We produced a range of tools that are freely available for you to use. We would love to stay in touch to understand what impacts this work is having. If you would like to discuss any of this work further, please email f.lobban@lancaster.ac.uk
All of the study outputs were created as part of a co-design process with stakeholders across the project. The process is described in detail here:
Our team of forum moderators, users, researchers and public advisors co-designed an animation. We hope the animation will help people with mental health difficulties, referrers, and commissioners better understanding of the role of online mental health communities and how they work.
Researchers involved in iPOF and the co-design group worked together to develop a free, online training course to support moderators. Over two years, this group met monthly online to discuss what skills and knowledge moderators need and to shape the content of the training. We reviewed existing resources and identified key topics to include, ensuring the training would be relevant and useful for moderators from different backgrounds.
The training was developed through ongoing feedback and collaboration, incorporating real-life examples to make it practical and engaging, and was informed by our research to understand the needs of moderators. The final product includes short animations, quizzes, and reflective questions to help moderators apply what they learn. Participants felt their input was valued and had a real impact on the training. This collaborative process resulted in a comprehensive training resource designed to better prepare moderators to support and maintain safe, helpful online mental health communities.
If you want to see it, please click the button below, complete the form, and you will be emailed a link to the training. This is so we can understand more who accesses our training, as well as request feedback.
Access the Moderator Training
We aimed to develop an online space where people involved in running online forums could connect and support each other. During the project, the co-design group had access to their own online forum, called the Community of Practice. This space was used to pilot the community and was used by the research team to share information about group activities. We are currently with Hyfon to continue a live online community for those involved in digital peer support.
At Hyfon, we’re building a connected network of peer support hosts, moderators, and practitioners who believe in the power of lived experience to make a difference. This is a professional space for people who guide, facilitate, and sustain peer-led communities, a place to share practice, exchange ideas, and strengthen collective impact.
By joining Hyfon, you’ll connect with others who understand the challenges and rewards of facilitating peer support. You’ll gain access to shared learning, resources, and discussions designed to help you create safe, inclusive, and effective spaces for others.
Join Hyfon and become part of a growing network of peer support facilitators and community builders.
Not all forums are equally safe or helpful, partly because there hasn't been much clear guidance for designing them. To address this, we gathered advice from published research and from people who use and run forums, and held interviews and workshops to learn what works well and what could be improved. Using ideas from self-determination theory, we created design suggestions, emphasising user safety.
The resulting guidelines are for anyone creating or running a health forum. They include making forums accessible, giving users choices, building a sense of belonging, and protecting safety. By following this advice, hosts can help make forums more supportive, effective, and less likely to cause harm.
Download Forum Design Guidelines PDF