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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, they schedule and run 30-minute supervised check-in sessions during school hours with select year levels. During a check-in, 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% struggling (red). It is important to remember that about one-third of these students are likely already receiving support via mental health services.  

We recognise that every school has its own unique set of circumstances and needs. During an online planning meeting, the My Mind Check School Support Team will work with your school to develop a tailored plan for implementing check-ins that best suits your specific context and requirements. After this meeting, each participating staff member will follow an easy guide to carry out their assigned tasks. If at any point your school requires technical support, simply contact the School Support Team via phone or email (details are available in each guide).  

Designated school staff review the outcomes of the check-in. Where a student’s outcomes suggest difficulties within an area of mental health, we suggest the school share this information with the person who provided consent for the student and direct them towards helpful information and resources, with the support of guides and templates from My Mind Check.  

Access to individual student outcomes* is restricted to authorised staff members only. This comprises of the School Principal and/or their chosen delegate, and staff members undertaking the role of School Champion. Schools are advised to appoint individuals to this role who have relevant training, experience, or a keen interest in student wellbeing. 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 follow–up 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 their preferred name, last name, year level, unique student ID number, and year of birth. We also collect mental health and wellbeing information as part of their participation in the check-in process. 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.

For school staff undertaking a My Mind Check role, we collect their preferred name, last name, work email address, My Mind Check role, and any feedback they provide about their experience using the tool.  

The information collected is used to effectively administer and operate the My Mind Check tool. That is, it enables schools to collect students’ self-reported insights about their mental health and wellbeing. Schools may use information provided by My Mind Check and store it within their own systems to document and respond to check-ins. Where this occurs, your school’s Privacy Collection Notice will apply. For access to this notice, please contact your school directly.  

Macquarie University can access information, but only in a completely de-identified form. This information will be used to update norms, improve questions, develop new domains (eg sleep difficulties), and contribute to research. Research will predominantly focus on tool development and refinement, not specific check-in outcomes. Any reported outcomes will be presented in a way that prevents comparisons across education sectors.  

Whilst operated by Macquarie University, de-identified statistical reports are shared with the Commonwealth Government for the sole purpose of reviewing the uptake and usability of the tool. Similarly, state and territory governments will receive reports for the same purpose, but specifically from government schools within their respective jurisdictions.  

All intellectual property and data created or captured during the operation of My Mind Check remains the property of the Commonwealth. For more information, view our Privacy Collection Notice. 

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.