Do the new care protocols go far enough? (Picture: ITV)
There’s just days to go until Love Island finally returns to our screens after over a year of waiting.
This year’s contestants are already reportedly in quarantine in sunny Spain ahead of the launch show.
ITV recently unveiled a new look for the show – including a brand spanking new logo, a resigned Majorcan villa, and updated personalised bottles.
Ahead of the series launch on Monday, ITV has announced new duty of care protocols they’ve put in place to support contestants before, during, and after their time on the hit dating show.
So what are this year’s duty of care protocols, and do they go far enough to protect the Islanders?
Metro.co.uk spoke to some mental health experts to find out what they have to say.
What mental health support is in place for the Love Island 2021 contestants?
The new duty of care protocols have been introduced as part of a collaboration between former Chief Medical Officer Dr Paul Litchfield and Consultant Chartered Clinical Psychologist Dr Matthew Gould.
This year’s Love Island contestants will be offered a ‘minimum of eight therapy sessions’ and get social media training under ITV’s new welfare plans.
Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis were former Love Island contestants (Picture: ITV/Love Island)
They will also have support in financial matters, dealing with online trolling, as well as comprehensive psychological support before, during, and after the show.
There were calls for increased support for the cast after two former islanders – Sophie Gradon from series two and Mike Thalassitis from series three – took their own lives years after competing on Love Island.
Then, in February 2020, former host Caroline Flack died by suicide aged 40.
The show was accused of not doing enough to protect the mental health of their contestants, and so the new care protocols are a welcome change.
The full details of the contestant’s care plans are as follows:
Pre-filming and filming
- Registered mental health professional engaged throughout the whole series – from pre-filming to aftercare
- Thorough pre-filming psychological and medical assessments including assessments by an independent doctor, psychological consultant, and reports from each Islander’s own GP to check medical history
- Potential Islanders are required to fully disclose any medical history that would be relevant to their inclusion in the villa and the production’s ability to provide a suitable environment for them
- Managing cast expectations: detailed explanations both verbally and in writing of the implications, both positive and negative, of taking part in the series are given to potential cast members throughout the casting process and reinforced within the contract so it is clear
- Cast are told they should consider all the potential implications of taking part in the show and work through this decision-making process in consultation with their family and those closest to them, to ensure they feel it is right for them
- Senior Team on the ground have received training in Mental Health First Aid
- A welfare team solely dedicated to the Islanders both during the show and after
Love Island returns to our screens on June 28 (Picture: ITV/Love Island)
Aftercare
- Training on dealing with social media and advice on finance and adjusting to life back home.
- A minimum of eight therapy sessions will be offered to each Islander when they return home.
- Proactive contact with Islanders for a period of 14 months after the series in which they have appeared has ended, with additional help provided where applicable.
- Encourage Islanders to secure management to represent them after the show and manage them should they choose to take part in other TV shows, advertising campaigns, or other public appearance opportunities.
Dr Paul Litchfield, who was appointed by ITV in 2018 to review Love Island’s participant welfare processes, said: ‘Society’s appreciation of the importance of mental health and wellbeing has grown enormously in recent years and the pandemic has brought that into even sharper focus.
‘Reducing the risk of harm, where possible, is an imperative but promoting good mental health is also necessary. ITV’s evolving commitment to these issues, backed up by tangible action, is an example to others in the industry and beyond.’