Mission statement
To consistently support the mental health and wellbeing of freelancers – both in and out of work – across the UK television industry through inclusive and sustainable preventative measures. We will encourage commissioning schedules and budgets that support best practice for mental health and wellbeing.
"As a member of the MH&W group, it's nice that I'm able, alongside other industry colleagues, to help create a framework which stems from real-life experience, that's part of a positive future in TV.”
Our actions to date
Industry-recognised research and lived experience testimony highlights that working in the UK television industry carries an enhanced risk of poor mental health and suboptimal wellbeing.
This knowledge has shaped our discussions around how to best support TVs freelancers without duplicating existing help and resources. We will be supporting The TV Mindset’s Mental Health Hubs to give freelancers chance to meet up in person.
We have identified six priority areas:
- Mental health support in work - applying best practices throughout the production process that include safeguards for anonymity and confidentiality.
- Mental health support out of work - addressing loneliness and the damaging affects of long-term unemployment.
- Industry culture and communication - promoting understanding and sensitivity guidance across all materials from day one (e.g. transparency, trigger warnings, openness to needs).
- Accessibility and coordination - collating and signposting existing support services.
- Budgeting and resourcing - ensuring mental health is central to considerations from commissioning and throughout production stages.
- Supportive offboarding - develop productive methods of end-of-contract feedback as a two-way conversation between freelancers and production companies.
Success for this working group would be evidence (for example via the FTVC’s Looking Glass Reports, and other industry surveys) of improved mental wellbeing across the freelance workforce.