FAQs

Side by Side is for anyone aged 18 or over in England and Wales. It's a space where those who have experience of mental health problems can anonymously connect with others who have similar experiences and support each other.

• Side by Side is kept safe by a team of moderators from 8 am until midnight every day. Moderators work in shifts, meaning there is one person on shift at a time.
• Moderators make decisions in line with our community guidelines, which you can view at the links below.
  Full guidelines: https://sidebyside.mind.org.uk/full-community-guidelines/
  Easy read guidellines: https://sidebyside.mind.org.uk/easy-read-guidelines/
• If you need to discuss a moderation decision, you can email the core team who manage Side by Side at sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk

The core team is the team at National Mind that manages Side by Side. They are responsible for:

• Community safety, such as safeguarding concerns
• Managing the moderators
• Managing the digital development of the platform
• Responding to complaints
• Upholding community guidelines and processes

If you need to get in touch with the core team, you can email them at sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk

Mind is a charity that operates in England and Wales. People living elsewhere are welcome to join and benefit from the peer support on Side by Side, but Mind cannot provide the same level of support—such as bespoke signposting—to those outside of England and Wales.

When you request to deactivate your account, your account becomes inactive. The moderators receive your request to deactivate, and once approved all of your data will be deleted after 21 days.

If you change your mind and want to return before the 21 days have passed, you can email us at sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk to request that your account is restored.

If you would like to take a break from the site, you can do this without deactivating by going to your settings page.

• If you break the community guidelines, moderators will edit or hide the content and give feedback via direct message. We understand that it can be hard to remember all of the guidelines, and sometimes people break them by accident.
• If members break the same guidelines again or post in an unsafe way, they will get a warning explaining that they will lose access to the service if they continue.
• Where members have ignored moderator feedback or use Side by Side in a way that is seriously harmful to other members, we will withdraw access.

Suspension process:

First suspension: 2 weeks

Second suspension: 1 month

Third suspension: permanent

• If you create another account on Side by Side while your access is withdrawn, your suspension can be extended.
• If we’re worried about how you’re using the site, we may remove your access immediately. In some cases, we may not be able to give feedback, especially if there’s a serious risk to others in the community.

Find out more about our suspension process here

You can contact the core team on sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk

Pinned posts are created by the core team that manages Side by Side.

The posts are an opportunity to bring the community together to discuss mental health topics, take part in wellbeing activities, or have fun and bond over a game. These opportunities to get to know each other can help members build connections and a foundation for peer support to thrive.

If you have ideas for pinned posts, we'd love to hear them! You can send them to sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk. Please note that although we are excited to get your thoughts, we can't use every suggestion. These decisions are based on what will have a broad appeal for the community and be appropriate for Side by Side and Mind.

You can hide any pinned posts you don't want to see using the drop down arrow at the top right of the post. Once hidden, you will not see it again.

What are the clubs?

Club rooms are spaces created and managed by the core team. They are pages away from the main wall, devoted to different topics.

There are currently 4 clubs:

• Book Club
• Writing Club
• Photography Club
• Art and Crafts Club

Why are there clubs?

The clubs began because it became clear that having spaces to bond over shared interests was a great way to create connections and a foundation for peer support.

The wellbeing activities in our clubs give members a way to engage with Side by Side regardless of whether they are well or struggling.

Can I request more clubs?

Clubs are a brilliant way to meet others with similar interests, and we understand that members want more.

Side by Side is a big, active community that takes a lot of work to manage and keep safe. Our small team of three can only run up to four clubs effectively. We might add a new club in the future, but only if it fills a clear need that isn’t already covered by our current clubs.

How were the clubs chosen?

• Book Club: This was our first club. We created this as a way to test whether positive wellbeing activities that helped members form connections outside of mental health conversations would be helpful. The reason we chose books is that they are accessible to most people, because you can either buy them, or borrow them from libraries. There are also audiobooks for people who struggle to read.
• Writers Room: This club was introduced because it made sense as a text-based service, and again was something accessible to everyone who uses Side by Side. Creative writing can be a really helpful way to express thoughts and feelings you're having that you may not usually post about. It gives a different way to express yourself that some people find easier.
• Photography Club: This club offers great wellbeing activities because it often encourages members to get outside into nature or to notice the beauty that is around them in everyday life. It's another creative expression, and gives opportunities to gett offline for a bit while still feeling connected to the community in this shared activity. While not everyone has a camera, this club is still broadly accessible to most members, as we know the majority of the community use mobile phones, most of which have cameras.
• Art and Crafts Club: This club was requested by multiple community members. We know that creativity can be a great wellbeing activity, and that members can benefit from sharing what they make with each other. It gives members another way to express how they are feeling that doesn't need words, and is accessible to most of the community.

How can I join a club?

Join a club room by visiting the page and clicking the join button. You will then have a club badge on your profile and receive updates for club posts (you can control these in settings).

Side by Side operates under National Mind's complaint process. You can find the information here: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/get-in-touch-feedback-compliments-and-complaints/making-a-complaint/

If you don't want to make a complaint through this process, but would like to talk to a member of staff, you can email the core team at sidebysideonline@mind.org.uk.