Richmond Foundation presented the 'Mental Health First Aid Training' project to Solidarity Overseas Service (SOS) Malta under the Second Call of the EEA Norway NGO Programme Malta 2009-2014. SOS Malta is the appointed Fund Operator for the NGO Programme Malta.

The project's overall objective is to support the basic human need for mental health and wellbeing by attempting to fill a skills gap in the area of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

The project is intended to target professionals, such as members of the police force, who are called upon in cases of involuntary admissions, people working with asylum seekers, paramedics, and people who support victims of crime.

Although very competent in their area of specialisation, these professionals may not be able to identify possible mental health problems and to deal with situations that may arise.

The project intends to fill this skills gap by providing specialised training, in Malta, leading to MHFA certification. In this regard, Richmond Foundation has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Mental Health First Aid Australia with a view to establishing MHFA Malta.

The Australian MHFA programme has been developed by Betty Ann Kitchener AM and Professor Tony Jorm, who together founded MHFA Australia as a national not-for-profit organisation focused on mental health training for the public, and which is very evidence-based.

The programme is now provided in 23 countries worldwide, with the content and material being adapted and customised according to each country's individual needs. The Mental Health First Aid Training project provides the opportunity to introduce and adapt the programme to Malta.

Ms Kitchener was recently in Malta to train Richmond Foundation mental health professionals, and to coordinate the development of the MHFA Malta programme. The training was supported by the MHFA Australia manual and other resources.

The Foundation will now adapt the resources to the Maltese context, whereupon Richmond Foundation will be formally accredited by MHFA Australia, and the trained MHFA instructors will provide MHFA certification training in Malta.

In the coming months, Maltese NGOs will be publicly invited to nominate representatives to be trained and certified as mental health first aiders. The training will be provided free of charge as part of the project, and will include free copies of the MHFA Manual and resources.

The experience gained through the MHFA instructor training, as well as during the actual provision of MHFA training in Malta, will be called upon to compile a set of MHFA policy recommendations. These will be presented to stakeholders such as government ministries and private organisations working with vulnerable groups.

A publicity campaign will run concurrently with the other project activities, and will serve to raise awareness about MHFA and disadvantaged groups. The campaign will focus on mental health as a basic right of individuals in extreme conditions, which individuals are often stigmatised within their peer group.

A final seminar will be held to explain the outcomes of the project and to encourage discussion on the theme of the project.

The project will run for 18 months and will end in February 2016. The project is part financed by the EEA Norway Grants.