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Embedding mental health into the future of movement

It’s not very often that we stop and really reflect on how far we’ve come, but this Mental Health Awareness Week I'm inviting you to celebrate some recent and significant milestones in embedding mental health in sport and physical activity.

Over the last decade, the sector has been on an incredible journey to take positive action on mental health.

This kick-started with the launch of the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation in 2015 and since then we’ve seen some key milestones, such as:

It’s not very often that we stop and really reflect on how far we’ve come, but this week I’m inviting you to celebrate some recent and significant milestones in embedding mental health in sport and physical activity.

“So, Ben, are those the significant milestones you’re referring to?” I hear you ask, and of course they’re significant! But there’s still more to do to support people’s mental health through sport, physical activity and movement.

Back in 2017, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson's Duty of Care report contained clear recommendations including:

  • the introduction of the sector-standard mental health training for coaches and physical activity professionals
  • the need by national governing bodies (NGBs) to include mental health issues in the content of coaching and other sport-related courses, which filtered down to clubs.

Recently we’ve done just that and CIMSPA’s Coach and Swimming Teacher professional standards now include a section on mental health awareness with knowledge points on:

  • mental health definitions
  • professional boundaries
  • providing support to people with mental health problems
  • the importance of self-care.

Plus did you know the sport and physical activity sector now has a dedicated professional standard for working with people with mental health conditions?

This means NGBs and training providers can benchmark qualifications and training when delivering programmes specifically aimed at people with mental health problems.

Championing activity and wellbeing

This is hugely significant because, believe it or not, the sport and physical activity sector is leading the way!

And I'm not being biased as, out the 322 organisations surveyed in CIMSPA’s 2025 Workforce Development Tool, nearly half (48%) identified mental health awareness as a specialised skill they will need in the next 12–24 months.

Oh, and we haven’t stopped there!

We’ve also created licensed mental health content for NGBs and for the Sport England system partners to use in their training and qualifications for free!

Nowadays I’m working with NGBs to embed this content into their coach education pathways, with British Rowing leading the way.

Their head of qualifications and training development, Rachel Hooper, mentioned that our licensed content has been invaluable in ensuring they use modern and credible information to support coaches.

“Completed it, mate?”  Well, not quite because there’s still a long way to go to truly embed mental health across sport and physical activity.

Getting in touch

Too many people are battling with their mental health, often in silence, but we know physical activity can be a powerful tool for both preventing and managing mental health problems.

So, this Mental Health Awareness Week I’m inviting you to take action and to be part of the journey, because great mental health care isn’t just clinical; it’s human.

It’s the sports coach who asks, “is everything ok?” when you miss a session or the fitness instructor who checks how they can support you before your first exercise class, but mental wellbeing is also about building a supportive and friendly environment where people can move and thrive.

So if you’re unsure where to start, that's what we’re here for! Let’s talk, let’s start the conversation and let’s fight for mental health for the next 10 years and beyond.

You can reach us by email, online or follow us on LinkedIn. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Mind – Physical activity and mental health

Now is the time

This week is National Inclusion Week, an initiative started by our friends at Inclusive Employers to celebrate inclusion and to make changes that build workplaces where everyone can thrive.

This year the theme is 'Now is the time', but what does this mean exactly?

Basically, that there’s no moment like the present to take action and to make those practical steps in your organisations that embed inclusion and create a sense of belonging.

This really is one of my favourite weeks of the year!

‘Being inclusive’ is one of the guiding values for the work we do at Sport England and it highlights a collective commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in sport and physical activity.

But we don't approach our commitment to EDI alone, because Moving to Inclusion is an initiative by all the home nations sports councils.

Its purpose is to provide resources and support for physical activity and sport organisations moving towards a more diverse, inclusive and socially responsible sector.

These commitments include an opportunity for self-reflection and continual improvement, which is key in our compromise to keep progressing and living by the values we want to promote.

A bit of history

The Moving to inclusion Framework was created to replace the former ‘Equality Standard - A Framework for Sport’ following a review and consultation with the sport and physical activity sector back in 2021, and it was later soft-launched in Autumn 2023.
 

This week is National Inclusion Week, an initiative started by our friends at Inclusive Employers to celebrate inclusion and to make changes that build workplaces where everyone can thrive.

The Framework guides organisations on developing inclusive practice through self-reflection and continuous improvement using the Moving to Inclusion Diagnostic Toolkit.

Through this self-reflection tool, our aim is simple: to embed equality, diversity and inclusion through incorporating action planning, implementation and review into an organisation’s everyday work.

It is important to note that the diagnostic tool is not mandatory to complete, or part of any performance management for partner-organisations' funding conditions in England. 

Benefits for everybody

In any case, and whichever way you choose to start your inclusivity journey, we believe there are benefits to joining our Moving to Inclusion community:

  • This framework enables your organisation to break down the areas around inclusion to make it more manageable and realistically achievable to embed change.
  • The process is broken down into five pillars: Culture, Leadership, Experience, Relationship and Communication.
  • The self-diagnostic tool within the Moving to Inclusion Framework will help you assess where your organisation is now on its EDI journey and consider where you might need to focus effort and make further improvements.
  • The Framework provides practical suggestions and resources to help you drive continuous improvement in your organisation. The reason for this is that a greater focus on EDI will benefit the whole business, including staff satisfaction and retention, reputation, diversity of workforce and thought, growth in participation and membership, innovation, better resilience and increased business opportunities.
  • Partners who are funded by Sport England may be able to access mentor support upon completing their diagnostic.  
  • As Moving to Inclusion evolves, it will create a learning culture and community to be part of.

Any organisation (either inside the sport sector or outside) can undertake the self-reflection process and benefit from the online resources that support it.

To get an idea of the impact it is currently having, check out this infographic for April 2024-March 2025.

Leading change on EDI in our sector

Sport England (and UK Sport) have introduced Diversity and Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs) as a mandatory requirement of the Code for Sports Governance.

DIAPs set out the ambitions and practical steps that organisations in the sport and physical activity sector will take to achieve greater diversity and create inclusive cultures.  

The plans are applicable to Tier 3 organisations, with the aim to improve representation and inclusion on boards, in senior leadership teams and throughout the wider organisation. 

To date, Sport England and UK Sport have signed off 116 DIAPs that are now with partners to deliver on the actions within their plans and to improve diversity within their organisations and beyond.  

Organisations funded by Sport England will find that Moving to Inclusion provides additional, complementary and enduring support for their DIAP processes.

The themed pillars within Moving to Inclusion will help those organisations refresh their DIAPs and they may choose to incorporate the actions arising from their self-assessment within their own plans.

This National Inclusion Week (and every other week in the calendar, if you ask me) we all have a role to play in changing our behaviour, championing inclusive practices and challenging discrimination.

Collectively, we can create the conditions that support a kind, welcoming and nurturing environment for everyone to lead healthier and happier lives and we hope Moving to Inclusion can help you in that journey.
 

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