After becoming disillusioned with the political campaigning path MHFA England had chosen to take, I decided it was time to move on.
Following my communication to them informing them of my decision, their Chief Operating Officer contacted me to find out why.
This is such an important step to ensure a complete understanding of viewpoints and to iron out if there has been any misunderstanding.
Not only did we spend time reminiscing the early days of MHFA England and the drive to attract the corporate sector, it reminded us both how much had been achieved.
I had never understood how much I was thought of positively. It’s a good few years since we sat in meetings together to drive forward goals. In the intervening years we hadn’t had much direct contact – paths go in different directions.
Receiving the email below was empowering to me. It reminded me just how important it is to ensure those we work with know how valued they are.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done to support MHFA England over the past 12 years. Your support across the roles of Instructor, Non-Executive Director and advocate has been invaluable throughout, especially at a time when we were seeking to break into the corporate sector. I hope you know how much we have appreciated all your efforts”.
Absolutely. This has been proven time and again in various research reports in delivering added value to bottom lines, brand reputations and staff retention. It’s more relevant and vital to business operations in the Coronavirus/Covid-19 era.
Of course, you have to ensure you implement the right training otherwise the impact made to your bottom line, brand reputation and staff retention could be negative!
I’ve been working in this field for over a decade now. I’m often asked what course I would recommend. See the table below for some key features of three training programmes I deliver.
Feature
i-act
FAA levels 1,2,3
MHFA England
Proactive – designed to prevent mental ill health
Yes
No
No
Specifically designed for the workplace
Yes
No
No
Accredited course for delegates
Yes
Yes
No
Over 50 tools for self- care/building resilience
Yes
No
No
Signposting to professional help
Yes
Yes
Yes
Delivered virtually or classroom
Yes
Yes
Yes
Instructors can deliver nationally
Yes
Yes
No
I’ve been so impressed by i-act’s proactive standpoint of aiming to prevent mental ill health in the workplace, vast array of self-help tools as well as tools to evaluate and develop skills of those delivering first stage support, that after 12 years as a MHFA England Instructor, I will no longer be delivering their products.
For employers who do like a formal, first aid approach to mental health, the FAA Levels 1, 2 and 3 deliver Ofqual regulated accreditation on the same three adult programmes MHFA England offers – half day awareness, one day champion and two-day first aider.
In this day and age, it’s more important than ever for employers to select the right product for their environment and team. Having the choice between accredited/non accredited and proactive/reactive training enables them to make this choice confidently and cost effectively.