“Ours is a tough and increasingly female profession. As the professional association for those in leadership and management roles in the veterinary sector, we take our responsibility to support our members’ mental health throughout their career seriously. For many, when they are pregnant or caring for young children is a time when they need particular support. Later in life, as they experience menopause, is another key time.
“Through working with our members with direct experience of maternal wellbeing issues, we have created a range of free resources to help our members to support affected colleagues, including editable Wellbeing at Work and Fertility Treatment policy templates. We also provide templates for New Mother Return to Work Risk Assessments, covering not only the physical health of returnees, but also their psychological and emotional health.
“In addition, we offer resources on creating flexible working policies and options for reasonable adjustments to support maternal mental health. Our discussion group offers opportunities for members to share experiences and best practice in supporting colleagues through any mental health challenges they face, either in the run up to giving birth or once their children have been born.”
Georgina Hills – VMG President
VMG members can access all these free, editable resources on our website:
- Wellbeing at Work policy templates
- Fertility Treatment policy templates
- New Mother Return to Work Risk Assessment, which incorporate psychological, emotional and physical health; plus, advice and resources on creating flexible working policies and options for reasonable adjustments to support maternal mental health.
For additional resources, visit Veterinary Women’s Maternal Mental Health Week.
