Support Compass: Notice, Match, Reach Out
Students learn to recognise when support may be useful, match different needs with suitable people or services, and practise a simple, low-pressure way to ask for help. They create a private Support Compass with a first choice, backup route and urgent-safety option, using verified school and community information.
Purpose
This method strengthens help-seeking as a practical self-care competence and a form of belonging. It reduces uncertainty about where to go, what to say and what to do if the first attempt does not work. It also helps schools make support routes visible, accessible, confidential where possible, and linked to safeguarding procedures.
Use and Learning Outcomes
- • Distinguish at least four kinds of support—listening, practical/academic help, health/wellbeing support and urgent safety support—without diagnosing themselves or others.
- • Identify at least two trusted people and one verified service or school route that could be used when support is needed, including a backup if the first option is unavailable.
- • Use the Notice–Match–Reach Out routine to choose an appropriate first step for fictional situations of different urgency.
- • Practise a clear help-seeking message that states what is happening, what support is wanted and whether the matter is urgent, while protecting privacy and personal choice.
- • Create and review a private Support Compass and know that seeking further help after an unhelpful first response is responsible rather than disloyal, dramatic or a failure.
Wellbeing References
Details & Preparation
Room Requirements
• A classroom or meeting room with seating for pairs or groups of three. Students must also be able to remain in a private individual-work position and must not be asked to display their personal support network.
• A board or projector showing the Notice–Match–Reach Out routine, support categories, confidentiality limits and the school’s verified support routes.
• A quiet/private space nearby where a trained staff member can speak with a student who requests support or becomes distressed during the activity.
• Accessible printed and digital materials, including plain-language, translated, enlarged, high-contrast or symbol-supported versions. Provide speech, writing, drawing and assistive communication options.
• For online/hybrid use: secure breakout rooms, a private message route to the facilitator, captions where available, no camera requirement, and clear instructions that personal disclosures should not be posted in shared documents or chats.
Time for preparation
90 minutes
Preparation
Preparation
Preparation tasks (60–90 minutes; must be completed before delivery)
1. Review the group-level WELL³ Sensor result for statement 31. Do not attempt to identify which students answered negatively. Consider whether unclear referral routes, lack of trust, fear of stigma, inaccessible services, confidentiality concerns, previous poor responses, language barriers or weak adult relationships may be contributing.
2. Meet the designated safeguarding lead or equivalent and confirm the school’s procedures for disclosures, self-harm or suicide risk, abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect, serious bullying and medical emergencies. Record the exact internal route, out-of-hours route and emergency route.
3. Complete Handout 5, the School Support Directory. Verify names/roles, location, opening times, access route, expected response time, confidentiality limits, accessibility, cost and language support. Do not distribute unverified contact details. Localise all emergency and helpline information for the country and school.
4. Brief all adults named in the directory. They should know that the activity is taking place, what students may ask, how to respond, how to explain confidentiality honestly, and where to refer concerns. A visible route is harmful if the named adult is unavailable or dismissive.
5. Select fictional scenario cards from Handout 1 and adapt them to the age group. Include everyday, moderate and urgent examples without graphic content. Do not use a current student’s situation, and do not invite students to role-play abuse, self-harm, suicide or traumatic events.
6. Print Handouts 1–6. Prepare envelopes or folders so private Support Compasses remain with students. Provide a way to request a private conversation during or after the lesson without having to speak publicly.
Principles for success
• Knowing who to turn to is not the same as promising that every person will respond perfectly. Students need a first choice, a backup and permission to keep seeking support.
• A peer can listen and help connect someone to an adult, but peers are not counsellors, investigators or emergency responders. Serious or persistent concerns must move to trusted adults and established services.
• Be precise about confidentiality: adults should respect privacy, but cannot promise secrecy where safety is at risk. Explain what may need to be shared, with whom, and why.
• Do not require personal disclosure, public naming of supporters, comparison of network size or proof that a student has a supportive family. Fictional examples and category-based planning must always be available.
• Help-seeking teaching must be matched by service availability, respectful adult responses and school-level follow-through. The activity cannot compensate for inaccessible or unsafe support systems.
Estimated preparation time
• 45–60 minutes to verify support routes and adapt the directory; 15–30 minutes to select scenarios, prepare materials and brief relevant staff. Update the directory once per term and whenever personnel or services change.
Materials
• Handout 1 – Support Need and Urgency Scenario Cards.
• Handout 2 – Match the Need to the Support Route matrix.
• Handout 3 – Reach-Out Sentence Starters and Practice Checklist.
• Handout 4 – My Private Support Compass and Two-Week Rehearsal Log.
• Handout 5 – School Support Directory and Access Audit, fully completed and verified before the lesson.
• Handout 6 – Facilitator Safeguarding, Inclusion and Review Guide.
