Four Pathways to becoming a Connections Link Life Facilitator

PATH 1: STANDARD LICENCE – £750 + VAT

The standard licence is awarded to an individual to deliver within the organisation who sponsored their participation.  All licences are for the individual participant for a lifetime (based upon compliance with Standard Licence Agreement)  within their sponsoring organisation.

FME are delighted to support those seeking a standard licence to cascade this exemplary training

within a particular organisation or community.  Those who possess their own licence have the freedom and are encouraged to deliver the training often reaching as many people as possible within the scope of the lifetime licence within the sponsoring organisation.

You will share with FME the common goal for a desire to reduce suicide and improve the positive mental health for the people you serve in your business, service, church, school, or community.  It is likely that you will be paid for by your organisation to take part on this training and that your organisation will have the ability to be able to offer this training at no/low cost to end users.

It is most likely that you will fall into one of these categories:

  • Work in a statutory service, public health, community, church, education, health & social care services, charity or that you are a community-based organisation. You will have a requirement or identified need to cascade this life saving and life promoting training.
  • Work in a HR or training environment that involves training and upskilling a team or workforce in health and safety, mental health and or wellbeing
  • Work in a public safety role where this training helps you meet the needs of your public in relation to personal safety, positive mental health & emotional wellbeing
  • Have opportunities to cascade this training out within a particular company, group, or community
  • Work for an organisation and can deliver this training as part of your job role
  • Volunteering for Fresh Minds Education or other organisation offering this training

LICENCE ADDENDUMS

The perimeters of your licence must be agreed in accordance with your intention to deliver the training. Addendums may be acquisitioned and added to standard licences to benefit a facilitator with additional rights to deliver Connections Link Life outside of the sponsorship organisation or for income generating purposes.  Should there be changes in a facilitator circumstance they can request a licence addendum at any future point. Not all addendum requests are granted, not all addendums result in additional fees, some addendums do result in fees, fees required depend on the nature of the addendum requested and considered on an individual basis.  

FME currently support a limited number of people, social enterprises and charities who have acquisitioned additional rights to deliver Connections Link Life outside of their sponsorship organisation and for those who deliver for income generation purposes.    Each case is considered on an individual basis.  

  • 2 day training
  • Access to online members area
  • Connections Link Life Facilitator Pack:
    • Course Manual
    • Connections Facilitator Lanyard
    • Course Mascot
    • Course Workbook & Certificate
    • Bundle of Connections z-cards
  • Connections Link Life Provisional Facilitator Participation Certificate
  • Approval Assessment (Video observation & log analysis and feedback)
  • Connections Link Life Approved Facilitator Participation Award
  • Access to Connections Facilitator Network
    • Monthly professional update
    • Quarterly professional development network meeting

  • Securing a co-facilitator
  • Set up of Connections Link Life programmes on your behalf
  • Mentoring, shadowing or co-facilitation during your provisional facilitator journey
  • Costs of participant kits for your learners

PATH 2: SUBSIDISED ROUTES: PARTNERSHIP/COLLABORATION

Partnership and collaboration are FME’s preferred routes to ensure the sustainability of exemplary training in Northern Ireland and beyond.  This model is where an individual or organisation has agreed to work together with FME for mutual benefit and shared common goals for the reduction of suicide and improvement of positive mental health for the people we serve within our individual and shared communities. We believe this is the most powerful and sustainable way to address the current urgent mental health crisis collaboratively.  

  • An annual suicide prevention training programme continues to be available to all organisations and individuals online and in person 
  • Connections Link Life, associated programmes, resources, networks, and professional development is available and sustainable for all

  • Regardless of a changing funding landscape people everywhere can continue to access a consistent, quality assured, transformative training in the prevention of suicide and promoting positive mental health 
  • Postvention: We continue to learn from those impacted by suicide and poor mental health 
  • Prevention: More people living with suicidal thoughts or in emotional distress get the help sooner 
  • Intervention: More lives are saved   
  • Protective Resilience: More people are engaged in ongoing positive mental health practices  
  • Protective Compassion: More people demonstrate compassion to self and others improving health and life outcomes for individuals, families, and communities 

  • Shared costs, risks, expertise, learning, support, use of centralised resources  
  • Mentoring whilst learning by senior and experienced facilitators  
  • Ongoing quality assurance for your team member by senior and experienced facilitators  
  • Professional development and support for your team member through the Connections Facilitator Network (monthly & quarterly).  
  • Building long lasting positive relationships with those working on shared objectives for the improved health and life outcomes for people, families & communities.  
  • Monitoring, measurement and reporting of the impact of the intervention   
  • You will have your own approved facilitators to deliver suicide prevention training within your own organisation.   
  • The training licence can offer Income generating opportunities or further partnerships and we would be open to discussing potential joint ventures/tenders going forward.  

  • Developing the capacity of local trainers to deliver to local communities  
  • Growth of expertise across geographical areas, thematical areas and within communities   
  • Ongoing improvement of relevant bespoke content reflecting the needs of different groups  
  • Ongoing improvement of relevant content reflecting the needs of evolving research
  • Strengthening and upskilling of a sustainable professional facilitator network  
  • Cascading consistent trauma informed practice in suicide prevention and positive mental health education 
  • Cascading live saving messages, strategies, and information across a variety of communities  
  • Strategic alignment with mental health and suicide prevention strategies
  • Alignment with published peer reviewed research and best practice in education, learning and mental health 
  • Successful measurement of the global impact of the intervention
  • Feedback collectively to organisations, government bodies and other investors in social, health and education sectors for whom this data will inform decision making.  

