Connect 5 Train the Trainer Mental Health Training Soft Market Test

Tender description

This is a soft market test, not a call for competition. The cost-of-living crisis, Covid-19 pandemic and austerity have worsened many people’s circumstances and services. Given that mental health is so strongly influenced by life conditions, we are facing higher rates of mental ill health. This is causing preventable misery, death, demand on stretched services, lost economic productivity, and costs of tens of billions of pounds. Connect 5 is a mental health promotion training programme originally developed by the New Economics Foundation (NEF). It was designed in response to growing recognition of the need for a more preventative and empowering approach to mental health. The programme is grounded in evidence-based psychological interventions, particularly drawing from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and the Five Ways to Wellbeing framework. Its initial aim was to build the capacity of frontline workers to have effective, supportive conversations about mental health and wellbeing, helping individuals to better understand, manage, and improve their mental health. Over a decade, Connect 5 has evolved through iterative feedback and evaluation, to become a structured three-level training programme. Each level builds on the last, progressing from basic mental wellbeing conversations to more in-depth support strategies. This tiered approach allows it to be tailored to the needs and responsibilities of different workforce roles, from volunteers to professionals in health, social care, housing, and education. Keywords: Mental Health, Training, Connect 5