Be Safe App – besafeapp.ca

The Be Safe App

Let Be Safe help you to create a safety plan, find local resources for support and learn how to be safe in a mental health or substance use crisis.

The app has been evaluated and proven to be evidence-based.

CONNECT

Connect with the right resources in a time of crisis. You are asked a few yes or no questions to guide you to the most appropriate resources at that time.

SAFETY PLAN

Develop a safety plan before you are in crisis. You can complete a mobile safety plan by filling in the prompts directly on your phone. This safety plan is intended to be completed when you aren’t in crisis, to support you when you are.

RESOURCES

Access helpful regional resources that support you in reaching out safely. Learn how to be safe in a crisis, what to expect when you call a crisis line, and your rights as a patient when seeking support.

ABOUT

Be Safe by mindyourmind is an evidence-informed safety planning and service navigation app developed in partnership with youth. The app is the product of a multi-sectoral network of stakeholders created to improve access to and coordination of mental health and addiction services for youth and families, consisting of the dedicated youth team, the London Service Collaborative, the CAMH Regional Implementation Team, and mindyourmind .

The first version of Be Safe was piloted in London, Ontario in April 2014. After a successful uptake, more regions joined the app across Ontario, and later, regions in British Columbia and Nova Scotia as well.

2019 came time for an app update to improve the functionality and longevity of Be Safe across iOS and Android. In this process, the Be Safe team conducted focus groups with youth and service providers to gather input on how the app could better meet changing community needs. Along with this update was an opportunity to scale the app nationally, to reach and help more youth across Canada. The Be Safe team has been working with its community partners to add new regions and provide youth outreach.

Be Safe by mindyourmind now includes regional resources for every province and territory in Canada, and continues to strive to provide support to more local communities across Canada. Learn more about the Design Lab and Be Safe App by mindyourmind tool creation.

FAQ

What is Be Safe?

Be Safe by mindyourmind is a free mobile app designed to support young people in reaching out during a crisis. The app aims to help users with making informed decisions and accessing relevant and reliable resources in their area. Be Safe is available on both Apple and Android devices, and as a printable pocket guide.

Be Safe does not replace professional clinical advice or emergency services, but looks to support users in navigating and selecting the most appropriate services when and where they need them most.

The Be Safe Plan is intended to be completed with a supportive person when the user is not in crisis and should be kept up to date.

What are the features of Be Safe?

The Be Safe App includes:

Information on reaching out safely, including how to stay safe while you wait for help, what to expect when you access resources, and information on your rights
A digital safety plan
Access to information about local and provincial mental health and addiction resources
A ‘Get Help’ script to help you reach out during a crisis

Who should use Be Safe?

Everyone!

Be Safe is targeted towards young people who have experienced or may experience a mental health crisis; however, it can be used by any individual, regardless of their age.

Be Safe can assist health care providers with helping their patients/clients make a safety plan. It can also be used by individuals to support a friend, family member or peer.

What makes Be Safe unique?

Be Safe was co-created with a group of young people with lived experience of mental health issues and of accessing crisis services. Their knowledge and overall expertise allowed them to play an integral role in the app’s conceptualization and development.

Be Safe was piloted in London, Ontario, as a partnership between CAMH's Systems Service Collaboratives Initiative and mindyourmind. It has since undergone both provincial and national expansion with the help of 20+ region partners.

How does Be Safe work?

To use the app:

Download Be Safe from either the App Store or Google Play.
Once downloaded, select your region from the list provided. You can choose a new region at any time without losing your personal information.
Fill out your safety plan with someone you trust.
Review and update your Be Safe Plan often.
When you need support, open the app and use the 'Get Help' button to guide you in reaching out safely.

How has youth engagement enhanced the quality of Be Safe as a systems navigation tool?

Youth have been involved in every step of the process, including contributing to the design of the mobile app. Youth participated in consultations with community clinicians held to ensure that Be Safe provides accurate information and is aligned with evidence-based practices. They also provided input on Be Safe's evaluation plan.

Youth have also participated in focus groups centered on improving the Be Safe app, including its design, content, and overall usability. Youth received honorariums for their contributions and mindyourmind worked to implement all of their feedback.

This paper, published in the Canadian Journal of Mental Health, outlines the youth-adult partnership strategy that was used to create Be Safe and facilitate the development of a resource that is relevant to youth and informed by their personal experience and expertise.

Click here to download the paper.

What was the process around developing Be Safe?

