Is there a legal requirement?
No. SafeWork NSW sets out how many physical first aiders a workplace should have, but its first aid guidance doesn't mention mental health first aid at all. Nobody is going to fine you for not having a Mental Health First Aider.
Mental Health First Aid is something you choose to do because you want people who can spot when a colleague is struggling and know what to do next. It's not a compliance box.
So where does a number come from?
The clearest guide is MHFA Australia's Workplace Recognition Program. It's a paid program that recognises organisations at three tiers: Skilled, Advanced and Master. To qualify, a set share of your staff needs to have completed MHFA training in the last three years, and that share depends on your size.
| Number of staff | Share trained |
|---|---|
| 5 to 50 | 20% |
| 51 to 500 | 10% |
| 501 to 1,500 | 5% |
| 1,501 and over | 3% |
You don't have to join the program to use it as a benchmark. It's simply the best published answer to the question.
What does that look like for a team of 30 to 250?
- 30 staff: about 6 people
- 50 staff: about 10 people
- 80 staff: about 8 people
- 150 staff: about 15 people
- 250 staff: about 25 people
For most businesses in that range, that's one group. My workplace course is $4,950 + GST for up to 15 people, and extra participants are $295 each up to 20. So a single session covers the benchmark for anyone up to about 200 staff.
For comparison, SafeWork NSW suggests one physical first aider for every 50 workers in a low risk workplace like an office, and one for every 25 in a higher risk one like a factory or workshop.
Is a percentage the right way to think about it?
Partly. The number matters less than coverage. A useful check is whether every person in the business could get to a trained colleague they'd actually talk to. Things to think about:
- Sites and shifts. Five trained people in head office don't help a night shift or a crew on another site.
- Teams that don't mix. Clinicians, drivers, admin and management often sit in different worlds. Spread people across them.
- Managers and peers. Some people will talk to their manager. Plenty won't. A mix of both gives people a choice.
- Turnover. If trained people leave, your coverage goes with them. Plan for that.
Who should you put forward?
Ask for volunteers rather than appointing people. A Consult Australia guide for member businesses makes the same point: let staff choose to take part and don't pressure anyone. The best Mental Health First Aiders tend to be people others already go to, whatever their title.
Managers are worth including regardless. They're often the first to notice a change in someone, and they're the ones who can adjust workload or rosters. There's more on that in mental health training for managers.
What do they need once they're trained?
This is the part that's easy to skip. A 2018 study of five organisations with mental health first aid officers found the biggest challenge was a lack of support and internal resourcing for the role. The people interviewed suggested workplaces give their officers more support and training, and that training ideally go to all staff where it's feasible, not just the officers.
In practice that means:
- Tell everyone who's trained and how to reach them.
- Make sure they know your EAP and other support options, so they can point people somewhere.
- Give them someone to debrief with. Supporting a colleague can be heavy.
- Be clear on confidentiality, and that safety comes first if someone's at risk.
- Refresh their training. MHFA Australia's accreditation runs for three years.
What can you realistically expect?
A 2018 review of 18 trials by Morgan, Ross and Reavley found MHFA training improved people's knowledge and confidence to help, with a small increase in the amount of help they gave. The effects were clearest up to six months after training. Whether the people being helped end up better off is less clear.
It also isn't counselling, and it doesn't replace fixing workload, rostering or other problems at the source. What it gives you is a group of people who notice earlier, start the conversation and know where to point someone. If you're not sure how that conversation goes, how to talk to an employee about their mental health is a good place to start.
If anyone is in immediate danger, call 000. Lifeline is on 13 11 14, any time.
How do you get started?
Work out your number from the table, then think about where those people need to sit. I deliver training in person at your workplace, and travel is included anywhere in Greater Sydney. We sort out format and timing on a short planning call. See Mental Health First Aid training for workplaces for details.