Product Information Statement for Digital Mental Health Services

Smiling Mind Primary School Program (including Learning Hub) 

Date of last update: April 2025 (v2.1)

1. Is this service for me?

1.1 What health conditions does this service offer help with? 

The Smiling Mind Primary School program is a preventive mental health program, designed to help build mental fitness, resilience and wellbeing in primary school children. It is intended as a universal prevention program, with skill-building resources relevant to all primary schools in Australia. While it is not intended as a diagnostic or treatment tool, it may be beneficial in managing mild signs and symptoms of stress, anxiety and other mental health concerns.

1.2 Who is the service intended for? 

The Smiling Mind App is intended to support primary school students to build knowledge, skills and confidence relating to mental fitness, resilience and wellbeing. The Smiling Mind Primary School Program is designed as a train-the-teacher program, intended to build knowledge and confidence in educators, as well as provide comprehensive teaching materials, lesson plans and supporting resources. An additional benefit evidenced through our program evaluation is to improve the wellbeing of educators.

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program is designed as a whole school program, with individual subscriptions available in certain circumstances.

1.3 What kind of assistance does the service offer? 

The program is a whole school program that provides an evidence-based program of psychoeducation and skill-building activities that are designed to build mental fitness, resilience and wellbeing in primary school students. Resources include classroom learning and discussion resources, meditations and guided activities based on Smiling Mind’s 5 mental fitness areas: Live mindfully, Embrace flexible thinking, Grow connections, Act purposefully, Recharge your body. Lessons are also mapped to the Australian Curriculum Health & Physical Education learning outcomes, supporting students’ development of Personal and Social Capabilities as defined in the curriculum. 

1.4 How is the service delivered? 

The program is accessed via the Smiling Mind Learning Hub, available to schools through a 12-month program subscription. The program includes online training materials for educators, classroom lesson plans and teaching materials, and support resources for teachers, students and the wider school community. Smiling Mind has a dedicated email support platform and liaises directly with schools as required.

The Smiling Mind App is also referenced and used throughout the program, particularly for the ‘at home’ program components. The App is available free-of-charge and the Product Information Statement can be found here.

1.5 Are health professionals involved in delivering the service? 

The program uses a train-the-teacher model and is delivered to students by qualified school staff, however all the resources provided are developed, reviewed and quality-assured by qualified psychologists, researchers and other mental health professionals.

1.6 When is the service available? 

The program resources are available 24/7 via the Smiling Mind Learning Hub. A subscription is required to access the program.

1.7 How much does the service cost? Is there any ongoing cost? 

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program is accessed via a paid subscription. The cost is dependent on the number of primary students enrolled at the school and ranges from $1,490 to $9,490 (including GST) for a 12-month subscription. Individual subscriptions for educators can also be purchased for $449 (including GST) for 12-months access. 

From time to time, sponsored places are available through government or philanthropic funding. When these are available we actively promote these to applicable primary schools.

1.8 How can I access the service? 

Subscriptions are available to schools, as well as individual educators under certain circumstances. Once subscribed, educators will receive an access code that allows them to access the digital platform and all associated resources and training materials.

1.9 Can I access the service anonymously? 

You can not access the service anonymously and must have an account using a valid email address. Creating an account allows you to access program materials, receive updates on training and program delivery, and allow evaluation materials to be linked to your school to enable impact monitoring. 

1.10 Does the service allow my carer, family member or support person to work with me to use the service?

The program is specifically designed to be delivered within a classroom context. It is not public facing and not designed for, nor can the classroom components be accessed by, carers, family members or support persons. 

Program materials and resources are provided to subscribed educators in order for schools to engage parents, caregivers and the wider school community.

2. Will I benefit if I use this service?

2.1 Is there any independent scientific evidence of benefit from using this service? 

There is mounting evidence that demonstrates the positive benefits of the Smiling Mind Primary School Program (the Program). A randomised controlled trial revealed that the Program is beneficial for students across a number of domains including sleep quality, mental health, wellbeing, engagement with learning, student safety and reductions in bullying and classroom disruptions (Hart & Scollay, 2020). Additionally, students with lower initial wellbeing showed significant improvements in their wellbeing following engagement in the Program (Hart & Scollay, 2020).

