Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Help with a wide range of work, family and personal issues.

With ever increasing pressures at work and home, there are times when we all need some extra support to balance the demands of everyday life. That’s why UCL provides a free and confidential, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) from Care first, an independent provider of employee support services. Care first employ professionally qualified Counsellors and Information Specialists, who are experienced in helping people to deal with all kinds of practical and emotional issues such as Wellbeing, family matters, relationships, debt management, workplace issues, and much more.

Your EAP is paid for by UCL as a support service for you as an employee, so that it’s free of charge for you to use. You don’t need to ask your manager to use Care first, just call 0800 197 4510 and you can speak to a professional counsellor or information specialist in confidence. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is accessible by phone or online. The EAP can provide information booklets, articles, resource information on support services in your local area and even short term face-to-face counselling to help get you back on track.

Their comprehensive EAP lifestyle website offers extensive resources including articles on health, issues at home, issues at work, management support tools, stress questionnaires and online counselling in real-time. Their Vitality website is an online personal and interactive Wellbeing portal which helps you identify which areas of your Wellbeing may need some focus and gives you all the tools, information and support you need to make positive changes. This unique health management resource helps you enhance your Wellbeing and lead a healthier lifestyle.

The EAP is designed to help you with a wide range of work, family and personal issues. From work-life balance to childcare information, relationships to workplace issues, health and well-being, let your EAP support you on the issues that affect all of us at some point in our lives. Topics include, but are not limited to:

Work-life balance
Relationships
Childcare information
Health and well-being
Debt
Disability and illness
Careers
Bereavement and loss
Stress
Sexual orientation
Elder care information
Life events
Immigration
Anxiety and depression
Family issues
Bullying and harassment
Education
Consumer rights
Workplace pressure
Gender identity

Confidentiality is the foundation of the service and Care first is bound by professional standards regarding confidentiality and the disclosure of details of individuals who have contacted them.

We hope you make use of this valuable resource as often as you need to!

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

How to contact the EAP

Resources