Police and Emergency Services Training

Mental Health Awareness training

In 2004 Dr. Jonathan Dowd and Dr. Shaun Parsons developed the first, empirically evaluated, Mental Health Awareness Training programme in the United Kingdom. The programme seeks to provide relevant understanding, knowledge and communication skills to those whose work inevitably brings them into contact with mentally vulnerable individuals. Designed to address stereotyping and stigmatisation, the training is considered especially relevant to the public sector where staff provide frontline services to the general community and endeavour to provide quality of service to those experiencing mental and psychological difficulties. The Mental Health Awareness Training (MHA) programme received The Queens Award for Innovation in training and has been recognised as best practice by the Home Office, MIND, The Alzheimer's Society, The Princess Royal Trust Carers organisation and the Independent Police Complaints Authority.

Empirical research identified that in order to improve awareness of and attitudes towards mental and psychological vulnerability, training should be credible in both content and delivery. The MHA was written by both professionals working in mental health arena and also by service users who were consulted at every stage of programme development. A rigorous evaluation of the programme evidenced how attitudes of staff towards the mentally vulnerable improved as did behavioural responses.

Training can be specifically focussed to the organisational requirements of the service seeking training. For example, Police Force training has centred upon the issues faced by Firearms officers and frontline patrol officers and staff but is also provided for staff who perform frontline service duties but would not normally be expected to deal with situations of confrontation.

Mental Health Awareness Training was featured on BBC Radio 4's programme 'All in the Mind'. You can listen to this programme by visiting the BBC website and selecting "Listen to 24 February" in the 'Listen Again' box on the left of the page.

Debriefing following traumatic incidents

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