KMPT have proudly been awarded “MHFA Champion” status at the second annual Mental Health First Aid awards at the House of Lords. Mental Health First Aid runs training courses and aims to give everyone the knowledge and confidence to recognise signs of mental health problems, encourage someone to seek the right help, and to reduce the stigma around mental illness.

KMPT won within the “organisations championing MHFA” which is for organisations that do not employ MHFA instructors but have shown exemplary commitment to increasing mental health literacy through working with and utilising MHFA.

Poppy Jaman, Chief Executive Officer of MHFA said: “today’s winners provide inspiration and encouragement for those involved in developing communities and improving social and personal responsibility related to this highly stigmatised agenda.”

There to receive the award was Vicky Stevens (KMPT Service Development Lead) who has worked extremely hard to ensure KMPT gained recognition. Since April 2011 Vicky and the team have been focusing on Personality Disorder awareness, by training prison and probation staff across the county.

Vicky said:
“Working with MHFA to deliver personality disorder awareness training for public sector organisations in Kent has been really successful. We chose to work with MHFA as they are a nationally acclaimed organisation with integrity and strong governance processes that assured us that the training we would deliver in partnership would be of the highest quality.”

“As a result of our partnership statutory organisations across Kent can continue to raise awareness about personality disorders and thus break down stigma and improve public services for those with a personality disorder”.

KMPT are proud to be associated with MHFA and are dedicated to increasing awareness of MHFA and reducing the stigma surrounding mental health.

• Mental Health First Aid England website