  • Part subsidised T4T course and training material fees (% TBA)
  • Part subsidised cost of mentoring in the first year, including offering feedback on facilitation at sessions etc (%TBA) 
  • Raise funds to cover the operational costs (senior facilitators, the facilitators network, quality assurance, evaluation & impact reporting, participant resources, content improvement & evolvement and the management and administration of all of this). 
  • Co-ordinate regular Connections Link Life training events (in person and online) to create opportunities for new provisional trainers to shadow, facilitate and learn alongside an experienced facilitator. 
  • Teach new facilitators how to use the members area, complete and submit their learning log and complete their facilitator reports. 
  • Observe the provisional facilitator’s final session to enable successful candidates to progress from provisional to approved facilitator. 
  • FME to provide mentoring for provisional facilitators in year one, this is extended only in exceptional circumstances  

  • Commitment to deliver a maximum of 10 courses throughout the first year with some flexibility.  The first 3-5 sessions will be as a learner where the provisional facilitator will shadow, co-facilitate, and be observed leading a session to meet the requirement of attaining the approved facilitator status.  The final 3-5 sessions will be delivered in a lead trainer role for FME ensuring the ongoing availability and provision of the service.   The Partner will cover all costs relating to the facilitation of these training sessions. 
  • For the subsequent years we would ask partner organisations to work with FME in a way that is achievable and realistic for them at that time, based on goodwill and trust.  
  • FME would appreciate specific input from partners in developing content e.g., scenarios, training videos, leaflets, podcasts, promotion of the programme, representation at networks and events and in other creative ways identified by partners and FME  
  • Partner organisations must arrange for the cover of the expenses incurred by their facilitators e.g. wages/fees, travel, and other expenses incurred by the facilitator  
  • Partner organisations to mentor provisional facilitators beyond one year, if required.  
  • Collaborators and partners will not compete on tenders with FME regarding opportunities in the delivery of this training.  

PATH 3: BESPOKE ARRANGEMENT

To ensure the sustainability of exemplary training in Northern Ireland and beyond FME will explore a bespoke arrangement with a commissioning agency or government body.  The agreement will be of mutual benefit and share strategic goals for the reduction of suicide and improvement of positive mental health as an urgent public health concern.  

PATH 4: FME VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering makes one of the most significant impacts to the sustainability of this exemplary training reaching more people in Northern Ireland and beyond.  Volunteers share our goal for the reduction of suicide and improvement of positive mental health for people impacted by the current urgent mental health crisis.

  • Provide an annual suicide prevention training programme that continues to be available to all organisations and individuals online and in person 
  • Develop programmes, resources, networks, and ensure that professional development is available for the full facilitator network 

  • Regardless of a changing funding landscape people everywhere can continue to access a consistent, quality assured, transformative training in the prevention of suicide and promoting positive mental health
  • Postvention: We continue to learn from those impacted by suicide and poor mental health 
  • Intervention: More lies are saved
  • Protective Resilience: More people are engaged in ongoing positive mental health practices
  • Protective Compassion: More people demonstrate compassion to self and others improving health and life outcomes for individuals, families, and communities 

  • Free training, support & mentoring by senior FME facilitators
  • Use of FME resources to deliver FME programmes 
  • Improved knowledge and skills  
  • Free professional development and support through the Connections Facilitator Network (monthly & quarterly).  
  • Invitations to take part on a range of FME professional development opportunities and free access to conferences and events 
  • Building long lasting positive relationships with other like-minded facilitators working on shared objectives for the improved health and life outcomes for people, families & communities.  
  • References for future workplaces 

FME Volunteer Agreement

  • Fully subsidise T4T course and training material fees  
  • Fully subsidise the cost of mentoring in the first year, including offering feedback on facilitation at sessions etc  
  • Raise funds to cover operational costs (senior facilitators, the facilitators network, quality assurance, mentoring, evaluation & impact reporting, participant resources, content improvement & evolvement and the management and administration of all of this). 
  • Co-ordinate regular Connections Link Life training events (in person and online) to create opportunities for volunteers to shadow, facilitate and learn alongside an experienced facilitator. 
  • Arrange a volunteer induction to fully induct the volunteer for the role as part of the FME volunteer team.  
  • Teach volunteers how to use the members area, complete and submit their learning log and complete their facilitator reports. 
  • Observe the volunteer’s final session to enable successful candidates to progress from provisional to approved facilitator. 
  • Create additional professional opportunities for volunteers e.g., Conferences, events, seminars, and training 
  • FME will create additional opportunities for volunteers to become involved in the wider work of Connections and FME e.g., content development, fundraising etc.  
  • FME will endeavour to consult with volunteers on where they see opportunities to support the development of Connections and FME’s mission.  
  • FME will cover all travel and out of pocket expenses incurred 
  • FME will ensure that volunteers are insured for the purposes of volunteering for FME.  

  • Commitment to deliver a minimum of 10 courses each year.  (The first 3-5 sessions will be as a learner where the volunteer provisional facilitator will shadow, co-facilitate, and be observed leading a session to meet the requirement of attaining the approved facilitator status.  The final 3-5 sessions will be delivered in a volunteer lead trainer role for FME ensuring the ongoing availability and provision of the service). 
  • Complete the volunteer induction  
  • Complete an end of year 1 evaluation
  • For each subsequent year we would ask volunteers to work with FME in a way that is achievable and realistic for them at that time. 
  • FME requests that volunteers from time to time support the wider aims of the organisation through representation, presentations, idea generation, fundraising, content development, admin support etc