First Aid for Mental Health Level 2

Mental Health First Aid training delivered at your workplace or remotely. One focused day. A regulated qualification, not a certificate of attendance.

QUALIFICATION: Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health
DURATION: 1 day / 6 learning hoursDELIVERY: Face-to-face or remoteGROUP SIZE: Max 16 learners
CERTIFICATE: Accredited Level 2 Award (RQF)VALIDITY: 3 years / Annual refresher recommendedAWARDING BODIES: First Aid Awards (FAA) Accredited by Nuco
Meets the FAA Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health (RQF) qualification specification. Supports employers meeting the HSE first aid needs assessment guidance under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Course Overview

One delegate on a recent Level 2 First Aid for Mental Health course arrived braced to be handed responsibility for his colleagues’ mental health, and certain he’d leave with a licence to fix people. That’s not what the qualification does. Once the trainer worked through what a mental health first aider’s role actually is, he spent the rest of the day contributing instead of bracing for it.

The Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health teaches your team to spot when someone is struggling, start a conversation without making it worse, and point them towards the right professional support. It’s an Ofqual-regulated qualification, assessed and listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, not a certificate of attendance. Since the HSE’s 2024 update to its first aid needs assessment guidance, employers are expected to consider mental health as part of that assessment, and this course is one of the clearest ways to act on it.

It does not qualify anyone to diagnose a mental health condition, teach therapy or counselling, or make anyone responsible for another person’s recovery. What it does give people is a clear action plan, the confidence to use it, and a proper understanding of where their role ends and a professional’s begins.

Course Details

  • Duration: 1 day (6 learning hours)
  • Delivery: Face-to-face at your venue, or remote via Zoom or Microsoft Teams
  • Certificate: Accredited Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health (RQF)
  • Awarding organisations: First Aid Awards (FAA). Delivered via Nuco Training
  • Validity: 3 years. Annual refresher recommended.
  • Group size: Maximum 16 learners per trainer

Who This Course Is For

This is the right level for the people who’ll actually be having the first conversation, not the person who writes the wellbeing policy.

  • Line managers and team leaders in any sector
  • Care and support workers, and residential care teams
  • HR and people teams who handle disclosures and adjustments
  • Designated mental health first aiders named in a wellbeing strategy
  • Office, warehouse, retail and hospitality staff in workplaces where nobody currently has this training
  • Schools, colleges and early years settings supporting staff as well as learners

If you’re not sure your team needs a regulated qualification at all, our Mental Health Awareness course is worth a look first. Not sure which course is right for you? Get in touch, and we’ll help you work it out before you commit.

Why This Training Matters

There’s no standalone legal requirement to appoint mental health first aiders in England. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling you something.

What’s required is broader. Employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to assess and control risks to health, and that includes psychological risk. Since the 2024 update to HSE guidance, mental health has to be considered as part of the first aid needs assessment. Under the Equality Act 2010, a mental health condition that meets the definition of a disability brings a duty to make reasonable adjustments.

So the honest position is this: training mental health first aiders isn’t compulsory. It’s one of the clearest ways to show you’ve acted on what your needs assessment found, and it’s the training your staff will actually feel the benefit of.

What the Day Covers

All content reflects the FAA Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health qualification specification and current HSE guidance throughout. Topics covered include:

  • What mental health is, why people develop mental health conditions, and the role of a first aider for mental health
  • Stigma and discrimination, and the effect both have on whether someone speaks up
  • Providing advice and practical support to someone with a suspected mental health condition, including when to contact emergency services
  • Recognising and managing stress
  • Depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders, self-harm and suicide: signs to look for and how to respond safely
  • The impact of drug and alcohol misuse on mental health
  • The First Aid for Mental Health Action Plan, and how to put it into practice
  • Building a positive mental health culture in the workplace

Every course is also built to include your industry-specific common risks and your organisation’s incident reporting systems as standard.

How the Course Is Delivered

This course is delivered either face-to-face at your venue or remotely over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Both routes lead to the same Ofqual-regulated qualification.

Sessions are delivered at your workplace or chosen venue. Groups are capped at 16 to ensure every learner gets sufficient hands-on time. Every session is built around your working environment, your sector’s risks, and your internal reporting procedures. We also design each course to incorporate your specific workplace hazards, your organisation’s layout, and the findings of your needs assessment. If you haven’t carried out a needs assessment yet, we can guide you through what’s involved during the enquiry process.

  • Hands-on practice applying the First Aid for Mental Health Action Plan, with direct trainer feedback
  • Scenario-based discussion built around real workplace situations
  • Individual assessment of the action plan throughout the day
  • A written knowledge test to close the day

Every course is delivered by an associate trainer registered with Nuco Training Ltd. Our most recent Level 2 was delivered by Lynn, whose feedback singled her out for making the room feel safe enough for people to actually talk. On this subject, that’s most of the job.

Level 2 or Level 3?

Three levels of mental health training sit alongside each other, and the right one comes down to what the person actually has to do afterwards.

