Starting with you: taking care if your wellbeing as a busy FE leader

About this resource

This guide is for FE and Skills leaders who want to prioritise their own mental health and wellbeing alongside their leadership responsibilities. It explores how good wellbeing supports effective leadership, and how role-modelling healthy behaviours can create positive cultural change across FE communities.

It provides evidence-based tips and actionable tools to help leaders manage pressures such as workload, policy changes and hybrid working. It also highlights the importance of self-care, reflective practice and psychological safety in building environments where staff feel supported and able to thrive.

Using this resource:

This resource is designed for: 

FE and Skills leaders working in colleges and training providers

mental health leads and leadership teams in FE and Skills settings

Learning outcomes

This resource addresses the following learning outcomes:

Access and utilise tools, strategies and resources to support their own mental health so that they can look after themselves

Identify and utilise tools, strategies and resources to confidently engage staff to help promote and support their mental health and wellbeing

Share simple evidence-based strategies and exercises with staff and pupils/students to help them manage their mental health and develop their own coping strategies