Learn how to support children and young people using psychological first aid

On this 3-week course you will explore the techniques of psychological first aid (PFA), the globally recommended training for supporting people during emergencies. You’ll focus on children and young people’s mental health, and what you can do to help them cope and access the support they need during and after emergencies and crisis situations..

The course has been produced by Public Health England, working with a wide range of experts and organisations. It is based on international guidance from the World Health Organisation, United Nations and partners.

You don’t need any prior knowledge or experience as this introductory course will teach you the key principles of giving PFA to children and young people in crisis situations.

Identify how emergencies like COVID-19 affect children and young people’s mental health

Crises can severely impact mental health and it’s important that people have access to the support they need.

During this course, you’ll explore how emergencies affect mental health and what you can do to help the children, young people, and families you come into contact with.

You’ll learn how to recognise the common signs of distress across different age groups and be able to identify who might be at an increased risk.

PFA will also teach you helpful strategies to determine when people require additional support.

Deliver psychological first aid

By the end of the course, you’ll be able to deliver PFA techniques to support children and young people’s mental health after emergency and crisis situations.

You’ll have the tools to adapt PFA to the needs of particularly vulnerable people and be able to identify the ways to look after yourself and peers.

What topics will you cover?

What is Psychological First Aid?
How do children and young people respond to emergencies and crisis situations?
The PFA stages to supporting people: Prepare, Look, Listen, Link
Supporting yourself and your colleagues

The course includes short quizzes to help learners reflect, and prepare them for the final test, based on a scenario to evaluate their knowledge. There are also links to further resources and reading which learners can explore after finishing the course.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explain what psychological first aid is
Identify children, young people and families for whom it is suited and how you can help them
Describe how children and young people of different ages react to traumatic experiences
Identify ways to look after yourself and your peers when working in the context of an emergency
Engage with further reading into psychosocial support during emergencies

Who is the course for?

This course is aimed at frontline or essential workers and volunteers who come into contact with children and young people aged 0-25 years during emergency and crisis situations.

Those who may benefit from this course include parents/ caregivers, front line workers or volunteers; or for young adults to support their peers or family.

You don’t need any previous experience or qualifications to deliver PFA. The following is what you will need to use PFA:

Be a good listener. An important part of PFA is identifying what help and support each person requires.
Understand the importance of accurate information during the pandemic and where to access it.
Have the ability to encourage active coping by, for instance, helping people make plans.
Encourage and help people to connect to others (in line with current regulations).
Be aware of people’s cultural preferences and needs.
Be aware that some people may be extremely distraught and tearful and that you may become upset too.

We recommend that people who offer interventions based on PFA should have social support available to them such as volunteer coordinator, line-manager or supervisor.

The PFA approach can be used with people of all ages. We have another PFA course focusing on adults. If you have completed this already you will find it easier to move quickly through the principles of PFA in this course, as there will be some repetition.

If you have urgent mental health needs, find your local 24/7 mental health crisis line.

Who will you learn with?

Jude Stansfield

Jude is a National Adviser in Public Mental Health at Public Health England and Leeds Beckett University. She is a registered Public Health Specialist and Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health.

Neha Shah

Neha Shah is a Specialty Registrar in Public Health with an interest in improving population mental health. She brings to this clinical experience both as a doctor and a psychodynamic therapist.

Lynne Jones OBE

Lynne Jones is a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, relief worker and writer. She has spent much of the last 25 years developing mental health programmes in conflict and disaster settings.

Isabel Wood

Isabel Wood works in the Public Mental Health team at Public Health England. Isabel holds an MSc in Public Health and brings experience from community based social support settings.

Richard Amlôt

Head of Behavioural Science in the Emergency Response Department of Public Health England, and visiting Professor of Practice in the Psychology of Health Protection at King's College London.

Who developed the course?

UK Health Security Agency

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats by providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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