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The MHFA England Instructor Training Programme will train you to deliver our MHFA course. You will also become an MHFA England Instructor Member, giving you access to a wide range of benefits to help you carry out your role.
MHFA England is the only organisation in England able to provide MHFA Instructor Training licensed by Mental Health First Aid International.
Our market-leading programme is accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) for the standard, rigour, and quality assurance we apply.
You must have completed our MHFA course within the last three years to apply for the programme. You must also be applying to deliver the programme within your workplace or be in line with our current eligibility requirements.
Our MHFA England Instructor Training Programme costs £2,500 plus VAT per person to attend. The cost of the programme includes the following:
An online welcome session with the MHFA England team to give you an overview of the programme and answer any queries you may have
Six days of training delivered by two experienced MHFA England National Trainers split over a few weeks
All relevant training materials, including your instructor kit
Access to MHFAider® support and benefits, including the MHFAider Support App®
Support from a National Trainer mentor during your sign-off period
Access to the Instructor Member dashboard, filled with regularly updated supporting resources and documents to help you carry out your role effectively
If your application is accepted, you will receive an invoice by email.
If you have not achieved our MHFAider® qualification, the RSPH Level 3 Award in Mental Health First Aid, you must complete this as part of the programme. The cost of this is £99 including VAT.
If you are required to complete course co-deliveries with a National Trainer or require further observation as part of the sign-off process, there may be an additional fee based on individual requirements and recommendations from your National Trainer.
You must also purchase course materials for each learner on every MHFA England course you deliver.
The MHFA England Instructor Training Programme is licensed by MHFA International and accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health. We have quality assurance processes to ensure that all our Instructor Members are equipped to deliver high quality training.
The programme comprises a welcome session and six days of training delivered by two National Trainers. The training days are spread across multiple weeks, followed by a nine-month sign-off period.
Your National Trainers and the MHFA England Training Delivery team will be on hand and happy to support you with any guidance along the way.
You'll also need to complete around 10 to 15 hours of study outside of the training days, including:
Time spent on individual learning activities
Reading through session plans
Preparation for delivery tasks during the training
Completion of your Instructor-Member-In-Training portfolio
Attendance on the programme does not automatically sign you off as an Instructor Member. You will be assessed throughout the training and will need to meet some sign-off criteria to become an MHFA Instructor Member.
For more information about assessments and approval, see the programme structure below, and read our terms and conditions.
The first part of your programme is a 'Welcome session'. This is a two-hour session delivered online by the MHFA England team.
In the session, you'll learn more about the role and expectations of an Instructor Member and your journey towards becoming an Instructor Member. It will also give you more detailed information about the programme, including assessment and sign-off processes. You'll be introduced to the Online Learning Hub and the MHFAider Support App®, which you will use throughout your programme.
Following the session, there will be some individual learning on accessing the platforms you will use as an Instructor Member. You will need to complete this before your next session.
Two MHFA England National Trainers will deliver your training days face to face or online, depending on which programme you choose to attend.
These sessions will cover aspects of the MHFA course through the lens of an Instructor Member and guide you on how to best deliver the MHFA course.
Throughout the sessions, you will:
- Learn how to consistently deliver the MHFA course in line with MHFA England's quality assurance standards
- Learn and demonstrate the role requirements, attributes, and values of an MHFA England Instructor Member
- Demonstrate effective facilitation, presentation skills, and group leadership required to be a successful Instructor Member
- Demonstrate your IT skills, including using online delivery systems, presentation software, and course administration on MHFA England's website
- Discuss varying lived experiences of poor mental health and journeys to recovery
- Discuss how disparities caused by racism affect the mental health of Black people and People of Colour in England and learn how to facilitate discussions on racism and other areas of intersectionality and their impact on mental health
- Understand how to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the diversity of learners in relation to the learning experience
- Review and explore the similarities and differences between online and face-to-face learning environments, and how you can adapt to deliver effectively
You will be assessed on your engagement throughout the programme and during your assessed deliveries, as detailed below.
During your programme, you will hear from guest speakers with various backgrounds within the mental health landscape. These sessions may include discussions with people who have experienced poor mental health, a carer of someone with poor mental health or someone from a medical background. Topics will cover a range of factors contributing to mental health, recovery models, and treatments.
The guest speaker sessions aim to empower you and increase your knowledge of individual experiences. Hearing these personal stories brings the programme to life beyond the facts and gives you a reference point when delivering your training.
Each programme includes a session discussing the impacts of systemic racism on mental health, delivered by someone who is Black or a Person of Colour. This session equips you with skills to address racism and racial disparities in mental health. MHFA England is committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation, and we encourage our Instructor Members to come on this journey too.
During the training days, you will be assessed on the following:
- Your ability to co-deliver a section of the MHFA course with a fellow Instructor-Member-In-Training on your programme
- Your ability to deliver a section of the MHFA course solo to your fellow Instructor-Members-In-Training on the programme
- Your overall engagement and performance throughout the programme
You will then have a one-to-one feedback session with your National Trainer mentor, where you will discuss your performance and be provided an assessment score.
It is possible, although unlikely, to be unsuccessful in completing the programme if our National Trainers do not have confidence in your deliveries and performance.
After completing your programme, you will have nine months to complete your sign-off activities and become an Instructor Member. During your sign-off period, you must complete a specified number of co-deliveries of the MHFA course with another Instructor and submit learner feedback to your National Trainer mentor.
Your National Trainer mentor will be available for support during this period and assess the feedback from your co-deliveries. They will be responsible for signing you off as an MHFA England Instructor Member.
Who you are able to co-deliver with will depend on your programme assessment score. This will typically be another Instructor-Member-In-Training or an Instructor Member, but if your mentor feels you need further support you may need to be observed by or deliver with an MHFA England National Trainer.
Before applying for the programme, please consider your wellbeing and suitability to become an MHFA England Instructor Member.
Review the programme requirements, including:
The individual learning that is required alongside the training days
The requirement to deliver assessed sessions during the course
The assessment and sign-off processes
The requirements to maintain your membership after sign off
Topics covered in the programme can be distressing, triggering, and challenging. The content covers mental health in depth, including discussions of lived experience and factors that impact mental health, such as racism. As a learner you will be expected to consider your own experiences and beliefs as well as those of others.
You will need to meet annual membership requirements to continue delivering MHFA England courses.
The current membership requirements are detailed below:
Sign the Instructor Member Agreement each year
Pay an annual membership fee, the first payment of which is due 12 months after the final training day of your programme
Deliver a minimum of two MHFA England courses per year
Complete at least two development activities, one of which must be from the selection provided by MHFA England
Demonstrate the attributes expected of Instructor Members as described in the Instructor Member handbook
Adhere to the guidance and instructions laid out in our quality assurance framework