Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please provide the following information relating to Devon County Council’s policies on mental health support, occupational health, and related procedures, with a focus on the Highways and Traffic Management department (or council-wide if department-specific data is not held separately).
1. Copies of any policies or guidelines on handling mental health conditions in the workplace, including anxiety and depression (e.g., identification of triggers, support mechanisms, and reasonable adjustments such as private feedback sessions or meeting modifications to avoid distress).
Managing Sickness Absence Policy
Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy
RA25 Stress Risk Assessment – Employee Guidance
RA25 Stress Risk Assessment – Manager Guidance
RA25 Stress Risk Assessment Template
2. Details of occupational health referral processes for mental health issues (e.g., triggers for referral like disclosed conditions, typical timelines, and recommended adjustments for anxiety, such as flexible working arrangements or supervisory awareness training).
3. Recent training records for line managers and supervisors on mental health awareness and reasonable adjustments (e.g., number of sessions delivered from 2022-2025, content summaries or syllabi, and attendance/completion rates in the Highways department).
Mental Health awareness training:
- 5 x champion sessions delivered – financial year 2024-25
- 1 x champion session delivered – financial year 2023-24 (£2,600 per course)
- 1 x MHFA course delivered 23-24 FY. £3,500
4. Any procedural guidelines for providing work feedback or conducting performance discussions (e.g., preferences for private versus group settings to minimise humiliation or distress, and how to handle situations involving known mental health vulnerabilities).
5. Recent anonymised data on mental health-related absences and adjustments in the Highways department (e.g., number of cases from 2022-2025, types of adjustments provided, and average duration of absences linked to work-related stress or anxiety).
| Financial Year | Instances | Working Days Lost | Average duration of working days lost to absences | Reasonable Adjustments Made |
| 2022/2023 | 35 | 517 | 14.8 | Info not held |
| 2023/2024 | 70 | 866 | 12.4 | Info not held |
| 2024/2025 | 92 | 1,264 | 13.7 | 10 |
| Grand Total | 197 | 2,646 | 13.4 | 10 |
6. Recent records or guidelines on suspending staff during investigations into unacceptable behaviour or harassment allegations (e.g., criteria for suspension, examples from 2022-2025 in Highways, and how witness access is managed to avoid influence).
We can provide our Suspension Risk Assessment Template, Guidance relating to staff suspension and our Disciplinary Policy.
7. Recent anonymised statistics on grievances or complaints related to mental health, bullying, or harassment in the Highways department (e.g., number filed/resolved from 2022-2025, average resolution time, and outcomes like training or disciplinary actions).
This information is exempt from disclosure under Section 40 (2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Personal Data).
Devon County Council cannot disclose personal information if releasing it would contravene any of the provisions in the UK General Data Protection Regulation. In this instance, the release of this information would contravene the first data protection principle, due to low numbers, this could lead to the identification of individuals and therefore the information is withheld.