Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10th October, the Association of Mental Health First Aiders® and MHFA England® launched the first national Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards.
They’re the first national evidence-based framework for supporting employee mental health.”
Work, at its best, is good for people. It gives us purpose, connection, structure, and security. When organisations get it right, the benefits are felt everywhere, in engagement, performance, and how long people choose to stay, as well as in how people feel.
Mental health is central to this, but support in workplaces remains inconsistent and too often reactive.
Employers asked us for clear guidance on what effective mental health first aid provision should look like, and worked with MHFA England to develop it.
These Standards were shaped by the people who’ll use them – members of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders® and hundreds of employers, Instructor Members, and practitioners.
Mental health first aid is the mental health equivalent of physical first aid training. Mental Health First Aiders are trained to spot the early signs of poor mental health, start supportive conversations, and signpost colleagues to support.
They’re having life-changing and lifesaving conversations in workplaces every day:
MHFA is one of the most powerful tools an organisation can put in place benefiting people and business. Employees who feel supported are more engaged, more productive, and more likely to stay. But realising its full potential takes more than good intentions. It takes infrastructure and leadership commitment.
These Standards exist to change that. They set out, for the first time, what effective, sustainable MHFA provision looks like in the workplace.
Long-term sickness, increasingly driven by mental ill health, is now the single largest contributor to economic inactivity in the UK – and costs UK employers billions a year, according to Deloitte.
Keep Britain Working, and the mental health strategy being shaped by a new government, position employers as partners in preventing poor mental health. MHFA England is there to help do just that.
The nine Standards are organised in four phases, each building on the last:
Standards are marked required or recommended throughout. Required Standards are the non-negotiable foundation of effective MHFA provision. Recommended Standards are strong best practice to work towards over time.
Think of the phases as a cycle rather than a ladder. Even organisations that reach phase four will revisit earlier phases as they change.
The Standards apply to all employers but flex to suit organisations of any size, with considerations for smaller organisations.
Get the full Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards now, free to download.
Get the full Workplace Mental Health First Aid Standards
Implementing MHFAiders: Guide for employers
Practical, phase-by-phase guidance on putting the Standards into practice, including a role description and policy template you can adapt for your organisation.
Being an MHFAider: Your guide to the role
Share this with your MHFAiders to help them understand what to expect, their boundaries, and the ongoing support available to them.
Want the self-assessment checklist too, to see where you’re at? It’s available exclusively to organisations that pledge their support as Standard setters.
This is just the start. Over the coming months, look out for:
Pledging your support is a public statement that you’re backing shift towards better, more consistent mental health first aid at work – and a first step towards more effective MHFA provision in your own organisation. It’s quick, and open to every employer, whatever stage you’re at.
Once you’ve pledged, you’ll get an exclusive badge and communications kit to share your commitment, plus first access events, insight and resources.