The National HoNOS Calibration Challenge is a fun, team-based activity designed for every mental health clinician who uses HoNOS, HoNOS 65+, or HoNOSCA.

Whether you work with adults, older persons, children, or young people, your team can take part.

Who can participate?

The National HoNOS Calibration Challenge is open to mental health clinicians working across a range of age groups and clinical service settings, including:

• Adult Community Mental Health Services
• Adult Acute Inpatient Mental Health Services
• Private Psychiatric Hospitals
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Older Persons Mental Health Services

The Challenge features five clinical vignettes reflecting these different service settings and populations, using the HoNOS (Adult), HoNOSCA (Child and Adolescent) and HoNOS 65+ (Older Persons) measures.

Teams can participate in the Challenge relevant to their clinical setting, with each vignette providing an opportunity to Rate, Debate and Calibrate their clinical judgements against expert consensus ratings.

If you work in one of these mental health service settings, the Challenge is for you!

Why should our team participate?

Because good HoNOS skills don’t stay sharp by accident.

The Challenge gives your team:

• a quick annual “tune-up” of your rating consistency;
• a safe, structured space to debate tricky items;
• inter-rater reliability insights you can actually use — from improving clinical practice to strengthening service-level data used for planning, reporting and ABF; and
• a fun shared activity that builds team culture

One hour a year to improve national data quality? Easy.

How long will it take?

Most teams finish in about an hour.
(Though lively arguments about Item 1 or “is it a 2 or a 3?” may prolong things… in a good way!)

How should we complete the Challenge as a team?

There are different ways your team can undertake the challenge

1. Individual Ratings → Group Consensus

Everyone rates the vignette individually first.
Then the team meets to discuss differences and agree on one final combined entry for your age group’s HoNOS version.
Remember: the glossary is your best friend.

2. Incorporate Into Existing Team Meetings

Add it to a clinical review, in-service or MDT meeting.
Read the vignette together and agree on consensus ratings for your specific HoNOS measure.

3. Make It a Team Event

Host a morning tea or lunchtime session and complete the Challenge as a group.
Everyone contributes → one final consensus rating for HoNOS, HoNOSCA, or HoNOS 65+, depending on your team.

Can our team participate in more than one age group?

Yes — absolutely.
Teams that work across more than one age stream (e.g., lifespan teams, CAMHS + adult, adult + older person services) can register for multiple age groups and complete the Challenge for each relevant HoNOS version.

Can we submit multiple entries?

Only one entry per team, per age group
(e.g., one for HoNOS, one for HoNOSCA, one for HoNOS 65+, only if you work across those age groups).

Registration

Registrations will open soon for the National HoNOS Calibration Challenge!

In February we’ll send you the full resource pack so you can plan how your team wants to complete the activity.
Submissions don’t open until March 2027, so there’s no rush — registrations remain open until the end of February, and results will be shared in April 2027.

Register Now