The Be Safe App
The Be Safe App is a free and confidential app developed to support youth while creating a safety plan and navigating crisis services. The app was co-created with youth with lived experience of navigating mental health and substance use crises. You can read about the Design Lab that led to the creation of the app. It was the youth’s input and ideas that became the Be Safe App, which has gone on to support Canadians since 2014!
Assessing the Be Safe App
The app has gone through updates and improvements since then, taking into account the feedback of youth, community Clinicians and youth-serving professionals. With the many Canadians who continue to rely on the Be Safe App, we want to make sure that users, new and old, can count on the app as a trustworthy tool.
This year, the Be Safe App had the honour of being selected to be evaluated by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The assessment looked at Data Privacy, Clinical Evidence, Usability & Accessibility, with an emphasis on cultural safety, social responsibility, equity, and data sovereignty for mental health apps in Canada.
Receiving Badges
We are happy to share that we successfully completed the assessment and proved that the Be Safe App meets Canadian and global standards!
As a result of this achievement, we have received badges from both the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) and the Organization for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) which conducted the assessment. You can take a look at the badges on this page below or at besafeapp.ca.
How Can You Get Involved?
Download the free Be Safe App!
- You can set your region, explore resources available in your community and make a safety plan to be prepared for a time of crisis. Find links to both app stores at besafeapp.ca.
Rate the Be Safe App!
- We love to hear feedback and want to know what you think. More app store ratings also increase the app’s popularity and can help other people find it when they need it.
Advocate for the Be Safe App in your community!
- We work with partners across Canada to add the resources on the Be Safe App. If you see a resource missing from your region, let us know at besafeapp@mindyourmind.ca. If you don’t see your city listed, advocate for the app with your local schools, organizations, municipalities or committees.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Be Safe App and making it what it is today. As we continue to make updates, the app will continue to be evaluated and ensure we maintain standards that you can rely on!
Be Safe Partnership Promotions
Check out the CTVnews.ca interview with the Chatham Maroons hockey team. The team is featured in a video promoting mental health app, Be Safe by mindyourmind, for youth amid rising demand for service.
