LCR Combined Authority and Growth Platform
Creating a virtual space to promote better mental health in the workplace
Services
- Community consultation
- Virtual event management
- Insights report creation
Their Impact
- Enabling business growth across the city region
- Connecting businesses to transformative services
- Creating vital conversations between influential people and organisations
Meet The Client
Growth Platform is Liverpool City Region’s growth company, designed to support people and businesses to realise their potential and generate growth. Their role is to strengthen and simplify the business landscape, creating a sustainable economy that reflects the needs of our community.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority works to create an environment which allows our local economy to thrive for the good of everyone who lives and works in the city region. They work together to make investments in areas that have genuine impact on local communities. These areas include transport, employment, culture, digital and housing. They operate with devolved powers meaning they’re able to make a meaningful difference to local people.
The Challenge At Hand
On 11 October 2021, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Growth Platform launched a campaign to promote good mental health and wellbeing at work, in support of World Mental Health Day. As part of this campaign, Growth Platform wanted to:
- Highlight the mental health resources available to support businesses in the LCR
- Open discussions about how to make these resources more relevant and shareable
As mental health is an issue close to our hearts, we hosted a private event in partnership with Growth Platform for 20 exclusive guests to help them achieve their goals.
What is Firestarters?
Firestarters is a community of values-driven organisations striving to be a force for good in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). Through live events driven by action, insight, and social impact, Firestarters provides private, public, and third sector organisations with the support and resources they need to be the change they want to see.
The Event
Calling on our Firestarters community, we were able to bring together 20 of the region’s most influential and purpose-driven organisations in one virtual space. We brought together people who represented large groups of diverse stakeholders, and who would provide the most valuable insights into making Growth Platform’s resources more readily available in the wider city region.
With our attendees assembled, it was time to consider what format would work best for the event. The format of our ‘Zero Carbon Liverpool’ event had provided the LCR Combined Authority with practical feedback to help develop their Net Zero Carbon 2040 Action Plan, as well as providing attendees with the opportunity to help shape policies that would affect their businesses and region. We decided the same format would help Growth Platform achieve their goals for this event. The event opened with an introduction to the event from our team, followed by speeches from keynote speakers, a panel Q&A, and breakout rooms.
Keynote speakers
Our speakers were knowledgeable about the LCR Combined Authority’s mental health resources and invested in expanding the scope of these resources throughout the region. We were joined by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram of the LCR Combined Authority, Elaine Derbyshire of Merseycare, and Mark Basnett of Growth Platform.
They each discussed various challenges facing the LCR with regard to workplace mental health and highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges. One of the key points raised in these speeches was the need for attitudes to change concerning speaking out about our mental health.
During their speeches, both Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Mark Basnett were able to highlight the resources made available through the LCR Combined Authority’s ‘Mental Health in the Workplace’ campaign, including:
- Free online mental health awareness training for employers and employees
- Mental health first aid courses
- Organisational frameworks to better support employees
- Workplace-specific helplines and other initiatives, all of which are available on Growth Platform’s website
Panel Q&A and breakout rooms
Our panel Q&A gave guests the chance to offer their own insights into mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. They called attention to the lack of mental health support for freelance workers and stressed that Growth Platform’s resources had to be made available and applicable to freelancers. This helped Growth Platform ensure their campaign was as inclusive and shareable as possible.
In our smaller breakout rooms, guests were able to address some of the challenges laid out in the keynote speeches. These smaller groups, facilitated by members of our team, made sure every guest was able to contribute to discussions. They weighed up the pros and cons of flexible working on mental health in a safe space, which our facilitators recorded and fed back to Growth Platform after the event.
The Outcomes
We provided Growth platform with:
- A recording of the entire event for them to refer back to
- A comprehensive Insights Report, including a breakdown and interpretation of the event’s key discussions and themes
As a result of the event, Growth Platform was able to:
- Host an expertly facilitated conversation
- Hear from purpose-driven organisations and gain actionable insights
- Promote their campaign to support good mental health and wellbeing at work to leading organisations in the LCR
- Highlight the resources made available through ‘Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace’
