Data and technical support
Support outcome measurement, prepare service datasets for approved transfer and make the technical and data management arrangements the study requires.
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP
Review our model.
Strengthen
our care.
Fund MM’s part in an independent peer review of our Model of Care and a national evaluation with Flinders University, including the staff time, data and internal support the work requires.
Contact us ↗Supporting MM’s role · Proposed study with Flinders University
PROPOSAL DEVELOPED WITH
INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF OUR MODEL OF CARE
Put the model
to the test.
Our Model of Care sets out how mentorship works: its principles, people, intake, matching, support and intended outcomes. We want independent experts to examine how well that model aligns with the evidence, and where it can improve.
The proposed Flinders study begins with an evidence-informed desktop audit. Researchers would compare our model with research, relevant standards and accreditation guidance, then map the links between what we do, how we do it and the outcomes we seek.
The first practical output: an independent report by month six, identifying gaps and recommendations for the Model of Care, mentor support, delivery and measurement.
This is expert scrutiny of our service model. Any later academic publication would have its own peer-review process.
WHAT YOUR SUPPORT WOULD FUND
MM’s contribution.
The work behind the study.
This funding opportunity covers Mentoring Men’s contribution and the internal resources needed to support the partnership. The university’s research funding application has its own budget.
Staff time and coordination
Give MM staff capacity to liaise with researchers, support governance and data-sharing arrangements, coordinate recruitment and help mentees, mentors and referral partners take part.
Putting findings into practice
Bring service knowledge to the interpretation of findings, review recommendations and plan improvements to mentor support, measurement and service delivery.
We’ll agree MM’s funded contribution, internal workload and reporting with each funding partner. Scope will be checked against the university budget and other support so the same costs are not funded twice.
THEN EXAMINE THE SERVICE IN PRACTICE
Does the experience
match the model?
The next phase connects the model with what happens in real mentorships.
Researchers would examine historical service data and paired baseline and follow-up Harvard Flourishing Measure data, alongside interviews with mentees, mentors and referring services.
The two-year study would bring these findings together into practical recommendations and a framework for a possible larger national evaluation. Changes over time would be examined without assuming mentorship caused them.
A CLEAR ROLE FOR EACH PARTNER
Independent research.
Supported by MM.
The proposal is led by Dr Melissa Opozda at Flinders University and connects with the Well Men research collaboration. Researchers retain responsibility for study design, analysis, conclusions and reporting.
Mentoring Men would support access, recruitment, interpretation and the application of findings. Ethics approval and a data-sharing agreement are required before the relevant research begins. Consent and approved arrangements would govern the use of participant information.
The study is proposed. Research funding, ethics approval and data-sharing arrangements need to be confirmed before delivery can proceed.
THE PROPOSED PROGRAMME
Learning we can
put to work.
The application outlines a two-year study. MM’s internal support would follow the agreed research schedule.
Prepare and review
Establish governance and data arrangements, prepare ethics documentation and support the desktop audit. An initial report and recommendations are planned by month six.
Support participation
Prepare data, coordinate recruitment and support interviews and follow-up measurement while the research team analyses the evidence.
Apply the learning
Help interpret findings in the service context, consider recommendations and share practical learning through MM and the research partnership.
WHAT THE REVIEW WOULD ENABLE
Improve the model.
Prepare for the
next standard.
Our intended next step after the Model of Care review is to act on its findings and seek accreditation against the National Safety and Quality Mental Health Standards for Community Managed Organisations.
This would build on our existing Suicide Prevention Australia accreditation. The national standards cover practice governance, partnering with consumers, families and carers, and the Model of Care.
The research would inform our preparation. Accreditation is a separate assessment by an independent accrediting agency; completing the review would not itself confer accreditation.
BUILDING ON OUR WORK
The project builds on our Model of Care and questions about men’s experiences of connection and mentorship. Explore the service approach and our existing Men Do Talk report.
LET’S TALK
Back MM’s part
in the research.
Help fund MM’s contribution to the Model of Care review, the wider evaluation and the internal work needed to put the findings into practice.