Youth Mental Health First Aid – Life Saving Victoria

Program description

Life Saving Victoria (LSV) is a provider of Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). Youth MHFA is for adults who work, live with or care for adolescents.

In this program, upper primary and secondary school staff will learn how to assist students aged 12–18 years who are developing a mental health problem, experiencing worsening of a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The program focuses on improved mental health literacy and early intervention.

This course aims to help participants better recognise changes in students’ thinking, feelings, or behaviour that may indicate presence of a mental health problem. Topics covered include:

• depression
• anxiety
• panic attacks
• eating disorders
• suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

Intended outcomes

• Reduced stigmatising attitudes.
• Increased knowledge of mental health problems.
• Increased confidence to respond to student mental health problems.

Program details

Implementation considerations

• Target population: Upper primary and all secondary school staff who support students aged 12–18 years.
• Program adaptability: Following MHFA guidelines the course can be adapted to local context and needs. LSV trainers are highly skilled in adaptability delivering various courses to over 20,000+ participants per year. The program can be adapted for diverse cohorts including:
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
  • asylum seeker and refugee students
  • LGBTIQA+ students
  • students with a disability.
• Staffing: Backfilling may be required depending on what course type is chosen or being delivered. The Menu provider and its personnel must not be alone with any school student or group of school students in the classroom or in any other place at the school’s premises without another educator, teacher or teacher’s aide present at all times.
• Training requirements:
  • The course takes 14 hours with allocations split over presentation time and eLearning pre-requisites depending on the delivery mode chosen and is delivered by one Youth MHFA accredited instructor.
  • On completion of the course, participants receive a Youth Mental Health First Aid accreditation, valid for 3 years. Refreshers involve 4–5 hours of training time to revalidate accreditation.
  • Staff will need access to computers to complete eLearning or participate in video conferencing. Where classroom delivery is applicable schools will be responsible for ensuring a suitable training venue including a training room, whiteboard, projector screen, tables and chairs.
  • Courses can also be hosted at the LSV State Centre in Port Melbourne at no extra cost.
• Factors to consider: For a private course there is a minimum of 6 participants required due to group scenario/exercise components and a minimum charge of 12 participants will apply. Alternatively, participants can join a public course run by LSV.
• Australian context: Youth MHFA was developed in Australia by MHFA Australia. LSV is a provider of this program.

Cost

Minimum cost

From under $1,000

Detailed cost

Youth MHFA is costed at $249 per person (incl. GST) for face-to-face delivery, or $295 per person (incl. GST) for blended/online delivery.

Staff may choose to purchase private Youth MHFA training sessions at the school, or staff may choose to attend the public Youth MHFA training sessions as individual participants face-to-face or online.

The course fee includes the following items for each participant:

• course content of 14 hours delivered by an accredited instructor
• pre-and post-course instructor support, access to LSV and MHFA online portals
• Youth MHFA accreditation, valid for 3 years
• a course manual and workbook
• LSV pen
• certificate of completion
• invitation to join the MHFAider Network
• use of an LSV training room in Port Melbourne if required for private training courses booked.

After 3 years, participants may choose to complete the Youth MHFA refresher course of 4–5 hours for $170 per person (incl. GST).

Additional costs may apply for accommodation, at $140 (incl. GST), and meal allowance, at $50 (incl. GST), when a school is one hour or more from Melbourne CBD.

No additional travel costs will be charged.