 differs, although the same duties of confidentiality apply when using, sharing or disclosing information and children and young people as about adults. Information can be shared about a child or young person for the purposes of keeping them safe.

In practice, this means that practitioners should disclose information to an appropriate person or authority if this is necessary to protect the child or young person from risk of death or serious harm. A decision can be made to share such information with the family and friends, if necessary.

More detail on sharing in respect of children and young people for safeguarding purposes can be found in Department for Education ( DfE) statutory guidance on working together to safeguard children.

Confidentiality, consent and capacity explained

The DHSC consensus statement says:

Confidentiality, consent and capacity are all issues which have rightly received a great deal of careful attention over the years. It is clear that, where the common law duty of confidentiality applies, practitioners will usually be under a duty to respect a person's refusal to consent to disclosure of their suicide risk if the person has the relevant capacity and they do not pose a risk to anyone but themselves.

In summary, practitioners are bound by law and professional guidelines to protect confidential (personal and sensitive) information about individuals, unless there is significant risk to the individual, the public or children. When a significant risk to safety is imminent and not sharing information appears likely to result in death or serious injury, then relevant information can and should be shared with those people for whom consent has been given to share. Where this pertains to individuals aged over 18, the consensus statement encourages the application of clinical and professional judgement, especially when there is a clear risk to life.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

There are clearly times in dealing with a person at risk of suicide when practitioners will need to consider informing the family and friends about aspects of risk and may need to create a channel of communication for both giving and receiving information that will help keep the person safe.

In line with good practice, practitioners should routinely and frequently confirm with service users whether and how they wish their family, friends or carers to be involved in their care. Sharing information is a crucial consideration in situations of suicide risk.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

In order to assist practitioners to respect people's wishes, wherever possible, the person's view on who they would wish to be involved - and potentially, who they would wish not to be involved - if there is serious concern over suicide risk, should have been discussed and recorded.

In cases where these discussions have not happened in advance, a practitioner may need to assess whether the person, at least at that time, lacks the capacity to consent to information about their suicide risk being shared. Assessments of mental capacity should be time and decision-specific.

The Mental Capacity Act makes it clear that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that they lack capacity, and that a person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision merely because they make a decision that others consider unwise.

However, if a person is at imminent risk of suicide there may well be sufficient doubts about their mental capacity at that time.

Putting this into practice

In seeking consent and sharing information, context and language are important. Practitioners should endeavour to create an approach to sharing information which is based on empathetic understanding, trust and the ability to create a care framework within which it is clear that sharing information with appropriate parties is almost always in the best interests of the service user.

Consent and confidentiality should be part of the core narrative with service users throughout the course of their treatment and support. Initial reluctance to share information can frequently be overcome as trust develops and the practitioner/service user relationship deepens and strengthens. It is helpful for practitioners to consider the kinds of conversations they would want to have with their patients about involvement of others in their care, especially at first and early points of contact. It is naturally important that the language adopted is sensitive to demographic, cultural and ethnic differences. It is always preferable to establish who to involve and who not to involve in patient care as soon as possible.

Several NHS trusts and care organisations have developed their own procedures and protocols in this area and practitioners are encouraged to reference existing resources and research the subject. Examples include those created by:

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

The Triangle of Care guide published by NHS Confederation also presents a comprehensive overview.

Despite multiple innovations in a number of localities, best practice in consent, confidentiality and information sharing remains poorly understood and is not routinely adopted by many practitioners. Mental healthcare managers and practitioners are encouraged to review and consult the many resources and protocols which already exist and consider how these can be assimilated and adopted in their own settings.

Gaining consent creates a partnership between service users, practitioners and families or carers and is the bedrock of any Triangle of Care. Establishing trust and clear and agreed lines of communication at the outset can often avoid difficult and tense conversations later, especially in occasions where crisis develops and risk increases.

It is imperative that all conversations relating to consent and information sharing are fully recorded.

Consent

Seeking consent is the term used to define the active seeking of permission. Within the DHSC consensus statement this refers to seeking consent to involve another person (not necessarily a family member unless aged under 18) to share appropriate information about the patient's general care and risks. Consent should be sought as early as possible in the interaction between service user and practitioner.

It is important to recognise that information is a 2-way process. Those people close to service users will frequently be in possession of additional information and biographical details which will be of assistance in developing safety plans and interventions. Practitioners should therefore regard families and carers as potentially important partners in arriving at diagnoses, assessing risk and developing care plans. A service user may be reluctant to grant consent to share their information, but this should not deter the practitioner from gathering patient related information from families, friends or carers.

