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About My Mind Check

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, My Mind Check is available to Australian schools at no cost. 

 

My Mind Check is a free, voluntary and evidence-based digital tool designed for Australian schools to conduct mental health and wellbeing check-ins with their students. Importantly, My Mind Check is not a diagnostic tool. Instead, it enables students to self-report on aspects of their mental health and wellbeing, identifying areas where they feel positive and areas where they may benefit from more support. 

 

My Mind Check is available for all year levels of students from Foundation to Year 12.  

Once schools have collected ‘opt in’ consent from select year levels, they run 30-minute supervised check-in sessions during school hours. Students typically require 10-15 minutes to complete their check-in, with additional time allocated for preparation and pack-up. During a check-in session, students use a computer, laptop or tablet to respond to age-appropriate multiple-choice questions about their mental health and wellbeing. 

No. Participation is not mandatory. Before conducting a check-in, schools must first obtain ‘opt-in’ consent for each participant. Even with obtained consent, students have the right to skip questions they do not want to answer or stop participating at any time. Choosing not to participate is an acceptable decision and will not be met with any pressure, criticism or penalties.   

The consent process (including collecting, tracking, and storing consent) is the responsibility of each school. It is to be managed in line with the school’s usual processes, systems, and privacy regulations (separate from the My Mind Check portal). My Mind Check provides consent templates to support schools with this process. 

Our research indicates that, on average across Australia, about 12% of students will be flagged as struggling (red) and another 3% will be flagged as vulnerable (amber). However, the number in each category within any given school is not possible to predict and will depend on many factors. In our previous research we found that most schools ranged from as few as 5%, to as many as 25% of students struggling (red). It is important to remember that about one-third of these students are likely already known to schools and/or are receiving support via mental health services 

Recognising the demanding schedules of school staff, we have designed a follow up process that is simple and efficient to undertake, whilst also delivering valuable information and support to students or their caregivers.  

Designated school staff will follow a simple guide to respond to check-in outcomes. This guide directs them through the process of reviewing outcomes, communicating outcomes (as necessary), and documenting actions taken. Other optional follow-up measures are available for schools to consider and incorporate at their discretion.  

Schools are encouraged to undertake follow up steps in a way that best suits their context and needs, as well as the privacy and health requirements of their school and their state or territory. They are supported with user-friendly templates for different approaches, including an automatically generated template detailing the outcomes of each individual student with links to information, programs and services tailored to their needs. 

Topics covered by My Mind Check are those that most commonly impact the mental health of students in Australia. The specific topics addressed during the check-in vary depending on the year level of the student and the school’s chosen suite of questions, which includes a Core Pack along with optional domains. See [this table] for details  

Designated school staff review the outcomes of a check-in. Where a student’s outcomes suggest difficulties within an area of mental health, we recommend schools share outcomes with the student or caregiver, as they deem relevant. With the support of simple templates, schools are also enabled to share helpful information and at-home resources.  

Schools are best placed to know their students, and their student’s current circumstances. Each school’s approach will align with this knowledge, and with their existing best practice guidelines, processes and legal requirements. Students or caregivers can review the Information & Consent Form provided by your school for more information or contact your school directly if you have further questions.  

Access to individual student outcomes* is restricted to authorised staff members only. For information on who at your school has access to individual student outcomes, please contact your school directly.  

*Outcomes are determined by the student’s response to several check-in questions. A student’s response to each individual check-in question cannot be seen by any school staff.  

Recognising the demanding schedules of school staff, we have designed a follow up process that is simple and efficient to undertake, whilst also delivering valuable information and support to students and their caregivers.  

Designated school staff will follow a simple guide to respond to check-in outcomes. This guide directs them through the process of reviewing outcomes, communicating outcomes (as necessary), and documenting actions taken. Other optional follow-up measures are available for schools to consider and incorporate at their discretion.  

Schools are encouraged to undertake follow up steps in a way that best suits their context and needs, as well as the privacy and health requirements of their school and their state or territory. They are supported with user-friendly templates for different approaches, including an automatically generated template detailing the outcomes of each individual student with links to information, programs and services tailored to their needs. 

Most school-based wellbeing tools cost schools’ money and rarely measure both mental health and wellbeing. Moreover, they typically do not include all year levels. My Mind Check is free, measures mental health and wellbeing for students from all year levels and generates immediate individual student outcomes (with followup guidelines) on both mental health and wellbeing. 

My Mind Check is funded and owned by the Australian Government Department of Education and operated by a dedicated team at Macquarie University, led by Dr Lauren McLellan, Director of My Mind Check, with expert guidance from Scientific Advisor, Professor Ron Rapee AM 

We limit the personal information we collect to what is essential for the effective operation of the tool. For students, this includes the school they attend and their preferred name, last name, year level, unique student ID number, age, year of birth, gender or sex*, and living circumstances (that is, the number and type of caregiver(s) they live with most of the time). We also collect mental health and wellbeing information as part of their participation in the check-in process, and feedback about their experience and perception of mental health and wellbeing check-ins at school. Safeguarding student privacy and data has been a central focus in the development of My Mind Check. Personal information is collected in accordance with Australian Privacy Principles and, where relevant, treated as sensitive health information.   

*Not included by all schools.  

 

Please read the Privacy Collection Notice for details about what information is collected and how it is used.  

Overall, the information will enable schools to collect students’ self-reported insights about their mental health and wellbeing and offer helpful and targeted information to students or caregivers (as applicable). Where a school collects, uses, discloses and/or handles personal information and health information in connection with a students’ use of My Mind Check, the school’s privacy policies, processes and procedures will apply. For access to this notice, please contact your school directly 

Macquarie University will collect and use each student’s information to provide the student with access to the check-in tool, and to operate and evaluate the tool. Information that has been de-identified will be used by Macquarie University for non-commercial research and development, education and publication purposes. De-identified statistical data will be provided to the Commonwealth, and state and territory governments in relation to the uptake and usability of My Mind Check in their respective jurisdiction.     

As the owner of My Mind Check, the Commonwealth will be able to access personal information and health information which is collected via My Mind Check on request and in accordance with applicable laws.  

The tool adheres to Commonwealth standards for cybersecurity and privacy, with our data handling practices undergoing independent security evaluation and testing. We employ robust security measures, including advanced data encryption and secure login authentication protocols, to guard against data breaches. All information obtained is encrypted and stored on a secure Australian-based server in accordance with stringent Australian Government and industry security standards. For more information, view our Privacy Collection Notice. 

 

If you have any further questions, please contact us via Enquire Now.