Youth Mental Health First Aid

One of our staff members is a trained youth mental health first aider giving her the skills to identify when pupils might need help.

The mental health first aid training equips the trainees to recognise issues faced by children and young people. The approach can speed up a young person’s recovery or catch issues before they develop into a crisis.   As well as raising knowledge levels, it boosts confidence to deal with mental health problems, tackling stigma and provides a real focus on practical skills.

It is likely that one in ten young people experience a mental health issue at any one time. Mental health and emotional issues often develop during childhood, and can be long lasting and blight people’s lives.

The training went through the steps that staff need to take to help someone facing a mental health issue. From a first approach to someone showing signs of need, staff will listen without judging, give support and information, and then encourage and assist the young person in getting appropriate support.