Where consent is given, it must always be recorded and acted upon unless there is a demonstrable and recorded reason why this is not appropriate.

Communication and rapport should be established with nominated persons and appropriate information for which consent to share is given should be shared safely and constructively.

How to discuss and gain consent for sharing information

The following statement can be useful for practitioners to adopt:

I have a duty to respect the confidential nature of the information you share with me. However, there are some limits to this. For example, if I am worried about your immediate safety, that of someone around you or that of a child, I may need to share information and seek advice. We will of course discuss this openly and I will inform you of any actions I feel I need to take.

We need to record our meetings and discussions in documents and electronic records and these may be accessible (where relevant) to fellow professionals and those directly involved in your care. It is important that we discuss any queries or concerns you have about this.

Discussions framed in this way ensure that service users are well informed from the outset within the core parameters of transparent communication and the creation of trust. Many organisations have developed their own language and supporting record systems around the theme of consent, enabling the creation of a standard approach across the organisation within which best practice becomes second nature and an instinctive protocol.

Consent to involve a nominated person should routinely be sought in all clinical interactions.

In creating appropriate and positive relationships with families, friends and carers, language and overall approach remain very important. This is an especially important theme since, not only may they be able to provide information helpful to the patient, they will also, almost invariably, want to be informed about and invested in their care. We sometimes hear concerns from families, friends and carers that they are left uninformed and without any signposting to resources and services which may assist in looking after a service user and creating better outcomes.

Subject to appropriate consent protocols being observed within the confines of the law, families, friends and carers should generally be regarded as potential partners in the care of a service user.

The following statement can be appropriate:

In our experience it is almost always much better to involve a third party, somebody you know and trust, in your care, treatment and recovery. This might be a family member, friend, colleague or somebody important to you. This is likely to result in a better outcome and better support for yourself.

We do not have to share everything and I will respect your wishes, but I want to do all I can to make sure you have the best possible care and support around you. Can we please discuss who else we might involve in your care?

In this scenario, consent is clearly being sought to work in partnership with a person of the service user's choice.

Practitioners should also explain to service users that information sharing does not have to take the form of total disclosure. There is often information in an individual's records (for example, sexuality or substance abuse) which they may wish to be kept private. It is important to establish those matters which can be shared and those which cannot. It is frequently the case that a particular characteristic and/or past action are preventing a patient from giving their consent to sharing information. Extending assurances with regard to confidentiality in respect of past actions or characteristics will deepen trust and frequently create a more positive context for the exchange of information.

When holding discussions about consent, practitioners should ensure there is clarity about what information can be shared, with whom, and for what purpose (for example, whether information can be routinely shared with a nominated person, or whether it can only be shared in emergency situations). There should also be appropriate record keeping to enable this clarity.

Capacity

The DHSC consensus statement refers to circumstances in which information can be shared proportionately even if consent to share is not given. This would apply, for example, if the service user is assessed to lack capacity to consent to share information and it is considered to be in their best interests to do so.

As with consent, capacity should be a constant theme in service user engagement and safety planning.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

The Mental Capacity Act makes it clear that a person must be assumed to have capacity unless it is established that they lack capacity, and that a person is not to be treated as unable to make a decision merely because they make a decision that others consider unwise. However, if a person is at imminent risk of suicide there may well be sufficient doubts about their mental capacity at that time.

In these circumstances, a professional judgement will need to be made, based on an understanding of the person and what would be in their best interest, in accordance with section 4 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The practitioner should take into account the person's previously expressed and current wishes and views in relation to sharing information with their family and/or friends, and, where practicable and appropriate, consult with colleagues.

The judgement may be that it is in the person's best interests to share critical information. If so, care must be taken to disclose only the minimum amount of relevant information that is necessary. If the purpose of disclosure is to protect a person who lacks the relevant capacity from serious harm, practitioners must disclose relevant confidential information, if it is considered to be in the person's best interest to do so.

When decisions are made to share information based on capacity and best interest, it is important to document clearly the decision-making process, any consultation sought and the clear rationale for the actions taken. It is important that consideration is given to the nature and type of information shared. Information shared must be kept to a minimum and limited to what is necessary.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

Data protection law does not prevent sharing personal data in an emergency situation, including to protect a person from serious harm, or to prevent the loss of human life. In an emergency, you should share data as is necessary and proportionate. In these situations, it might be more harmful not to share data than to share it.

