Safeguarding and wellbeing tool adopted by Greater Manchester councils

Local councils in Greater Manchester, as well as across the UK, have adopted technology of a Manchester start-up, Tootoot, to combat mental health issues in their schools, as well as taking part in early stage pilots for the wellbeing tool in the workplace.

The business also received support from the Greater Manchester Youth Combined Authority, which provided early feedback that enabled the business to develop its app.

Tootoot’s education offering is currently in use within 300 schools and sports clubs, offering children and young people a safe and trusted platform on which to speak-up about any mental health concerns or issues of abuse anonymously, including in Greater Manchester. Teachers and safeguarding officers in schools can use the tool to monitor vulnerable individuals and get help where it is needed, while analysing trends in student and staff wellbeing.

Michael Brennan, CEO of Tootoot, said of their product:

“Health and safety protects the physical safety of an organisation, that’s why hard hats are worn in construction. But there are no hard hats for students and sports members to protect from the intangible dangers of bullying, stress and harassment whilst in their school or sports club.”

Businesses in Greater Manchester may also be able to benefit from the technology in the future, after investment to develop the product offering for workplaces.

Tootoot has secured £290,000 investment following a joint raise from GC Angels and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.  The investment will allow the business to develop its product offering to reach thousands of employees working within large, international businesses.

The Department of Health estimates that one in four adults experience a mental health condition. Tootoot’s tools will enable organisations to understand the mental wellbeing of its staff, use the software for whistleblowing and reporting, as well as capture snapshots of employee feedback on a wide variety of topics to avoid survey fatigue.

In addition to working with Greater Manchester councils, a large commercial pilot is in place with a multinational bank across sites in the UK and India.