MHFA England
We are Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England. We are a social enterprise that offers expert guidance and training to support mental health.
Why we exist
Our vision is to improve the mental health of the nation.
We all have mental health. Better mental health is good for everyone and recognising this is good for society.
We want a society where everyone can thrive. We believe in zero stigma surrounding mental health. We want mental health to be openly discussed and supported.
We want our training to create an unshakable belief that we can all talk freely about mental health and seek support when we need it. We will achieve this through our mission to train one in ten people in MHFA England skills.
What we do
Our mission is to train one in ten people in MHFA England skills.
Through our training and campaigning, we equip people with the skills they need to support their own and others’ wellbeing.
We offer a range of evidence-based face to face and digital learning, from awareness raising to skill development. Our courses empower people to notice signs of mental ill health, and encourage them to break down barriers, listen in a non-judgemental way, and signpost to support for recovery.
Our trainings and resources also promote self-care. It's a vital way for people to help protect their mental health and prevent issues getting worse.
Transforming workplace mental health
Because the workplace is where many people spend most of their time, we provide in-house training and consultancy to organisations of all shapes and sizes. Through working with over 20,000 employers we know that each organisation's culture is unique, and the key to maintaining a mentally healthy workplace is understanding the people within it. Learn about our offer for workplaces here.
Profit with pride
As a social enterprise, we make profit with pride. We reinvest our profits to give access to quality mental health training. We offer free and discounted training to those in the sports and recreation sectors working with young people.
We believe that everyone should have access to support for their mental health.
Watch a short film on our vision and mission below:
Who we are
Our team of experienced National Trainers have trained and mentored 2,000 Instructor Members. Our Instructor Members work independently to deliver MHFA England courses in their communities across the country.
MHFA England is led by our Chief Executive, Simon Blake OBE, and our executive team: Fionuala Bonnar, Eleanor Miller, Julian Kenny and Sarah McIntosh. Our governing board is chaired by Mark Watson-Gandy and Lord Patel of Bradford is a patron. Our head office is in London with a growing central team of about 100 members of staff.
MHFA International licenses our Instructor Training programme and we are the only organisation in England who can provide it. Our Instructor Training programme is accredited by the Royal Society for Public Health and is delivered by our independent National Trainers. Once trained, our Instructor Members go on to deliver MHFA England courses all over the country.
We’re proud to be a certified social enterprise and a member of the national trade body, Social Enterprise UK. We are one of more than 70,000 social enterprises across Britain tackling social and environmental issues. To learn more about social enterprises visit socialenterprise.org.uk.
Our history
MHFA training came to England in 2007. The Department of Health: National Institute of Mental Health in England (NIMHE) developed and launched the programme as part of a national approach to improve public mental health.
MHFA training courses were first developed in Australia in 2000. In the years since, it has evolved into a global movement with licensed programmes in 25 countries and counting. Over 3 million people have been trained in MHFA skills worldwide. You can find out more about international MHFA programmes at mhfainternational.org.
Our year 2018-19
MHFA England's first ever Impact Report shares our 12 years of history, our achievements over the year 2018-19, and our plans for the future.
It's a celebration of our whole community's hard work and passion for improving the nation’s mental health.