Funded training options are available through Lancashire Mind and their partners, which are linked to the Orange Button Community Scheme.

Lancashire Mind offer the following training courses:

Young Person’s Suicide First Aid 

This half day virtual workshop is aimed at professionals working with young people aged 15+. Focusing on the challenges related to young people, this course explores how to move a young person away from feelings of suicide and move to talking about safety. This course is a City and Guilds accredited and produced by the National Centre for Suicide Prevention. On completion of the course each learner will receive a certificate of attendance and be able to apply for an Orange Button signifying they are a person who has received appropriate training in suicide prevention and has the confidence to talk about concerns around suicide or suicidal thoughts.  
 
This course is suitable for learners new to the subject of suicide or refreshing their skills. If you have attended the Suicide First Aid Lite programme within the last three years, you do not need to attend this upskill for young people. It is good practice to refresh your suicide prevention skills every three years.  

Mental Health First Aid 

This is a half day, online version of the Adult Mental Health First Aid course, which will qualify you as a Mental Health First Aider. Through a blend of instructor-led live sessions and self-learning activities, you will: develop practical skills to spot the signs and symptoms of mental health issues; gain confidence to reassure and support an individual in distress; and learn how to guide them towards appropriate professional support.

Suicide First Aid Lite

This half day workshop supports learners to help someone move from a place of danger and isolation to a place of safety and life support as a Suicide First Aider. This can be delivered virtually or face to face.

Suicide First Aid 

This workshop enables learners to apply for their City and Guilds Level 4 in Suicide Prevention qualification and helps someone move from a place of danger and isolation to a place of safety and life support as a Suicide First Aider. This can be delivered either as a full day or two consecutive half days, either virtually or face to face.

Interested in the above courses? Visit Lancashire Mind's training pages for more details.

If you are ready to book onto a course, go straight to Lancashire Mind's booking page. Please book one of the four courses named above to ensure you qualify to become an orange button holder.

Book your orange button training course with Lancashire Mind

In addition to the above, there are also other training courses you can complete to become an orange button wearer.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - Blackburn with Darwen only

This is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid delivered by Blackburn with Darwen public health and Re-Align Futures. ASIST teaches participants to recognise when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don't need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 16 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

Find the latest ASIST course on the Re-Align Futures website.

Adult Mental Health First Aid (Adult MHFA)

This workshop raises awareness of mental health conditions and equips learners with the skills to become Adult Mental Health First Aiders. This course can be delivered virtually across one week or face to face in two days.

Find out more and book online

Safetalk

This half day workshop supports learners to know what to do if someone is feeling suicidal & become a suicide alert helper. This can only be delivered face to face.

Find out more and book online (via Positive Action in the Community website)

Suicide Alertness ½ day - Cumbria only

A half day online or face to face training, exploring myths, facts and stigma around suicide.  Understanding when someone is at risk and how to support them whilst gaining knowledge of what help is available both locally and nationally.

Find out more and book online

Once you have completed your eligible training, your training provider will provide information on how you can apply for your orange button.

If this is an online course, you will be provided with an online form to complete.

If your session is face-to-face, the training provider will give you your orange button and support pack at the end of the session.

If you have already completed one of the training courses linked to the orange button scheme but haven't yet received your orange button, please contact the training provider you completed your course with.

Orange Button-holders are already out there making a difference to friends, family and others in their community and workplaces.

Hear stories from four of our holders as they outline what the scheme is, why they decided to take part in the scheme and some real-life examples where their training has come to the help of someone feeling suicidal. 

Together, we can help those who don't know where to turn.

• Create a community of people trained in suicide awareness that have gained skills, including active listening, from quality assured training.

• Creating a network of organisations that have orange button wearers in place that can be identified, listen and signpost.

• To ensure all communities are aware of the Orange Button, what it signifies and how people can be involved, by promoting from within the community.

• The orange button is linked to existing training sessions that are already quality assured and are at least half day duration.

• Suicide prevention training is currently funded across the ICS. If funding is removed, training providers have 3 further years worth of Orange Buttons to provide at the end of quality assured training.

• 10,000 packs have been produced for distribution attached to Suicide Prevention training, which include a pin badge, window sticker and support card information. Pin badge can be removed when required, window sticker used if required.

• Within the 1st year, the Suicide Prevention team will follow up delegates with a quarterly rolling evaluation form to ensure the scheme is providing benefit.

Help and support for those worried about someone can be found on the dedicated suicide support page.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help please call 999 or access crisis services.