Nurturing your staff is a vital component of retention and good pastoral support is essential to nurturing your staff. This section draws together information on different elements of pastoral support including a pastoral support check list, guidance on buddying and mentoring and other components that will help you develop a robust pastoral support offer.
Within the role, pastoral support can take many forms and there are numerous considerations that organisations should think about when supporting their refugees and asylum seekers.
The term ‘pastoral’ is derived from the Latin word ‘pascere’, which means ‘to feed’. The term ‘pastoral’ covers the “art and skill of feeding or caring for the wellness of others” (Waruta and Kinoti 2000). Effective pastoral support recognises the overall wellbeing needs of all by supporting individuals with the resources that can help them adapt and thrive at work.
Good pastoral support ensures that the physical, emotional, and work-related needs that can help a staff member adapt and thrive at work are supported by the employer. The essence of pastoral support follows the tenets of a nurturing organisation. This will minimise dissatisfaction and in the long run, improve retention for all staff members. Pastoral support should be considered from the onset of employment.
Pastoral support for care workers and senior care workers, should recognise the challenges of the role and provide training and support to mitigate the impact of these challenges, particularly if people are new to working social care and to minimise the chances of attrition. Pastoral support can include:
General information on pastoral support can be found at:
Teamwork in social care not only impacts the individual and service users, but also care coordination and the reputation of the organisation. One in 5 individuals working in social care in England, come from ethnic minority groups. It is essential that measures are in place to foster cohesive team working between local and overseas staff. Information and support on building a good team culture can be found at:
Career ambassadors are individuals who are passionate about the work they do in the different sectors of social care in Scotland and will often volunteer to help people, who are contemplating or beginning a career in social care, to understand and develop their career opportunities. They are equipped with knowledge of the diverse, inter-disciplines, opportunities and incentives one would find working within social care, and will share their lived experiences as part of empowering individuals who seek a career into the different roles within social care. To find out more visit: Careers ambassadors - Scottish Social Services Council (sssc.uk.com)
Spiritual and emotional needs form a part of an individual’s wellbeing and cannot be ignored in the workplace. Spiritual wellbeing looks at a connection to profoundly held values and beliefs which help individuals find meaning, purpose, significance and hope. Consideration for spiritual and emotional wellbeing at work sets the basis for employees who are grounded, promotes a positive work environment, and forms part of holistic care at work.
Pursuing spiritual wellbeing does not necessarily equate to embracing religion only, as there are other forms of spiritual care practices such as mindfulness, meditation, connection with nature, listening support, utilising quiet spaces for reflection individually or as a group as well as maintaining meaningful relationships with friends and families etc.
Employers are encouraged to ensure open communication and empathy, to support spiritual needs at work as well as permit reasonable accommodations to support spiritual practices at work.
Some helpful information on these aspects of pastoral support can be found at:
Employers have a duty of care to ensure an employee’s mental health is not affected as a result of work. Some helpful resources to support mental health in the workplace can be found at:
Supporting and celebrating employee’s intersectionality
Employers are encouraged to utilise a candidate-centred approach when implementing induction and to ensure an equitable distribution of resources aimed at supporting refugees and asylum seekers to not only adapt, but to also thrive in the workplace. Based on research, staff from overseas struggle to report health challenges for fear that absence from, or showing weakness at, work may impact on how their employer perceives their attitude towards work and its implications for their immigration status.
This document published by the Scottish government provides further information which can be found at Race Equality Framework.
Menopause occurs naturally in the life of a woman and can have an impact on a person’s ability to cope with work and may leave the staff member feeling unsupported. It is deemed discriminatory if members of a vulnerable or underrepresented group, including women experiencing menopausal symptoms, go unsupported at work. More information can be found at:
Noticing behavioural changes in your staff is helpful in recognizing that something may be wrong, and that the individual may be experiencing difficulties or trauma triggers. Often, refugees and asylum seekers will struggle to report difficulties borne out of personal circumstance. However, you may notice such changes as being jumpy, tearful, anxious or defensive, and may include panic attacks and forgetfulness. These are some of the signs that should prompt a manager to show empathy and compassionately investigate further. More information can be found at NHS Education for Scotland – What do we mean by trauma informed practice.
NES has produced a factsheet for employers on the different roles of mentors, buddies and volunteers.
Mentors, buddies and volunteers
Newly recruited refugees and asylum seekers should be provided with a comprehensive welcome pack. The welcome pack should provide information about the job expectations, the organisation's details, staff relocation and onboarding processes. It should also offer useful information on the local area, including amenities, clubs, and faith groups that an individual may be interested in joining or identify with. Additionally, it could provide insight into what life in Scotland is like. This resource aims to assist employers in empowering refugees and asylum seekers, enter, navigate and thrive within their organisation. More information can be found in this guide.
A welcome pack comprises of information and resources aimed at supporting the refugee and asylum seeker to be better prepared to join your organisation. Welcome packs should be a standard provision for every new entrant to your organisation, however, some welcome packs may contain supplementary information depending on candidate-centred needs. As most refugees and asylum seekers would already be based in Scotland prior to employment, only information relevant to the candidate's onboarding is necessary.
Further information and resources on what to adapt and include to your welcome pack including a pastoral support checklist can be found here: Nurture | Turas | Learn (nhs.scot)