Overview
Our Children and Young People workstream aims to establish a UK-wide system for early research into mental health needs.
By improving how we measure and track mental health issues and using innovative digital tools, we aim to attract industry investment and develop better treatments for children and teenagers across all communities. A central objective is to create a nationwide platform for early-stage trials in mental health treatments, while also standardizing the measurement of mental health symptoms and biomarkers to enhance research quality and outcomes.
Aims & Objectives
- Develop a nationwide platform for early-stage mental health research trials for children and young people.
- Standardize the tracking and measurement of mental health symptoms and biomarkers.
- Establish a young people’s advisory group to ensure active engagement and development through all stages of the workstream.
Additionally, the Children and Young People PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) initiative, in collaboration with the McPin Foundation, aims to create a youth involvement strategy that is relevant, dynamic, and inclusive of young people from diverse backgrounds. By ensuring that their voices and perspectives are integrated into research, we will empower young people, especially those who may not usually engage with mental health research.
Aims & Objectives
- Develop a nationwide platform for early-stage mental health research trials for children and young people.
- Standardize the tracking and measurement of mental health symptoms and biomarkers.
- Establish a young people’s advisory group to ensure active engagement and development through all stages of the workstream.
Additionally, the Children and Young People PPIE (Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement) initiative, in collaboration with the McPin Foundation, aims to create a youth involvement strategy that is relevant, dynamic, and inclusive of young people from diverse backgrounds. By ensuring that their voices and perspectives are integrated into research, we will empower young people, especially those who may not usually engage with mental health research.
Key Achievements to Date
- Recruited a diverse and inspiring group of young people aged 16-25 from across the UK.
- Successfully completed a series of online workshops in which these young people contributed to shaping the design of the Difficult to Treat Depression (DTD) digital platform.
- Planned further bespoke workshops for this group to focus on ethics, testing, and debrief/evaluation.
- Built a strong foundation for youth engagement that is rooted in inclusivity, empowerment, and skill development.
Next Steps
- Develop a robust governance structure in collaboration with our national Mental Health Mission (MHM) colleagues to ensure sustained youth involvement.
- Further embed the experiences and insights of young people into the DTD platform and future projects by co-designing programmes that create a positive, empowering experience.
- Explore the possibility of an in-person “show and tell” workshop in Birmingham with industry partners.
- Begin priority-setting activities with local young people to ensure that their perspectives drive future research directions.