What is safe and effective practice?
Sport, physical activity and movement can play a powerful role in helping people with mental health problems to stay well. Especially alongside talking therapies, medication and other forms of support.
That’s why, with our partners, we've developed safe and effective practice guidance for those delivering physical activity and mental health programmes.
The guidance has been co-developed with people with lived experience of mental health problems, coaches, front-line deliverers, healthcare professionals and over 150 organisations. It will help to shape future physical activity delivery across different settings to support mental health outcomes. It will ensure we keep participants and those delivering sessions safe throughout the process.
Share the findings
How to use the safe and effective practice guidance
Our mission at Mind is to create a mentally healthy society, and we believe physical activity and movement has a key role to play. But we also have a duty of care to ensure it’s both safe and effective for everyone involved. You can help us ensure this by embedding safe and effective practice within local policy and procedures.
In September 2025, we’ll be releasing extra resources and templates to support you to implement the guidance. These are currently being co-designed. If you have examples of resources that you’d like to share, then please contact [email protected].
“Working in mental health and trying to help people every day can be pressurised. And sometimes you just need to get some support for yourself.”
Forewords
Why do we need safe and effective practice?
We’re in the middle of a mental health crisis. 1.6 million people are currently stuck on waiting lists for the NHS mental health services that could help them.
We know that sport, physical activity and movement can make a difference. They can play a powerful role in helping people with mental health problems stay well alongside talking therapies, medication and other kinds of support.
With over 3 million coaches, the sport and physical activity sector has huge potential to support the nation’s mental health. Physical activity can reduce the risk of developing depression and help people ‘wait well’ until they get more support. It can also be a valuable part of our support toolkit, providing fun, joy, structure and social connections.
The benefits of moving for the mind are well evidenced. 10 years ago, we launched Get Set to Go, our flagship physical activity programme. Since then we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of providers offering programmes specifically designed to support mental health.
We applaud the sector for stepping into this space and offering more opportunities for people with mental health problems to get active. But unfortunately, our research with those of us who have lived experience of mental health problems reveals that not everyone has the same experiences of, or access to, physical activity.
Coaches and providers are incredibly passionate about mental health and often motivated by their own lived experience. But many say they don’t always feel supported by employers and funders to meet the level of mental health need they’re seeing in their sessions. They don’t feel empowered to set boundaries if a participant’s needs feel too high-level for them to intervene.
Safe and effective for everyone
Our guidance brings together best practice from across the sector and has been shaped by people with lived experience of mental health problems. It’s aimed at helping the sport and physical activity sector respond to the mental health crisis and ensure that physical activity is safe and effective for everyone involved.
We want to create a mentally healthy society, and know that physical activity and movement has a key role to play. But we also have a duty of care to ensure it’s safe and effective for everyone involved.
Improving knowledge and accessibility of physical activity for mental health
We welcomed the chance to help develop this guidance on safe and effective practice, and congratulate Mind’s physical activity team for leading this important project.
We’re aware from Sport England data that over a third of adults in the UK struggle to achieve the recommended guidelines for physical activity. It’s a similar story for under-18s.
We also know there are physical and psychological benefits of being active – and that due to the impact of physical activity on our brain it can directly benefit people with mental health problems. There are also potential additional psycho-social benefits like reducing loneliness and building a sense of achievement and confidence for participants.
The sport and fitness industry can feel inaccessible for more vulnerable groups. This means people with severe mental health problems are less likely to access physical activity. This population has a significant mortality gap6 compared to the general population, and we believe that improving access to physical activity could help reduce it.
This guidance seeks to improve the knowledge of those working in all sectors of mental health – as well as people in the fitness and leisure industry. With this knowledge they can promote the benefits of physical activity but also make it more accessible to those with mental health problems.
We hope this project will grow and be embraced and embedded more widely. We look forward to seeing the outcomes for this important piece of work and hope to work together more closely in future.
Dr Caz Nahman, Chair, RCPsych Sports and Exercise Special Interest Group
Dr David Prosser, Deputy Chair RCPsych SEPSIG
Dr Claire Gilvray, Exercise for Mental Health Lead
Endorsements
Royal College of GPs
“This guidance underscores the importance of a holistic approach to mental health by integrating physical activity programmes across diverse settings—from community parks to inpatient facilities. By incorporating insights from individuals with lived experience, healthcare professionals, and sport and movement practitioners, the report sets a robust framework to ensure that both participants and session deliverers are supported and safeguarded. We look forward to the further resources coming in September 2025 and encourage stakeholders to join the nationwide campaign during Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May).”
The supportive statement has been provided on behalf of the Royal College of GPs by Adrian Hayter, Medical Director for Clinical Policy.
The report has been endorsed by the Mental Health and Movement Alliance.
The Alliance is made up of national mental health organisations (or those working across 2 or more regions) who use physical activity and movement to support mental health outcomes. The Alliance includes:
- Chasing the Stigma
- DOCIA Sport
- MyoMinds
- Mental Health Foundation
- Mental Health Football Wales
- Mental Health Swims
- Movember
- Rethink Mental Illness
- Rugby League Cares
- Scottish Action on Mental Health
- Sport in Mind
- State of Mind Sport
- Stormbreak
- The Foundation for Young People’s Mental Health
The report has also been endorsed by the following organisations:
- Active Partnership Network
- Ann Craft Trust
- CIMSPA
- Community Leisure
- Edge Hill University
- EFL in the Community
- Loughborough University
- Movember
- Physical Activity Clinical Champions
- Rethink Mental Illness
- Scottish Action for Mental Health
- Sport and Recreation Alliance
- Sport for Development Coalition
- State of Mind
- The Richmond Group of Charities
- ukactive
- UK Coaching
"I feel particularly happy that the coaches are always around to support us if we are going through hard times."
Frequently asked questions
Over the last year, we’ve worked closely with people who have lived experience of mental health problems, as well as coaches, front-line deliverers and healthcare professionals from 150+ sport, mental health and physical health organisations to find out what best practice looks like in a range of settings.
The full list of organisations involved in developing the guidance can be found on page 35 of the report.
This guidance draws together good practice from across different settings. It’s not a quality mark, but it may be useful for self-assessment. We understand it will take time for individuals and organisations to apply this guidance. You may decide to prioritise some parts over others to start with.
We’d love for you to help us spread the word and reach more physical activity deliverers with the guidance.
Our partner communications toolkit contains key messages that can be lifted for use across your internal and external communications channels.
You'll also find social media copy and assets, as well as key stats and research that have helped to inform our work.
For further updates, sign up to our monthly physical activity e-newsletter.