In developing Be Safe, eight youth contributed their knowledge of what they needed in times of crisis based on their own experience navigating the mental health system. They also helped to inform how best to use technology to reach youth, and how service providers can engage youth to use the resource toolkit.

In June 2013, this group of youth participated in a weekend-long development session – otherwise known as a Design Studio. By the end of the weekend, the youth had tentatively mapped out and designed the key elements of the mobile app and paper-based "pocket guide" companion. Over another year of ongoing meetings, consultations with youth service providers and iterative drafts, the Be Safe App was ready for development. The Be Safe App launched in London, Ontario, in April 2014, followed by regional expansion and French support in July 2015.

This evidence brief, disseminated by the Evidence Exchange Network for Mental Health and Addictions, describes the partnership between CAMH and mindyourmind that was facilitated by a youth leader, leading to the youth engagement design process of creating Be Safe.

I'm interested in Be Safe for my community. Is there a cost? What is needed to move ahead?

Be Safe is a social enterprise program of mindyourmind. As such, there is a yearly fee for community partners, in order to support the maintenance and ongoing support of the app.

Contact us at besafeapp@mindyourmind.ca if you're interested in adding your region to the app.

Once you sign on as a partner, we'll ask you to lead the collection of local crisis, mental health, and addiction resources. We'll work with you to get the app and its paper resources finalized and ready for launch as soon as possible.

Does the Be Safe App see my personal information?

You can be assured that the Be Safe App is completely confidential. We do not collect personal information. Any content you input into the app is only accessible on your personal device. We encourage you to set a passcode on your device to help protect your privacy. For more information about confidentiality, see our Privacy Policy.

Has Be Safe Been Evaluated?

The Be Safe App has been successfully evaluated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada based on Canadian standards, by the Organization for the Review and Care of Health Apps to ensure Be Safe meets globally recognized benchmarks and by TherAppX as part of inclusion of the Quebec Post-Secondary School Initiative. Details for these evaluations are available in the Research and Evidence Section below.

Testimonial - Ethan

I use the Be Safe smartphone app on a daily basis. I refer to my lists of medications in the app when visiting the pharmacy; I share the addresses of local service providers to friends in crisis, to advise them of their options.

– Ethan

Research and Evidence

Research of Youth Engagement Strategy

Be Safe was created out of a partnership between CAMH and mindyourmind that was brokered by a youth leader of the London Service Collaborative, facilitating the invaluable youth-adult partnerships that enhanced the development of the app. This evidence brief, disseminated by the Evidence Exchange Network for Mental Health and Addictions (EENet), details the youth engagement design process of creating Be Safe.

Co-Design Creates System Change

Youth engagement can improve the accessibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of programs and resources for youth. This paper, published in the Canadian Journal of Mental Health in 2017, describes how youth with lived experience in London, Ontario actively contributed to Be Safe as a system-level improvement initiative and evaluates the success of the youth-adult partnership. This co-creation model used to develop Be Safe is an example of a youth engagement strategy that can be easily replicated to develop resources that are relevant to youth needs and support mental health system improvement.

Be Safe as a Tool for Discharge Planning

In the spirit of the original creation of the Be Safe App as a tool for youth accessing crisis services, this research article from the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry examined the impact of smartphone technology on discharge planning for youth leaving the London Health Sciences Centre in-patient unit by asking youth to download the app at discharge. With the rising number of youth owning a smartphone and the increase of information available, Be Safe offers youth a central point of access to find the services they need.

Selected and Evaluated for Post-Secondary Students in Quebec

Be Safe was selected to be part of a web-based platform called Station SME, which provides tools and resources for student mental health. Station SME is an initiative of the Government of Québec and ISMÉES to support the well-being of post-secondary students throughout Québec. This badge demonstrates that Be Safe was evaluated and approved as part of this initiative by TherAppX and included in their application bank. You can find Be Safe on the Station SME portal.

Successful Evaluation Meets Canadian and Global Health Standards

To ensure the Be Safe App continues to best serve its users, the app was evaluated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) in key areas such as Data Privacy, Clinical Safety, Cultural Safety, Usability, and Accessibility. The app successfully passed this rigorous assessment conducted by ORCHA and will be subject to ongoing evaluation through future updates. Read more about the project in this press release from ORCHA. In recognition of this achievement, the MHCC awarded this badge of compliance and will feature the Be Safe app on the MHCC Compliance Portal. This badge signifies our commitment to exceeding national standards and providing a safe, user-friendly and confidential tool for supporting Canadians facing crises. For more information about the evaluation, visit mindyourmind.ca.

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