Applications now open - Youth and Teen Mental Health Instructors
Published on 29 March 2023
Expression of Interest Application - Youth and Teen Mental Health Instructors
Are you someone who cares deeply about your community?
Do you feel strongly about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our young people?
Then becoming a Youth/Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructor may be exactly what you have been looking for.
The Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group is inviting community members to undertake the training needed to become a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
Training, accommodation and travel costs will be covered and once trained you will be able to deliver Teen and Youth Mental Health First Aid training in local secondary schools and in the community during 2023 and 2024.
Applications close Friday 28 April, 2023.
Youth Live4Life
Youth Live4Life was established to independently facilitate and govern the expansion of the Live4Life youth suicide prevention and mental health education model, that has been operating in the Macedon Ranges since 2010. Our vision is that all rural communities across Australia are empowered to support, improve and invest in their young people's mental health and reduce youth suicide. Youth Live4Life works with rural communities to implement the Live4Life model.
The Youth Live4Life purpose is to:
- Reduce the barriers that prevent young people from seeking help
- Decrease mental health stigma
- Increase awareness of local professional help
- Increase the mental health knowledge of secondary school-aged students, teachers, parents, carers and community members; and
- Build and maintain community resilience in addressing mental ill-health.
Live4Life Central Goldfields
2023 is the reactivation of implementation of Live4Life in Central Goldfields. This initiative is being led by Central Goldfields Shire Council and driven by members of the local partnership group with representatives from:
- Central Goldfields Shire Council
- Department of Education
- Highview College
- Maryborough and District Health Service
- Maryborough Education Centre
- School Focused Youth Service – Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health
- Victoria Police
Live4Life’s core values and principles of practice include:
Values
Inclusion: Live4Life is based on the premise of inclusion rather than exclusion. Partners who wish to participate and assist with Live4Life are encouraged.
Integrity: Live4Life aspires to ensure the conduct of all partners and participants is honest, reliable and authentic.
Collaboration: Live4Life encourages and supports all partners to achieve collective goals.
Respect: Life4Life only operates within a respectful and trustworthy environment. We embrace unconditional positive regard for all young people.
Core principles
Community and Youth Participation: We value community development principles of inclusion, equity, anti-discrimination, self-determination, partnership and empowerment. Live4Life works in a multilayered partnership between schools, the local community, its services and young people and draws on local expertise and knowledge.
Local Strength: We build capacity by supporting and embracing the strengths of each partner organisation. We embrace challenges and focus on solutions.
Evidence-based Education: We continue to seek, learn and disseminate quality evidence-based education support and resources relevant to local needs.
Reflection: We evaluate, learn and adapt. We continue to improve the Live4Life model.
Becoming a Mental Health First Aid Instructor
The instructor training is a commitment of training in Melbourne as follows:
- 3 x Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training - 11-14 September in Melbourne; and/or
- 2 x Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor Training - 8-12 May in Melbourne
The Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership will cover all training, accommodation and travel costs.
Once trained, you will be required to support the Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group to deliver free of charge Teen Mental Health First Aid (TMHFA) and/or Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) courses in local secondary schools and/or communities across the Shire throughout 2023 and 2024.
Teen Mental Health First Aid
Your commitment will include running TMHFA sessions with year 8 and 11 students at:
- Highview College, and
- Maryborough Education Centre.
The time commitment per instructor for TMHFA will involve the delivery of 3 x 60 minute (year 8) and/or 3 x 75 minute (year 11) sessions (equals one full course) to up to 6 class groups per year (Total of 22.5 hours) plus preparation time.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
Your commitment will include running YMHFA sessions with teachers and community members in various locations across Central Goldfields Shire.
The time commitment per instructor for YMHFA will involve the delivery of 2 courses x 14 hours per group = 28 hours per year plus preparation time.
Delivery of MHFA courses
It is expected that throughout 2023/2024 you will be able to provide the TMHFA and/or YMHFA training free of charge (or through a work release arrangement) to Live4Life Central Goldfields. Travel costs may be subsidised to deliver training, this should be discussed with the Partnership Group. A Memorandum of Understanding would be drawn up to reflect this arrangement.
If your circumstances change during 2023/24 and you are no longer able to deliver the training, there will be an expectation, depending on your specific circumstances, that you will repay a portion of the cost of the instructor training to Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group, so a replacement Instructor can be funded. This will be negotiated based on the number of courses you have delivered and your specific circumstances. The full value of TMHFA Instructor Training is $2550 and YMHFA Instructor Training is $3550.
Beyond 2023/24, delivery of training will need to be negotiated (and MOU executed) with the Live4Life Central Goldfields Partnership Group. It is hoped that local Instructors are able to undertake some training as part of their current work commitments on an ongoing basis and provide this as an in-kind contribution to ongoing implementation of the model to build the sustainability in the community.
Expression of Interest - Selection Criteria
- Tell us about any paid or volunteer roles you have held/or currently hold that might be relevant to your application to become a Mental Health First Aid Instructor.
- Tell us about your experience in group facilitation, including your approaches with communication and engagement in a group setting. Please provide any examples of how you can build safe and supportive group work environments. If you are applying for Teen MHFA Instructor training, please respond in relation to group settings with young people.
- Please demonstrate your high skill level in public speaking and being able to communicate with different audiences (including professionals, parents, secondary school aged students).
- Please provide specific examples that demonstrate you have a sound working knowledge of adolescent development; youth mental health problems and their treatments. Please include any specific localised information about youth mental health challenges and support pathways. Think about your experience from your current personal, professional and/or community setting.
- If a participant in one of your sessions were causing disruptions to your training, describe how you would manage the situation. Your response should outline what actions you would take for the individual and for the group.
- Part of the aim of the MHFA course is to reduce the stigma towards people with mental health problems. Identify the factors that you believe contribute to stigma and how these impact our communities and youth settings.
- Mental Health First Aid Australia has an excellent reputation for research and evidence-based programs. Please summarise why these two things are both important to maintain high quality course delivery.
- Please tell us about your capacity to deliver this training (as set out above) within your current work commitments. If you are employed, please include a letter of support from your employer.
Expressions of Interest must respond to the above selection criteria (please keep your responses to no more than two pages) and include a letter of support from your organisation (if applicable). Applications close COB Friday, April 28th 2023. Please email your application to david.leathem@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au
If you are successful through this EOI process you will need to complete an online application form through Mental Health First Aid Australia (MHFA) in order to be approved to be trained as an Instructor. Please make yourself familiar with this process at: https://mhfa.com.au/instructors/apply-to-become-a-mhfa-australia-instructor
We suggest you save your responses to this EOI to expedite this next step in the process. MHFA Australia has the ultimate approval, approval through the Partnership Group does not guarantee a position in Instructor Training delivered by MHFA Australia.
For further information regarding the Expression of Interest contact:
David Leathem, Acting Manager Community Partnerships, at david.leathem@cgoldshire.vic.gov.au or on 0459 572051.
You can also download a PDF version of the information above by clicking here.(PDF, 153KB)