Recent evaluations of the Program showed high degrees of program satisfaction among students and educators, student wellbeing and skills development, and improved knowledge and confidence among educators to deliver the Program in schools (Dix et al., 2023; Van Der Zant et al., 2024).

2.2 Is the service endorsed by a government or professional body? 

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program appears on several education wellbeing directories following a rigorous approval process. These include:

• NSW Department of Education ‘External Wellbeing Programs Panel’

• QLD Brisbane Catholic Education Diocese ‘Approved Supplier Panel’

• SA Department of Education ‘External Wellbeing Programs Directory’

• Beyond Blue ‘Be You Programs Directory’

3. Could this service do me harm?

3.1 Are there any precautions or safety warnings related to this service?

For the vast majority of program users, the Smiling Mind Primary School Program presents low clinical risk and is very safe to use. However, as with any program asking users to reflect on their mental health and wellbeing, use of the program may bring up related issues or concerns for educators or students using the program. We provide specific guidance to educators to support and minimise any impacts that may arise, and signpost educators to support services for both children and adults, including on-site and community-based mental health supports.

3.2 Has anyone reported concerns or adverse health events after using this service?

A small number of students report signs of mild distress or negative emotional states (e.g. boredom, worry) either during or after using the program. Educators are provided with training and resources to support students that may be experiencing distress or difficulty, and if concerned are encouraged to refer students to additional support services, including on-site and community-based mental health supports.

4. Should I trust this service?

4.1 What is the business model for the service provider? 

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program is a subscription-based program. Schools can purchase the program directly or, when available, access the program through a place funded through government or philanthropy. The cost of the program funds the program delivery as well as program development and enhancements.

Smiling Mind is a registered charity under the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).

4.2 How does the service make money?

In addition to the subscription-based model for the Primary School Program, Smiling Mind receives funding through government and philanthropic grants, donations and brand partnerships.

5. Is the service easy to use? Will I keep using it?

5.1 Is there any independent research on how easy it is to use this service? 

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program has been independently evaluated over a number of years with exceptional user satisfaction ratings.

The evaluation report for schools participating in the program during 2023 indicated that 95% of educators expressed satisfaction with the Program, with 84% feeling more confident in teaching social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. Additionally, nine in ten (88%) students found the Program fun or enjoyable (Van Der Zant et al., 2024). 

5.2 How much time will it take me to use this service as suggested? 

Educators can start using the classroom resources right away. However, we recommend first undertaking the foundational training to build knowledge and confidence. The training is on demand, online and takes around 60-90 minutes. Many educators report that they enjoy the training as it helps them to deepen their understanding of key concepts and focus on their own self-care.

There are flexible options for implementing the program, however the recommended approach is to deliver the full program across the school year. This includes an Orientation lesson followed by 20 classroom topic lessons each delivered across a fortnight. Each fortnightly lesson is designed to take a total of 30-40 mins via a spaced learning model, with additional optional short activities that can be delivered regularly according to the needs and schedule of the class.  

5.3 How long will it take to get results from using this service? 

Most educators will see improvements in knowledge and skills within their students from the very first lesson. However, teaching the wide range of topics in the Smiling Mind Primary School Program throughout the year, as well as regularly undertaking the activities, is most likely to lead to ongoing improvements in student wellbeing.

5.4 Were people with lived experience involved in developing the service? 

The program was designed in partnership with primary school educators. We continue to use direct feedback from educators as well as findings from our evaluation surveys to continue to evolve and improve the program.

5.5 What do other users think of this service? 

Ongoing evaluation and monitoring of program participants have shown positive experiences for students and school staff alike, for the 2023 year:

• Nearly all (95%) of educators were satisfied with the Program.

• The Program received an NPS score of 71, deemed ‘excellent’ in terms of program quality.

• Nine in ten (88%) students found the Program fun or enjoyable.