• Pens, sticky notes, envelopes/folders, board/projector and optional colour-coded support category cards.
• Optional: British Red Cross “Web of Connections” resource or Anna Freud “Talking Mental Health” animation, previewed and selected for age/context before use.
Sequence of Steps
Create safety and define what “not feeling well” can mean
9• Display the participation agreement: fictional situations only; pass without explanation; no naming or diagnosing classmates; no advice about real disclosures in public; respect privacy; use the private help route if something real needs attention.
• Explain confidentiality honestly: “Adults will respect your privacy as much as possible. If we believe someone may be unsafe, we may need to involve another adult whose role is to help. We should explain what we are doing and stay alongside you.”
• Introduce four broad categories: LISTENING/CONNECTION; PRACTICAL OR ACADEMIC HELP; HEALTH/WELLBEING SUPPORT; URGENT SAFETY SUPPORT. Emphasise that one situation may need more than one kind.
• Students complete a private readiness card: “I know at least one person or service I could contact: yes / not sure / no.” They do not add names. The facilitator collects only anonymous group totals if helpful.
If a student signals that they need support now, acknowledge it quietly and arrange immediate private follow-up. Do not ask them to wait until the end of the lesson if there may be a safety issue.
NOTICE: identify the need and level of urgency
10• Use a three-level guide: GREEN—everyday difficulty or early support; AMBER—persistent, repeated or significantly affecting school/life; RED—immediate danger, serious harm, abuse, violence, self-harm/suicide concern, severe medical issue or inability to remain safe.
• Clarify that students are not being trained to diagnose. The level only helps choose the safest next step. When unsure about safety, involve a trusted adult rather than trying to decide alone.
• Groups place each scenario beside one or more support categories. Ask: “What information is missing?” “What assumption should we avoid?” “What would make this more urgent?”
• Debrief one card from each urgency level. Reinforce: early help is valid; a problem does not have to become a crisis before someone deserves support.
Do not invite students to invent graphic details. Keep scenarios short, neutral and action-focused.
MATCH: choose a suitable person, service and backup
11• For each scenario, groups choose: first contact; reason for the choice; preferred contact method; backup if unavailable; and whether an adult or emergency route is required. They must use real school roles from the directory, not guess names or services.
• Introduce the “two-plus-one” principle: two possible people plus one service/route. This reduces dependence on a single person and helps when someone is absent, busy, involved in the problem or not a good fit.
• Discuss matching examples: academic overload may begin with a subject teacher or tutor; physical symptoms with the school nurse/health service; bullying with the designated safeguarding/anti-bullying route; family or emotional distress with a trusted adult and counselling/health route; immediate danger with emergency/safeguarding procedures.
• Ask groups to identify access barriers—privacy, location, opening times, cost, language, disability access, fear of peers seeing, digital access or uncertainty about confidentiality—and one school action that could reduce each barrier.
Do not imply that friends or family are always available or safe. The directory must include school and external routes that do not depend on family support.
REACH OUT: practise what to say and how to keep going
12• Model multiple modes: speaking, written note, email/form, message through a trusted intermediary, symbol/communication aid or asking someone to accompany the student. Asking for help does not have to begin with a full explanation.
• In pairs or triads, students practise with fictional cards. Roles: student; support person; observer. Students may choose an observer or writer role instead of speaking. The support-person response should: listen; thank them; clarify immediate safety; explain next steps and confidentiality; follow through.
• Practise an unhelpful first response without humiliation: the adult is busy, minimises the issue or gives unclear advice. The student uses a backup sentence: “I still need support. Who else can help?”; “Could you help me contact ___?”; “This is getting worse and I need someone today.”
• Observer feedback is behaviour-based: Was the message clear enough? Was the requested support named? Was urgency communicated? Did the responder explain the next step?
Do not role-play self-harm, suicide, abuse or violence disclosures. For red-level scenarios, students only identify the route; the facilitator models the adult response and safeguarding action.
Build a private Support Compass
10• For each area—everyday connection, practical/academic, health/wellbeing and urgent safety—students identify a first option, backup option and contact method. They add one person or service outside their usual peer group where possible.
• Students complete “What may stop me?” and select a response: write instead of speak; take someone with me; use a private form; ask for a specific time; choose a different adult; request language or communication support; say only the first sentence; use the urgent route.
• Students write one ready-to-use sentence and one escalation sentence. They also note where the School Support Directory is stored and how to access it discreetly.
• Offer a fictional or category-only Compass to students who do not want to identify real people. A small network is not a personal failure; it is information the school should respond to by strengthening accessible support relationships.
Never ask students to display, compare or count named supporters. Do not grade the map.
Rehearse one safe first step and review the support system
8+15• Clarify: no student must create a problem or disclose something private to complete the rehearsal. The success criterion is increased readiness and access, not a personal disclosure.
