Benalla Rural City - Mental Health First Aid Champion Community

Benalla Rural City has been recognised as a Mental Health First Aid Champion Community. Since implementing Live4Life in 2017, Benalla Rural City has trained over 1000 teens and 165 adults to recognise and respond to the signs of developing, worsening or crisis level mental health problems in young people. This is a wonderful achievement.

In recent years, the community has called for more to be done to support young people experiencing troubled times, mental health problems and suicide risk. In particular, the need for improved mental health education was recognised, and the Benalla Rural City Council set about investigating options for preventative action, to help keep young people safe and thriving.

Our Live4Life Program was identified as a key option to address youth suicide and mental health concerns, given its proven success in other Victorian rural communities. Central to our program is the delivery of Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) training for young people and the adults supporting them. The intention is to create more supportive environments, with a scaffolded approach to youth mental health.

Coordinated by Benalla Rural City Council, the Live4Life partnership involves members from local schools Benalla P-12 College, FCJ College Benalla, NE TRACKS LLEN, NESAY, North East Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (NECAMHS), Benalla Health, Tomorrow Today and Victoria Police. This collaborative approach has been pivotal to the program’s success.

Read the case study.