Sharing information and public safety

The DHSC consensus statement says:

Disclosure of confidential information may also be in the public interest because of the far-reaching impact that a suicide can have on others. For example, the method of suicide could cause potential serious harm to others.

There are many instances within which information disclosure may be in the public interest. For example, suicidal plans involving public transport, public places or areas of high population are likely to raise concerns regarding public safety. Similarly, self-harm or suicidal intent which may expose children and others to trauma and harm will be of grave concern from a public safety perspective.

Safeguarding principles should always be considered in relation to consent, confidentiality and capacity.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

The practitioner will need to make a judgement about whether the benefits to an individual or society in disclosing information without consent outweigh both the individual's and the public interest in keeping it confidential. Determining where to draw the line is a matter for professional judgement in each individual case.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

The immediacy of the suicide risk will be affected by the degree of planning a person has done, the type of suicide method planned or already attempted, and circumstances such as being left alone, refusing treatment, drinking heavily or drug use.

It is always recommended that, where possible, practitioners should seek support and guidance from colleagues, more experienced clinicians and patient safety managers (for example, Caldicott Guardians) when dealing with the more complex aspects of consent and confidentiality. This is especially important where capacity is in question and confidentiality may be compromised owing to concerns over patient and/or public safety. However, seeking support for judgement should not hinder actions which clearly relate to immediate safety.

Listening to families, carers and significant others

Carers and families often have important information which will assist in diagnosis and care.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

It is also clear that the duty of confidentiality is not a justification for not listening to the views of family members and friends, who may offer insight into the individual's state of mind or predisposing conditions which can aid care and treatment. Good practice will also include providing families with non-person specific information in their own right, such as how to access services in a crisis, and support services for carers.

As noted, consultation with families, friends and carers enables information to be gleaned that may otherwise be missed by talking to an individual alone. They are often gravely concerned and have information that could save lives. In addition, practitioners are best placed to give general non-person specific information that can alleviate distress and ensure better care for the individual in the longer term.

Practitioners must consider the wellbeing of families, friends and carers and their potential ability to contribute to positive service user outcomes.

Good practice checklist

The following checklist is based on the 2017 'Good Psychiatric Practice: Confidentiality and Information Sharing guide' produced by Royal College of Psychiatrists.

This material is designed to assist practitioners in working closely with families, friends and carers within the boundaries of current legislation and the common law. It also assists in helping them understand their rights.

As a core principle, practitioners should note that the provision of general information (that is, not related to a specific individual) about mental health difficulties, emotional and practical support does not breach confidentiality.

In practice, and providing this does not compromise the confidentiality restrictions requested by the service user, an individual's family, friends and carers should be given general factual information, both verbal and written, relating to the following as a minimum:

the mental health diagnosis

what behaviour is likely to occur and how to manage it

medication - benefits and possible side-effects

local inpatient and community services

guidance on patient safety

an outline of the care and treatment pathway

local and national support groups and resources

In following this schedule, families, friends and carers are helped to understand (subject to any confidentiality restrictions requested by the patient):

the present situation

the patient's treatment plan and its aims

any written care plan, crisis plan or recovery programme

the role of each professional involved in the patient's care

how to access help, including out-of-hours services

Conversations and encouragement to allow this information to be shared should happen early in the consultation and treatment process. Ideally, agreements on sharing would be drawn up in partnership with the nominated person or persons and the service user. Importantly, if family and/or personal dynamics are strained or likely to impact negatively on the service user then confidentiality restrictions around this information must be respected.

In all cases the service user should be encouraged to identify someone they trust with whom this information can be shared in order to optimise the support available to them.

Nominated persons should also be given:

the opportunity to see a professional on their own and have discussions in confidence

encouragement to feel a valued member of the care team

confidence to voice their views and any concerns they may have

emotional and practical support

an assessment of their own needs with their own written care plan, where indicated

In all cases, it is imperative that information shared is appropriate to social, cultural and ethnic context. This is especially important in interacting with minority and hard-to-reach groups and individuals

Other agencies

A failure to exchange information is too often mentioned following a tragedy.

The DHSC consensus statement outlines the benefit of sharing information within and between agencies. Unfortunately, this can be overlooked, and tragedies can and do occur. A primary example here would include instances where someone is discharged from an A&E department or secondary care facility and their general practitioner has not been informed, advised how best to manage risk and also how best to work in partnership in order to ensure patient safety. This is of the utmost importance in cases of elevated risk of suicide.

