A major collaboration between the National Children's Bureau and six other partner organisations looking at the effectiveness of mental health interventions with children and young people with social work involvement is seeking expert participants to input into its research.
COACHES (CAMHS Referrals and Outcomes for Adolescents and Children with Social Workers) is a four-year research collaboration between NCB and the University of Cambridge, Kingston University, King’s College London, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the Care Leavers Association, examining data from over 70,000 young people across two NHS trusts.
At the heart of this project are qualitative contributions by young people and parents with direct experience of mental health and wellbeing interventions within the social care system, facilitated by the Care Leavers Association.
As part of their research, Cambridge University have put together three surveys to understand types of mental health interventions offered in CAMHS. Robbie Duschinsky, Head of the Applied Social Science Group within the Primary Care Unit, and Director of Studies in Sociology at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, and his team plan to survey mental health researchers, mental health practitioners, social workers, and patients who have previously received mental health interventions in CAMHS - as well as their parents.
Participants must be over 18 and should be either:
• someone previously assessed or treated in CAMHS in the past 20 years;
• a parent or a carer of someone who has been treated or assessed in CAMHS in the past five years;
• or a mental health practitioner, a social worker, or a mental health researcher.
The survey will have three phases, each including a different questionnaire. Participants will have two weeks to complete each questionnaire. The time required to complete the questionnaires will range between 10 and 60 minutes.
If you are an Expert by Experience, you will be paid by the University of Cambridge £40 for completing each of the three phases of the survey (£120 in total), otherwise you will be entered into a draw for a prize of £300.
This survey is voluntary, and all data will be treated anonymously. The survey has received ethics approval from the University of Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee.
If you are eligible to take part, find out more information and complete the surveys here: https://bit.ly/40GdTpS