‘To do this full-time is a dream come true’ says CAPLO and wellbeing Fed rep

14 November 2024

Helen initially became a part-time workplace representative in 2019, driven by the same empathy required of her in supporting victims of sexual violence.

During her Force career, she also performed important work on the other side of such crime, and it was her role as a Sexual and Violent Offender Manager she left behind to take on full-time Federation duties earlier this year.

“I’ve always been passionate about fairness and wanting things to be fair. The opportunity to support people through difficult circumstances, where they can feel so lost and like everything is set up against them, has always appealed to me,” said Helen, who revealed juggling a full-time job and work as a rep gradually became more difficult.

Derbyshire Police Federation’s Helen Gallear.

“I think I did lose my way a bit as a rep – I felt like I wasn’t giving a full and proper service,” she continued, adding: “To be honest, though, since going full-time, I have rediscovered my true fulfilment with the job.

“And, of course, that’s not to suggest part-time reps can’t make a huge impact because they do. They are still a part of day-to-day policing and I think they come into their own with frontline matters.

“I’m speaking purely on my own personal journey – and to do this full-time is a dream come true for me.”

CAPLO

In her time as CAPLO and wellbeing lead so far, Helen has become the face of the Federation in Professional Standards Department (PSD) cases, assisting a number of members in some of the most stressful and emotionally demanding moments of their careers.

Through the development of an ‘open and honest’ relationship with the Force’s PSD, she has been able to help maintain the integrity of its investigations while highlighting the impact they can have on officers in question.

Helen draws on her own experience, having found herself at the centre of a PSD case 13 years ago after receiving a complaint.

“It was the worst six month of my career,” she said, adding: “It was an absolutely dreadful time, and I know how it feels. I’ve been in that position.”

In addition to her support for Federation members in long-term processes, Helen, who is also trained in Post-Incident Procedures (PIPs) has been able to commit more time to assisting with isolated, one-time disputes.

Individuals have benefitted from her services with issues relating to shift patterns, annual leave, and moving to another department or working environment.

Wellbeing

“I like it when members come to me with a one-off problem and the fact I can help a lot more of them now,” she said.

“There’s been quite a few people who have come to me, saying they’re considering quitting the Force because they have grown tired of their role. But I’m a big believer in people being in the right jobs – keeping hold of officers and getting them doing something they will enjoy more, rather than losing them altogether.”

Helen, whose Force career spanned 22 years, added she has assisted members through ill-health retirement and heavily promoted the Police Treatment Centres – an organisation she believes is an ‘unbelievable’ wellbeing charity – in her first half-year as a full-time Fed rep.

She is also working hard to support line managers in upskilling their knowledge of wellbeing, while championing the introduction of wellbeing passports and stress management documents. Helen reiterated the importance of consistency across decision-makers in preventing, rather than responding, officer mental health difficulties.

She ended: “I just want to be there and have things in place so our members can be as happy and as healthy as possible.”