FITW Awarded Government Grant Funding
In a new 10-year strategy to help boost the health and wellbeing of women, we are pleased to announce that FITW are one of the organisations that have been supported by the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Fund, part of a partnership programme between Department of Health & Social Care, NHS England, and UK Health Security Agency.
As part of the strategy, there is a focus on women’s reproductive wellbeing in the workplace and helping to support them remain in work and return to work. It has been identified that women working in small and medium enterprises as well as self-employed women, may not have the same access to support in the workplace, and so the grant will be used to reach these women, as well as the unemployed, in the Ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
Research shows that people experiencing infertility are reluctant to speak to their employer as they fear it may have a detrimental effect on their career and in a recent survey, 19% of people going through infertility either reduced their hours or left their job.
FITW help educate and support companies in understanding the impact of fertility issues and treatment so they can support employees. The newly awarded grant will support continued efforts to help such women in a wider capacity.
For more information on the Government’s strategy, please visit Women’s Health Strategy for England – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).