The MindsMelt Standard
The draft Standard turns athlete mental wellbeing into a system an organisation can understand, improve and—at the highest level—have independently verified.
5
pillars
25
working indicators
100
stage requirements
125
current draft bank items
One framework · four levels
All four levels use the same five pillars and twenty-five working indicators. What rises is the maturity expected, the depth of evidence and the independence of verification. Bronze, Silver and Gold recognise verified progress; only Diamond carries the certification claim.
Verified pathway badge
A verified public start: responsibilities and essential foundations are stated.
Verified pathway badge
The systems are operational, owned and communicated—not simply written down.
Verified pathway badge
Provision is systematic, monitored and supported by evidence of implementation.
Full MindsMelt certification
Embedded practice is independently corroborated. Diamond requires every applicable universal and Diamond gate, a draft floor of 65 in every pillar, an overall result of 80, a hybrid audit with a mandatory on-site stage, confidential interviews with 6–15 adult athletes and a two-person panel decision.
36-month award
Checks at 12 and 24 months
Public scoped profile
Every formal award also needs a defined scope, eligibility and integrity screening, all applicable mandatory gates, acceptable evidence, independent review, closed blocking findings, a recorded decision and a live public profile.
What it examines
Each pillar now contains five working indicators. Together they test whether support is accessible, understood, governed, ready for crisis and felt in everyday culture.
Checks whether qualified, confidential help exists and whether athletes can actually reach it.
5 indicators
Checks whether the people around athletes can notice concern, respond safely and refer within their role.
5 indicators
Checks whether wellbeing has ownership, resources, athlete voice and board-level accountability behind it.
5 indicators
Checks whether serious concerns trigger a rehearsed, country-correct response with clear safeguarding accountability.
5 indicators
Checks the daily climate: openness, transition support, workload decisions and whether the organisation measures what athletes experience.
5 indicators
Working architecture v1.2
All five pillar packs are now represented in one inspectable working architecture: 25 indicators and 100 stage requirements. Published v1.0 remains immutable; v1.2 stays draft while experts validate the requirements and controlled question bank.
No loopholes
The draft model combines safety gates, minimum pillar performance and an overall maturity threshold. Strong performance in one area never erases a dangerous gap in another.
01
Ten universal requirements must be met. A critical failure cannot be hidden by a high score elsewhere.
02
Every pillar must reach the target level. Excellent governance cannot compensate for an unsafe crisis response.
03
Policies show intent. Records, practice, staff knowledge and—at higher assurance levels—athlete experience show whether it works.
Current status
The architecture is a working Standard Pilot v0.9, not an approved clinical standard. The safety foundation, requirement set and decision method remain subject to expert challenge, measurement review, pilot evidence and authorised governance approval.
The free self-assessment is private, indicative and designed to reveal gaps. It is not eligibility, an audit result or certification.