Mental Health Awareness (half-day) is right for whole teams who need to understand mental health, reduce stigma and know how to respond within their role. It’s CPD accredited rather than Ofqual regulated, and it’s the right starting point for most organisations before naming anyone as a mental health first aider.

First Aid for Mental Health (Level 2, this course) is right for the people who’ll actually be having the first conversation: named mental health first aiders who need the regulated qualification, the action plan, and the confidence to use it.

Supervising First Aid for Mental Health (Level 3) is right for managers and supervisors responsible for mental health culture, policy and the first aiders themselves. It’s a two-day course that builds directly on this one.

We don’t make that determination for employers; the responsibility sits with you. But we do provide guidance throughout the enquiry process.

Certification and Validity

On completion, learners receive the FAA Level 2 Award in First Aid for Mental Health (RQF), valid for three years, delivered through First Aid Awards via Nuco Training.

We recommend refresher training before the three years are up, with annual refresher awareness sessions in between, since guidance moves and the action plan is easier to use the more recently you’ve talked it through.

Supervising First Aid for Mental Health (Level 3) is the natural next step for anyone moving into a management or oversight role, building directly on this qualification.

Why Organisations Book With Prima Cura

Most training providers arrive with a course. We arrive with yours.

Before the day, we gather information about your workplace: your incident reporting forms, your internal procedures, the specific hazards your team actually faces. On the day, your trainer works that into every scenario, every discussion, every practical exercise. If your staff work in a care home, they’re not practising on hypothetical office workers. If your team are lone workers, that context shapes how the session runs.

It means the training lands. Not because it was well-delivered in a generic sense, but because it was relevant to the people in the room and the situations they’ll actually encounter.

A few other things that matter to the organisations who book with us:

  • All trainers hold Enhanced DBS certificates and maintain ongoing CPD
  • We advise honestly on qualification level at the enquiry stage. If a different course is a better fit for your workforce, we’ll say so before you book, not after

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Where We Deliver

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue across Manchester, Greater Manchester, and the wider North West. We also deliver nationally across England, including North England, South England, London, and Surrey.

All sessions are led by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors. Groups are capped at 16 per trainer to protect the quality of hands-on learning.

Our associate network means we can deliver across England. You can meet the team on our Associates page.

FAQs

Is First Aid for Mental Health the same as Mental Health First Aid?

They’re different qualifications from different organisations. First Aid for Mental Health is the Ofqual regulated route, awarded by First Aid Awards and listed on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. Mental Health First Aid, or MHFA, is a separate programme run by MHFA England. Both teach people to recognise and respond to mental ill health; only one gives learners a regulated Level 2 qualification.

Is mental health first aid training a legal requirement in England?

No. There’s no standalone legal duty to appoint mental health first aiders. Employers do have a duty to assess and control health risks under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and since 2024 HSE guidance requires mental health to be considered within the first aid needs assessment.

How many mental health first aiders do we need?

There’s no fixed ratio set in law, the way there sometimes is for physical first aiders. HSE guidance says it comes down to your own needs assessment: staff numbers, shift patterns, and the pressures your team actually face. Most organisations aim for the same rough coverage as their physical first aid provision, so there’s someone trained across every shift and every site. If you’re not sure where to start, get in touch, and we’ll help you work out a sensible number before you book.

Do we need 16 people to book this course?

No. Sixteen is the maximum group size, not a target. We cap it there to protect hands-on time during the practical elements, not because smaller groups aren’t worth running. Tell us your team size, and we’ll advise on whether it’s worth combining with another department, running as a smaller group, or waiting until you’ve got more people ready to go.

Can this course be completed online?

It can be delivered remotely, live over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and learners achieve the same Ofqual regulated qualification as they would face to face. What it can’t be is a self-paced e-learning course. The action plan has to be practised out loud, with a trainer watching and correcting, whichever way the session is delivered.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

Book your training or request a quote

Tell us your team size and your sector. We’ll come back with a quote, the right advice on qualification level, and a straight answer on whether this is the best course for your team.

We respond to all enquiries within one working day.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice. All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.

For this qualification specifically, I select and quality-assure the Nuco-registered associate trainers who deliver it, and I ring every client afterwards to hear how the day actually landed, rather than just collecting a feedback form.

This course is reviewed against updates from First Aid Awards, the Health and Safety Executive, and current UK legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and the Equality Act 2010.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin, Owner and Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer | Last reviewed: July 2026 | Next review: July 2027

This page is for general guidance only and reflects current UK legislation, HSE guidance, and the FAA Level 2 qualification specification at the date of review. It does not constitute legal advice. Mental health first aid training is not a substitute for professional mental health care, your organisation’s own policies, or occupational health advice, and it does not qualify anyone to diagnose or treat a mental health condition. There is no standalone legal requirement for employers to appoint mental health first aiders in England; employers remain responsible for carrying out a first aid needs assessment that considers mental health, in line with HSE guidance, and for complying with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Equality Act 2010 where applicable. If someone is at immediate risk of harm, call 999. The Samaritans are available free, day and night, on 116 123.

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