HYS TO HOST MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING COURSE (19/04/21) Hailsham Youth Service will be hosting a mental health first aid course at the end of April for its staff team, local police officers, schools and other local youth organisations. Generously funded by the Wealden Joint Action Group (JAG), Hailsham Youth Service has been able to run this course free of charge and to the benefit of many young people in Hailsham and the surrounding areas. The course, which is run by Mental Health First Aid England and takes place over a 4-day period, will equip youth services staff with the skills needed to understand young people’s mental health and the factors that can affect their wellbeing, to help a young person recover their health by guiding them to further support (whether through self-help websites, their place of learning, or the NHS). The course will also help youth service staff to use enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening, spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues and feel confident to step in, reassure and support a young person in distress.

"As we ease out of lockdown, mental health is going to be something that will need careful consideration and care, especially for young people," said Deputy Youth Project Coordinator Helen Deane. "Through the last year, the world has been a difficult place to be a young person, and we as a staff team are so excited to be able to get some training in order to support the young people in the area." "Over the last year our staff team has completed over 200 hours of training, each in areas such as child protection, safeguarding, drug and alcohol misuse and serious youth violence, mental health first aid is another great course to help us in our jobs.” Youth Services Manager, Andy Joyes commented: "As we prepare to fully re-open all of our services, the mental health of young people in Hailsham has been at the forefront of all our planning and we are grateful for the Joint Action Group's generous funding and sharing of the vision we had." “Hailsham Youth Service is committed to working together with the local community to get the best out of every young person in the town and help them achieve their full potential.”