HSCL/SCP Newsletter
Youth MHFA Training HSE-Funded
We have 14 free places still available on our YMHFA Parent Training on 29th & 30th June – and we would really appreciate your help to fill them before schools break up.
We are running a fully funded Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) course for parents and guardians from our scheme at the end of June – free of charge, city centre location with lunch provided. Each place is worth €350.00 and we have 20 places in total.
It is delivered by two psychologists from the City of Dublin ETB Psychological Service
Six parents have registered so far. We have 14 places remaining.
I know schools are in the middle of a whirlwind right now – sports days, concerts, assessments, end-of-year events, exams – and we completely understand why this hasn’t landed as widely as we’d hoped yet. But our concern is once schools break up, we lose our connection to parents. Our window to fill these places is really over the next three weeks, and we are appealing for your help to make the best of this training opportunity.
Course Snapshot
• What: Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) –two full days of funded training for parents-
( Covering common Mental Health issues and crises experienced by young people)
• When: Monday 29th & Tuesday 30th June 2026, 09:15 – 16:15 each day
• Where: In-Person @ Larkin Community College, Champions Avenue, Dublin 1
• Cost: FREE – fully funded through the MHFAI/HSE partnership (place value €350.00)
• Catering: Lunch and refreshments included each day
• Places left: 14 of 20
Full attendance on both days is required. Participants should only register if they are genuinely available for the full duration of both days.
Staff are also very welcome to attend – as it’s during the summer holidays it’s entirely on a personal basis. If any of your team are parents themselves and would find it useful, they’re very welcome to register.
What Would Really Help
I know you’re run off your feet right now, so I hope my ask is relatively easy:
• Could you pass the attached flyer to your HSCL teacher and ask them to share it with parents this week? Even a quick text to a parent WhatsApp group would be brilliant
• If your school has a Facebook or Instagram page, even a quick post with the flyer image could reach parents?
• If any end-of-year newsletters or texts are going out to parents in the next week or two, could you consider adding the flyer there too?
• And honestly – if you think of a parent yourself who would really benefit from this, please mention it to them directly.
The Benefits:
Parents who complete YMHFA leave better equipped to recognise when a young person is struggling with mental health and to have the kinds of conversations that can genuinely change outcomes. This is not a lecture – it is practical, empowering, and highly valued by everyone who attends. Giving a parent in our community access to this training for free we believe is a real and tangible investment in young people’s wellbeing.
How Parents Register
All registration details are on the attached flyer, including a direct link and QR code. It couldn't be simpler – parents register directly online in minutes. After that all communications and queries come directly to me.
Places are allocated on an automated system which operates on a first come, first served basis. A waiting list will operate once the course is full.
(If a parent registers and later cannot attend, they can let us know at melanie.billings@cdetb.ie and their place can be released to someone on the waiting list)