It is essential that the Triangle of Care is sustained as service users transfer between agencies and stakeholders. Transitions between and within organisations are known to create or increase suicide risk if not managed effectively. The efficient, timely and comprehensive communication of risk within and between agencies is essential.

The DHSC consensus statement says:

Sharing information within and between agencies can also help to manage suicide risk. It is therefore important for practitioners to consider discussing cases with colleagues or seeking advice from legal teams, a professional association or regulatory body if they are unsure whether information should be shared, rather than simply withholding it.

In addition to data protection obligations, practitioners must continue to adhere to any duty they may already have not to reveal a person's identity. Even when they do not have such a duty in a particular case, if possible, sharing information should be done without revealing a person's identity.

In sharing information within and between care teams, the identity of an individual will need to be revealed, as appropriate. In seeking advice from a professional or regulatory body, the identity of the service user would, however, not normally need to be revealed.

All practitioners should be informed of this process and given guidance and professional support. If information is shared this should be done securely, proportionately, safely and sensibly. In all instances, practitioners should ensure that accurate information limited to what is necessary is given to the right people and documented accordingly.

Management support

Healthcare managers and service commissioners have a key role to play in giving practitioners the appropriate training and confidence to navigate the sometimes complex issues associated with consent, confidentiality and information sharing. Many NHS trusts and healthcare organisations have initiated system-wide programmes and learning protocols in this area designed to reach all practitioners and all service user facing personnel. Managers are required to create a positive and informed environment which supports frontline clinical judgment. Excessive fear of transgression or breaking the rules with regard to sharing information, especially with families and carers, has all too often led to wholly avoidable tragedy.

Best practice in this field is often set within a fundamental change in culture which has previously fostered an excessive default to privacy in all instances, all too often to the detriment of the service user and those close to them. The aim of this document is to educate and provide guidance to support practitioners to work through the legal and clinical issues surrounding the sharing of information, to produce better outcomes and protect service users' best interests.

Clinical scenarios to aid decision making

It should be noted that, in all circumstances, recording of rationale for either sharing, or not sharing, information, alongside the risks to either decision, should take place.

We would also like to remind practitioners that, alongside this guide, you should also refer to your own professional guidance which will support you in understanding the legal powers that may be available for sharing information under different circumstances.

Clinical situation

Appropriate to share

Not appropriate to share

Best practice information sharing discussed and the limits to confidentiality discussed. Service user gives explicit consent to share information about all aspects of their care with a trusted member of their family.

Yes - share information. This will include risks, care plans, crisis plans/safety plans, information about diagnosis, discussed risks and where to seek help, as long as there are no threats to service user safety in doing so.

Any information that the service user has not given consent to share and which is not necessary, relevant or proportionate to share. This may include, for example, information about sexuality or previous trauma.

It is important that, if consent to share is being relied upon, the recorded consent is clear about:

a) who information can be shared with

b) what information can be shared - for example, whether this is limited to certain health issues or whether all information can be shared

c) for what purpose the information can be shared (for example, whether only in emergencies, or wider consent to contact nominated others to discuss general health issues)

Service user does not give consent to share information about their care with family but is encouraged through good practice discussion and has agreed to share information with an alternative nominated person.

Yes - share information as above with trusted alternative person, such as a friend or carer.

If the service user is under 18 then information can be shared with family, if appropriate, in addition to informing other agencies (such as local authorities and the police) if there are risks to the safety of the child. More information can be found in DfE statutory guidance on working together to safeguard children.

If a family member is at risk from the service user or there are disclosed threats to their safety, information that is relevant and necessary should be shared with appropriate individuals proportionate to the risks.

Explain to family members the service user's requests to keep information confidential about their care plan. However, information can be taken from family and their concerns should be listened to.

Information can be given about where they can seek help either for themselves or a family member.

Service user is assessed as not having current capacity to consent to share information and is severely unwell.

Yes - if in the best interests of the service user, share necessary information with family member or nominated other (such as from an advance decision) and relevant professionals.

Only information that is necessary to share, should be shared. For example, information about sexuality or private and personal relationships or activities should only be shared if clinically necessary, relevant or impacts safety.

During a clinical session, the service user reports a suicide plan with intent that is likely to result in danger to the public or another person. There is evidence to suggest that they will carry out the plan. The service user may or may not give consent to share information.

Yes - If there is danger to the public or another individual, share necessary information with individuals at risk, public safety officials including police, and any other directly relevant professionals. Follow safeguarding policy and, if time permits, seek advice from the local safeguarding lead.

