How MHFAiders can make reflective notes after an MHFA conversation We recommend asking your MHFAiders to make reflective notes using the MHFAider Support App conversations feature, after an MHFA conversation. The reflections are not formal notes and should be written after the conversation to remind the MHFAider of how they felt, anything that concerned them, and any actions they took. MHFAiders don’t need to ask the person’s permission to make notes, but it is good practice to explain the benefits, including: to support in processing a conversation and reflecting on how they used their skills, to be a helpful note for any future MHFA conversations, and to better understand the impact of the role, by seeing how many MHFA conversations they are having and how long they are spending in the role. Optional fields in the reflective note taking feature are: – ‘Name’ of the contact you’ve had the conversation with. You can also use initials or key words here if you prefer – ‘Notes’ where you can note details of how the conversation went for you Mandatory fields are: – ‘Date’ of when the conversation took place – ‘Duration’ of the conversation in minutes – ‘Situation’ that describes the main issue/s discussed – ‘Signposting’ that describes any professional or other support that you have encouraged
How to handle immediate danger Remind MHFAiders that confidentiality never applies when a person becomes a danger to themselves or others. Include details of any actions they should take alongside their MHFA England training if they come across a situation at work where someone is in immediate danger, for example, if there is someone in the organisation that should be contacted as well as the emergency services. Time commitments Create clear guidelines on how much time your MHFAiders should commit to the role and any additional commitments such as meetings and MHFA Refresher training (see ‘Expected time commitments for MHFAiders’ on page 13 for more information). Be clear that they should only make themselves contactable during work hours and should not give out personal contact details. If you have an out-of-hours EAP service, make sure this is promoted throughout the organisation. Otherwise, advertise national out-of-hours support should this be needed, such as the Mind urgent help pages and contact details for Samaritans , SANEline or an EAP helpline. Links to other relevant policies For example, if you have an organisational policy on responding to crisis situations, signpost to where the policy can be found and give guidance on the circumstances in which it should be used by your MHFAiders.
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