Chief Investigator: Dr Rachel Hiller– University of Southampton

Project Team Members: Dr Gretchen Bjornstad– University of Exeter, Dr Tim Clarke – Norfolk & Waveney Children and Young People Care Group, Dr Kristian Hudson– Improvement Academy Bradford Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Professor John Macleod– University of Bristol, Dr Ruth McGovern– Newcastle University, Dr Hugh McLeod– University of Bristol, Professor Richard Meiser-Stedman– University of East Anglia, Dr Sara Morgan– University of Southampton, Dr Beverley Slater– Bradford Institute of Health Research, Professor Paul Stallard– University of Bath, ProfessorJohn Wright– Bradford Institute of Health Research, Dr Patrick Smith– King’s College London.

Organisations Involved: Swindon Borough Council, Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES) Children’s Services, Thinking Allowed specialist-service, Bristol, Newcastle City Council Children’s Social Care, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) (East)

Background:

Young people in care (care-experienced young people; CEYP) have substantially higher rates of mental health difficulties compared to their peers. Their unaddressed mental health needs have been identified as a key driver of a range of poor outcomes that categorise this group. For example, CEYP they are five times more likely than peers to be excluded from school, comprise 50% of the young male prison population, and 25% of the homeless population. Such outcomes are not inevitable. Yet services are often struggling to effectively address the mental health needs of this group, and thus prevent some of these wide-ranging consequences.

To begin to address this complex issue, we are proposing a pilot implementation project, working with CAMHS, social care and third- sector mental health services across four target ARCs. Our pilot project aims to address this via overlapping stages that form the essential framework for a full-scale implementation trial. These are:

(1) A scoping review and consultation with CEYP, carers, and services to develop an initial implementation framework, based on the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR)

(2) The development of our implementation resources, including training materials