A 12 week pilot study targeted for adult consumers within a community mental health rehabilitation setting to implement a Personal Safety Tool for self-management and crisis management.

Project Leads to develop a Personal Safety Tool targeted for a community mental health setting. The Personal Safety Tool aims for participants to work collaboratively with Project Leads to identify what the participant is like when they are well, what situations cause them distress and the signals of their distress. The Personal Safety Tool will offer practical suggestions for self-soothing and calming strategies during crisis situations. The Personal Safety Tool has been developed as a 3 page paper document which will be provided to participants to utilise at the community mental health rehabilitation program, at their home and in the community. A range of sensory tools and strategies will be offered to participants to explore when completing their Personal Safety Tool with Project Leads support and supervision. This will include low risk calming/self-soothing and alerting strategies which targets participant senses. Project Leads are trained in implementing sensory modulation, which is the ability to assist the participant to self-regulate by providing an opportunity to participate in activities and behaviours that engage their senses. Project Leads ensure to adhere to SA Health, Northern Mental Health Services Sensory Modulation local procedure guidelines to ensure therapy is offered and facilitated in a safe manner. Project Leads (Occupational Therapists) with 4 years mental health experience will be delivering the intervention with Project Sponsor/Team Leader support with minimum of 10 years’ experience in mental health. The mode of delivery will be face to face in a public community mental health rehabilitation service. Contact will be made individually. Confidentiality requirements will be adhered to through the option to meet in a private meeting room. The intervention will be delivered over a 12 week period. Weekly face to face contact will be delivered as well as phone calls for 15-30 minutes to support semi-structured debriefing, evaluation and follow up. The location will be at a public community mental health rehabilitation service. Contact will be made individually. The Personal Safety Tool will be completed collaboratively with participants and Project Leads to ensure individual needs are considered (e.g. participants early warning signs, triggers and individual sensory based coping strategies to manage in crisis). The Personal Safety Tool can be updated and amended at any time during the pilot study to meet changing needs of participants. The Personal Safety Tool offers opportunity for consumers to add additional information which is individualised to their preferences and needs e.g. ‘other' sections to make additional comments. Ensuring the Personal Safety Tool is individualised is important to ensure the document is client centred, meaningful and meets Mental Health and National Safety and Quality Standards (consumer and carer participation standard). It additionally aligns with recovery, sensory modulation and trauma informed care and practice principles. The Personal Safety Tool pilot study will commence implementation in July 2017. This initial stage of implementation will be collaboratively completing a Personal Safety Tool with participants and support from Project Leads at the community mental health rehabilitation service. The rest of the implementation phase will be over the following 12 week period. Project Leads will be determining adherence of the Personal Safety Tool use through weekly debriefing (e.g. phone calls and face to face meetings). Consent forms will highlight to participants their rights to opt in and opt out of pilot study. Project Leads have established therapeutic rapport and this will likely support opportunities for open communication around adherence and fidelity and how to mitigate any concerns expressed by participants.