Critical Thinking
Using Organisational Procedures
Resilience
Political Skills Negotiation
A LEGAL AND MORAL DUT Y
Figure 4: Important Political Skills to Consider in Training and Induction Programmes for Parliamentarians30
Advocacy
Networking
Influencing and Persuading
A Legal and Moral Duty Whilst the previous section advances a rational and moral duty to promote and protect the mental health of Parliamentarians and parliamentary support staff, there are legal obligations to be considered as well. Legislation regarding occupational health and safety (OHS) across Commonwealth countries typically impose a duty of reasonable care and protection of worker health and safety. It is important that mental health be included in the broader definitions and considerations of ‘health and safety’ in the occupational context. There appear to be loopholes in the legal OHS obligations of some Parliaments, where staff may be excluded from certain protections under broader employee health and safety legislation, and Parliamentarians are technically not employed but regarded as individual, elected office holders48, and may consequently not enjoy protection under OHS legislation. A further complicating factor is the division of support staff between parliamentary employees and those employed by Parliamentarians, which may frustrate the implementation of universal policies or support structures. Where the legislation does not strictly apply, an internal policy may be a useful device to fill the gaps to ensure adequate protection and support for the mental and other health and safety of Parliamentarians and support staff. Where practical, such a policy or at least its principles should be universally applicable to all workers.
MENTAL HEALTH TOOLKIT FOR COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTS
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