We are delighted to be shortlisted for three Ibec KeepWell Awards 2020 which celebrate companies who successfully implement corporate wellbeing strategies:

Oberstown has been nominated for:

• Best in Class: Mental Health
• Best Wellbeing Initiative
• Company of the Year: Large

Oberstown recognises the link between health & wellbeing, engagement and organisational performance. Our strategic health and wellbeing framework, Working Well, was developed by Oberstown organisational psychologist, Cara Driscoll, and launched in early 2019.

At the centre of the Working Well framework is the delivery of peer-to-peer support for all employees. Oberstown staff members are trained in critical incident stress management, ensuring that they are in a position to support colleagues after an incident. This in-house, onsite support service for staff is almost unique in the care sector.

Furthermore, Oberstown has trained 90% of peer support workers in mental health first aid for colleagues and is only the second organisation in Ireland to train facilitators in suicide prevention and self-harm mitigation as a support for both its staff and young people.

Oberstown is committed to encouraging and supporting employees to develop and maintain healthy behaviours. We use the resources on Campus to promote a healthy working environment and initiatives such as smoking cessation, sun protection and daily exercise.

Cara Driscoll, organisation psychologist at Oberstown, said: “Positive mental health and wellbeing is a key focus in workplaces throughout the country and we recognise the importance of this for Oberstown.

Our programme of peer support for staff is one of the ways we empower staff to provide emotional support to their colleagues when needed, and it has been beneficial to both staff development and wellbeing at Oberstown.”

Ursula Kilkelly, Chairperson of Oberstown Board of Management commented: “The Board of Management at Oberstown is clear that our people are core to the success of our mission to provide the best possible care for young people.  Reflecting this, our Strategic Plan contains a commitment to the wellbeing and development of all employees. We are delighted to see this goal realised in the achievement of the IBEC KeepWell mark and the recent nomination of the Campus for awards in three categories at the IBEC KeepWell awards. Both are testament to the hard work, commitment and leadership shown every day by our employees.”

Director of Oberstown Pat Bergin added: “Working at Oberstown is a very positive experience for staff but can also be a challenging one. We believe in supporting our staff to manage the emotional stresses and strains the job occasionally involves. Oberstown is pioneering new ways of looking after our staff’s emotional wellbeing, for their own benefit and for the benefit of the young people they work with and care for. I’m very proud that Oberstown has been shortlisted for three KeepWell Awards and that our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our staff has been recognized by Ibec.”