Building a Youth-Focused Mental Health Research System
Our work with children and young people aims to establish a UK-wide system for early-stage mental health research, focusing on improving the measurement and tracking of mental health needs among young people. By leveraging innovative digital tools, we seek to attract industry support and develop more effective treatments for children and teenagers across diverse communities. Our key goals are to establish a Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and to create a platform for early-stage mental health trials and standardizing methods to measure and monitor symptoms and biomarkers.
Collaborating with Young People
In partnership with the McPin Foundation, we are developing a dynamic involvement strategy designed with and for young people, particularly from the Midlands' superdiverse population. Our aim is to foster meaningful involvement and ensure that young voices are integral to each project stage. We are committed to supporting researchers in adopting innovative PPIE approaches and empowering young people, particularly those who might not typically engage in mental health research, through training and skills development.
Achievements So Far:
- Recruited a motivated advisory group of young people aged 16-25 from across the UK.
- Conducted a series of online workshops where young members helped shape the design of the “Difficult to Treat Depression” (DTD) digital platform.
- Planned additional workshops focusing on ethics, testing, and evaluation to deepen engagement with young people.
Next Steps
- Develop a robust governance structure in collaboration with national Mental Health Mission (MHM) colleagues.
- Integrate insights from young people involved in the DTD project into planning future activities and group frameworks. Through a co-designed program, we aim to create a meaningful and empowering research experience.
- Organize an in-person “show and tell” workshop in Birmingham with industry partners.
- Engage in priority-setting discussions with young people from the local community to align research with their needs and perspectives.
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