FAQs

You’ve got questions and we’ve got as many answers as we can think you’ve got questions.


What is We Can Talk?

We Can Talk  is a project using community building and education to increase the skill and confidence of acute hospital staff in understanding and supporting children and young people’s mental health.


Is this going to cost me anything?

No, nope, nu, nein, non, nee, nie!! Rare I know, but free really does mean free. I know it looks SUPER slick and unlike anything NHS could produce (and therefore must be expensive!) but the We Can Talk project is made possible by amazing funders including Health Education England, NHS England/Improvement, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and many more! It is delivered by People Unlimited, a social enterprise working to transform the way the world feels about mental health. NHS staff will never have to pay to access our training or resources. We really have produced this training to make a difference.


What training do you provide?

All We Can Talk training is co-designed and co-delivered by our awesome young advisors (young people with lived experience of presenting to hospital in mental health crisis), mental health experts and hospital staff.

We provide a free (yup, still free), online one-hour We Can Talk fundamentals of compassionate care training session. This introduces key approaches to supporting young people in mental health crisis.

Because we think you are all amazing, everyone can also access a fun (mind you, all our training is fun) We Can Talk well-being module. A brief module focused on staff wellbeing and reminding you all how great you are!

If your Trust has joined the We Can Talk project, you can access the Core Curriculum. This is a one-day (six hour) training to give hospital staff the core skills, knowledge and confidence to improve the experience of children and young people presenting to hospital due to their mental health. You can do this in manageable chunks online, you don’t have to sit at your computer for 6 hours in one go! 


How can we join?

We are currently looking for hospital sites and linked mental health teams (CAMHS) to make a difference and join our family in 2022. If you think your organisation would like to make the  experience of children and young people in crisis better (and help staff feel more confident and competent) then get in touch. We are really keen to work across multiple organisations and geographic areas to maximise impact and sustainability. Find out more


How do I sign up?

Everyone can sign up to the free content (I am sure we said free somewhere before) and start to make a difference here…


Do you have an educational framework for your training?

We Can Talk has co-produced with young people, hospital staff and mental health professionals an evidenced-based educational competency framework, which all our training is based on.


Do you work with CCGs, STPs, ALBs and other acronyms?

Absolutely! Your acronym need not prevent you from supporting the expansion of We Can Talk in your area. Contact us!


Do you deliver one-off training days for teams?

Not currently. We see We Can Talk as part of a process to create change and as a result we are looking to form relationships with organisations over months and years rather than one-off days.


What about We Can Talk for community staff, teachers, socials workers, etc?

We recognise there is a real need for training on children and young people’s mental health training in lots of settings. Our training was co-produced with young people and hospital staff specifically thinking about their training needs in acute hospital settings. People Unlimited powers coproduction in number of other projects including the fabulous Crisis Tools, which you may wish to check out!


Why an elephant?

We have to keep some secrets part of the family.


How do I find out more?

Don’t be shy! Contact us.