A MENTAL health charity is encouraging anyone who works with children and young people to enrol on a Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training course.

Carlisle Eden Mind, which spans the city, Eden area and the wider county, has received funding for the course from the Child Health and Wellbeing Network’s health inequalities fund, enabling local people to access it for free.

Lynsey Eland, young person service manager and trainer at the charity, said: “YMHFA is a two-day workshop but there are many different versions. Sometimes it’s a half day or one day.

"Those who take part walk away as youth mental health first aiders.

“It covers all aspects of youth mental health awareness. It really prepares participants to be first responders, so you become aware of the signs, how to respond, how to start those conversations.

"It can involve signposting and referring people to other services. We get lots of people who come to the sessions and either feel more confident in the skills they have or that they’ve really increased their skills in order for them to be able to start having those conversations with young people.

"We get a lot of teachers in schools.”

One of 125 local Minds across the country, Carlisle Eden Mind is an independent, self-funded body that matches services to meet local demand.

In addition to the YMHFA course, it offers Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training tailored to adults suffering mental distress and is the largest MHFA England accredited provider in Cumbria.

The adult and youth courses have similar content, both teaching people how to identify, understand and help someone who might be having a mental health problem.

Trainees receive three years of support and benefits and can choose to undertake a Mental Health First Aid refresher.

Other services offered by the charity include The Lighthouse, a Carlisle-based evening crisis support centre; Mindline Cumbria and counselling facility You in Mind.

Following the pandemic, reports have abounded of a decline in children’s mental health. Is this something Lynsey has seen?

“I think it’s difficult to say because it’s hard to know whether there is a genuine increase (in problems) or perhaps we’ve seen an increase because young people weren’t able to get support during lockdowns,” she said.

“I think we’re seeing a change. I’ve noticed a change in young people who are concerned about going to school. I know some schools have seen an increase in what they would call school avoidance. That’s something that we probably see more of.

“Other things were maybe a year or so ago around exams. I think that is settling down as young people are feeling more comfortable being in school. Yes there is an increase but there often is year on year.”

Lynsey feels the course is invaluable in helping adults to help children.

“One of the lovely things we cover is we look at stigma and it’s the language that we use,” she said. “Even if you don’t feel you can do anything else if you can adjust a bit of that language that would really encourage young people to see that you are somebody they would approach.

"It doesn’t matter what level you are – you walk away definitely more confident in your own skills and your ability to become that much more approachable for young people.

"If we had our way, the course would be available to everybody who works with young people – also parents.”

The next MHFA courses are on January 9 and 10 in Carlisle, February 6 and 7 in Workington and March 8 and 9 in Barrow.

The next YMHFA courses are on January 26 and 27 at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School and March 6 and 7 at Richard Rose Morton Academy in Carlisle. For more information visit cemind.org.