Only information that is necessary and proportionate to share should be shared.

Information that is not relevant to the immediate risk of suicide should not be shared.

Service user has a history of withholding information about risk or your clinical professional judgement of the interaction highlights discrepancies between what the service user is saying and their non-verbal signals and history relating to suicidal thoughts, plans and intent.

You discuss your concerns with service user and attempt to seek engagement and information about suspected risks. None is given.

You suspect that there may be suicide risk but you are not certain. You seek consent to share information with a trusted other to support them in their safety. No permission is given. You are not clear about their capacity to make decisions about sharing or withholding information about their condition or care.

This is perhaps one of the most difficult clinical situations to manage. In such circumstances, you should consult your own professional guidance to assist you to make a judgement on whether to share information, and with whom.

If possible, you should also seek guidance from another more experienced clinician, legal team or a clinical peer to support judgement. Let the service user know you are going to do this if possible.

As in all situations, make sure rationale on whether or not to share information is documented and shared with service user where possible.

If you fear the public is at risk, contact relevant public safety officials.

This would depend on the clinical judgement made, in consultation with practitioner's own professional guidance and the circumstances of individual cases.

It would usually not be appropriate to share information if, after further discussion, it is clear that the service user is engaged, does not consent to share and has capacity.

Through continued engagement, you manage to gain information from the service user, which indicates suicidal thoughts but not intention to act at this stage. You discuss your concern about whether they feel able to be honest. Service user is willing to be honest, work with you and accept help from you. You are able to construct a safety plan and make follow up arrangements. The risk is not deemed to be imminent following exploration. The service user is more engaged than they have been previously.

You are also able to explore what the service user can do if they feel their thoughts intensify or they get urges to act on them. Relevant supportive contacts and agencies are given in an emergency.

The service user agrees to think about who they would like to involve in their care to discuss at next appointment or at a follow up contact.

No

It would usually not be appropriate to share information if it is clear that the service user is engaged, does not consent to share and has capacity.

You are a nursing assistant getting a coffee from the hospital café. You are approached by someone you don't know about a service user on the ward. They ask about how they are and what is wrong with them. They explain that they are a family member.

No

Explain politely that you would need to discuss with ward MDT what information, if any, can be shared. It is also not appropriate to discuss anything in a café, where confidential information could be overheard. Give them information about who to contact on the ward so they can discuss with them information that it is possible to share.

You are working on a ward and you are emailed by a family member asking for information about a service user on the ward.

You should satisfy yourself as to the person's identity and be clear about confidentiality requests from the service user before sharing information.

Give the person the appropriate contact details for an authorised practitioner with whom they can discuss their request. The practitioner must be clear about confidentiality requests from service user and the identity of the person calling or emailing before deciding whether to share any information.

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SHARE: consent, confidentiality and information sharing in mental healthcare and suicide prevention

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Produced by the Zero Suicide Alliance ( ZSA). As a father bereaved by suicide, I am acutely aware of the importance of seeking consent, respecting confidentiality and sharing information with families, carers and significant others in mental healthcare and suicide prevention.

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The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) page on Reflective Practice highlights the importance of regular reflection for professionals working in health and care settings.

🧠 What Is Reflective Practice?

Reflective practice involves thinking critically about your experiences, actions, and decisions to improve future practice. It helps professionals:

Learn from both positive and challenging experiences

Strengthen team collaboration

Manage stress and pressure

Enhance service delivery

🔄 Key Themes

Recognise, Reflect, Resolve: Encourages practitioners to identify issues, reflect on them, and take action.

Types of Reflection: Includes individual, peer, and group reflection, tailored to different learning styles and roles.

Meeting Standards: Reflection supports compliance with HCPC standards by promoting accountability and continuous improvement.

📄 Resources Available

Case studies and templates

FAQs on documenting reflections

Guidance on reflective models

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Recognise, reflect, resolve: The benefits of reflecting on your practice

Working in health and care is rewarding but it is also fast paced, and can be challenging and stressful at times. Creating the space to reflect on your practice, by yourself, with a colleague or as part of a group, can help you to deal with high levels of pressure and share lessons learned to strengthen the important bonds within and across teams.

This information outlines the benefits regular reflection can have on your practice and gives examples of some of the ways you can achieve reflective practice.

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Working in health and care is rewarding but it is also fast paced, and can be challenging and stressful at times.

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 5

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 5

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 4

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 4

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 3

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 3

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 2

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The links below will help you with your extended research for Assessment 2