• Complete the anonymous exit pulse in Handout 6. The facilitator records group-level gaps: students do not know roles; locations are public; response times are unclear; confidentiality is misunderstood; language/access needs are unmet; or routes rely on one adult.
• Close with: “Asking for help is a skill. The first person may not be available or may not understand. You are allowed to try your backup, say that the situation is getting worse, or use the urgent route. You do not have to carry a serious concern alone.”
Review after two weeks (15 minutes)
• Students privately review whether they can locate support, use a sentence starter and identify a backup. Sharing is optional. Repeat the pulse and collect only anonymous group patterns.
• The school team reviews Handout 5: Were routes used? Were responses timely and respectful? Did any barrier emerge? Update names, access information, signage and staff briefing. Record actions in the WELL³ Logbook.
• Where students still report no trusted route, the response must include relationship-building and system changes—not simply repeating the lesson.
Reflection & Tips
Reflection
• What kinds of support are different people or services able—and not able—to provide?
• What can make asking for help difficult: stigma, privacy, uncertainty, previous responses, loyalty, language, access or fear of consequences?
• What is the difference between privacy and a promise of secrecy? Why may an adult need to involve someone else when safety is at risk?
• How can a student begin asking for help without explaining everything at once?
• What should someone do if the first person is unavailable, dismissive, part of the problem or not able to provide the right support?
• What is an appropriate role for a friend, and when must an adult or specialist become involved?
• Which barrier in our school support system should adults address first?
Tips for Implementation
Facilitation and psychological safety
• Use fictional scenarios throughout group work. Avoid public “who would you tell?” rounds, visible support maps and requests to explain why a student lacks a trusted person.
• Teach support-seeking broadly. “Not feeling well” may involve physical health, emotions, relationships, discrimination, bullying, family circumstances, school pressure or safety. Do not reduce all concerns to mental illness.
• Normalise more than one route. Students may prefer a teacher, school counsellor, nurse, coach, family member, youth worker, health professional, helpline or written/digital route.
• Respond immediately to real disclosures. Thank the student, stay calm, do not investigate publicly, do not promise secrecy, explain the next step, involve the designated person and document only according to school procedure.
• A student declining to share is not resistance. Preserve the right to pass and provide a private route after the session.
Safeguarding and urgent concerns
• Activate local procedures for talk of suicide or self-harm; threats of serious harm; abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence; severe medical symptoms; inability to remain safe; or a student being afraid to go home or remain at school.
• Peers should use a simple link role: listen without interrogating, do not promise secrecy, involve a trusted adult, and stay with the person where safe until support is connected. Do not ask peers to monitor, counsel or carry confidential risk information alone.
• The exact emergency response and legal duties differ by country. The school must localise Handouts 5 and 6 and follow its statutory and organisational obligations.
Access and inclusion
• Provide routes that do not require fluent speech, eye contact, family permission for the first conversation, public waiting areas, telephone calls or inaccessible digital systems. Offer interpreters/translation and disability accommodations where available.
• Consider cultural and community meanings of help-seeking and privacy. Avoid describing reluctance as ignorance; build trust by explaining processes, choice and confidentiality clearly.
• Display the directory in several discreet and accessible places and formats. Include how to access support during school closures or outside normal hours.
Alternative formats
• Short version (25–30 minutes): Steps 1, 2, one matching round, reach-out sentence practice and private Compass completion. Only use if the directory and safeguarding briefing are already established.
• Extended version (two lessons): Lesson 1 develops Notice–Match–Reach Out; Lesson 2 uses student feedback to audit and redesign the visibility and accessibility of support routes without exposing personal experiences.
• Online/hybrid version: use fictional scenarios, private forms, secure contact routes, captioned materials and explicit instructions for urgent help. Do not use a shared online support map containing names or personal concerns.
• Cross-reference WELL³ Students Method 26 for inclusion, Method 29 for supportive language and Method 30 for beneficial connections.
Monitoring and school-level action
• Use readiness pulses and rehearsal logs as reflection tools, not diagnostic measures. Do not interpret confidence as proof that support is available or effective.
• Monitor system indicators: students can identify routes; information is current; adults respond and follow through; waiting/privacy arrangements are acceptable; backup routes exist; and barriers reported by marginalised students are addressed.
• If the statement remains low, investigate trust and service quality through anonymous consultation. A low score may reflect previous dismissal, stigma, fear of confidentiality breaches, discrimination, inaccessible services or limited capacity—not lack of student knowledge.
Evidence limitation
• This specific Support Compass method has not been independently evaluated as a standalone intervention. It is an evidence-informed educational method based on help-seeking reviews, social-support guidance and whole-school wellbeing principles. Teaching help-seeking should be paired with reliable, accessible services and respectful adult responses.
Further Readings & Links
Files & Attachments
English