• In their own words, 72% of students reported positive sentiment toward the Program.

(Van Der Zant et al., 2024)

5.6 Will this service link with other health services?

The Smiling Mind Primary School Program links to the Smiling Mind app for many of the in-class or take-home activities. If students, educators or families need additional support, there are in-app links to a range of additional external support services. Links to these additional supports are also provided to educators as part of the Program's implementation resources.

6. Who will have access to my personal data?

6.1 What information does the service collect about me? 

Smiling Mind only collects the minimal information required to effectively deliver our program to you. This includes: email address; first and last name; whether you are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin (if in Australia only), school or organisation name; your role; phone number; program usage; and wellbeing data. We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted subprocessors who assist in operating our services. A list of the relevant subprocessors is in the below table.

6.2 Who owns that data? 

The data we collect is owned by the user. Program subscribers can request to access the data we hold on you at any time or request that your data is deleted. If you are accessing the program through a school subscription, permission to access or delete data may need to be sought by the program liaison personnel.

6.3 Who is that information shared with and why? 

Data we collect is not shared with third parties without your consent, and only when it is required to deliver our programs to you. You provide consent through agreeing to the Terms of Use of the Smiling Mind Website and Applications. If you agree to participate in specific research studies, you will be asked to provide explicit consent for your data to be used.

Subprocessors

6.4 Where is information about me stored? 

Your information is stored in a secure AWS data warehouse in Sydney, Australia.

Limited information may be shared with Coassemble, the software platform utilised to deliver educator training, in order to deliver the service. This third-party data sharing is outlined within the Smiling Mind Privacy Policy. Information in Coassemble may be stored in secure AWS data warehouses outside of Australia. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is compliant with all major privacy regulations, including but not limited to the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (APA), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), GDPR and ISO regulations.

Location of data storage by subprocesses can be found in section 6.3 above. 

6.5 Can I easily share my information and results if I want to? 

At this stage, there is not an automated way to share information and evaluation results. If you wish to access this data for the purposes of sharing, you will need to contact Smiling Mind at info@smilingmind.com.au.

6.6 Can I save the personal information I enter on my device without it being shared with the provider? 

Any data provided through the course of using the Learning Hub will be saved to your account and is accessible only to the relevant people at Smiling Mind for the purpose of monitoring and evaluating our programs. 

6.7 Can I review and/or delete data that has been collected about me? 

Yes. You can request access to your data by contacting Smiling Mind. You may also request that your data is deleted. Please note that in some cases de-identified data must be retained for five years for research and evaluation purposes. When you request for your data to be deleted it will be deidentified and stored in a secure database for this time period, adhering to our privacy and data destruction policies and processes.

6.8 Does the service have a data-sharing (privacy) policy? 

Yes. Please refer to the Privacy Policy on our website.

6.9 What security measures are in place to protect my personal information? 

Smiling Mind is accredited through the National Digital Mental Health Standards and has a comprehensive program of work in place relating to cyber and data security.

Smiling Mind has various processes and protocols to keep your data safe and secure. These include, but are not limited to:

• Well architected cloud configurations

• Encryption in transit and at rest

• Authentication and authorisation of secured requests

• Frequent data backups

• Independent penetration tests.

7. Who can I contact with questions or concerns about this service?

7.1 How can I contact the service provider? 

If you would like to contact Smiling Mind regarding any matter or concern you can email info@smilingmind.com.au, and your query will be directed to the relevant team member.

Alternatively, our mailing address is:

Smiling Mind
26-28 Easey St
Collingwood
VIC 3066 Australia

7.2 Where can I go if I have concerns about this service? 

• For privacy/security issues contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/ 

• For complaints against a health service contact your state or territory health complaints organisation https://www.ahpra.gov.au/notifications/further-information/health-complaintsorganisations.aspx 

• For complaints against an individual registered health professional contact the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA) https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Notifications/Raise-a-concern.aspx 

• For complaints about misleading claims contact Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/complaints-problems/make-aconsumer-complaint