FOR

Parents / Carers

Part 1: Surveys

What will my child and I be asked to do?

We will ask students who will receive mental health support at school to complete a few surveys to find out about their mental health and wellbeing.  

We will ask them questions about their strengths and difficulties, quality of life, symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as demographic questions.  

Parents will also fill out some of these surveys on their behalf (for younger children) or as second informants.  

When will the surveys be completed?

If you and your child confirm they would like to take part, you will be asked to complete the surveys at three different times:

  1. Before they receive mental health support
  2. At the end of their mental health support
  3. Nine months after we sent the first set of surveys before they started to receive support

Part 2: Interview

About the Interview

As a follow-up to the surveys, we will also invite pupils, parents and caregivers to tell us more about their/their child’s experience of receiving support.  

You and your child do not have to take part in the discussion if you don’t want to, and your child can choose to complete the surveys without doing the interview if they’d prefer.  

The conversation can either be completed in a group with other pupils or on their own depending on what they’d prefer.  

 Although conversations with parents and children will generally be held separately, we will offer the option to discuss with you and your child together if this would make them feel more comfortable. 

Why has my child been invited to take part?

Your child has been invited to take part as they are a pupil at one of our selected schools who will be receiving support from a mental health support team.  

The purpose of this project is to find out more about how effective mental health support in schools has been and why.  

This way, we can improve mental health support at school and work to put mental health support in schools across the UK. 
Does my child have to take part?

No, your child does not have to take part in this study if they don’t want to. Taking part is voluntary and if your child is under the age of 16, they will also need your permission to take part. 

What are the benefits and drawbacks of taking part?

The benefits of taking part include:

  • You and your child can contribute to important research that will go towards improving the mental health support of children and young people across the country.
  • You may find taking part in the discussion groups interesting and engaging.
  • You and your child will gain insight into their wellbeing and what support works best for them to improve their mental health and school experience.

The drawbacks of taking part include:

 

  • The surveys and discussion groups may touch on some distressing topics, such as depression and anxiety. We have tried to reduce the chances of any distress you or your child may feel during the study, such as by using creative activities during the children’s discussion groups to help them feel more comfortable talking about sensitive topics. However, it is important to remember that participating in this research may carry some risk of distress.
What happens if my child or I change our mind about participating? Can we stop taking part in the study?

Yes, if at any point during the study you or your child change your mind about taking part, you can stop participating without needing to give a reason.  

What will be the topics of the survey questions and discussions?

In the surveys, your child will be asked about topics such as anxiety, depression, emotions, relationships with peers, quality of life, mental health service use, and demographic information such as age and gender.  

One of the surveys will consist of five to eight questions about how their mental health and wellbeing are at the moment, using an online platform. Questions include how they have been feeling recently, if there is anything they find difficult, or anything that makes them unhappy or anxious.  

In the discussion groups, we will ask you and your child about your views and experiences of support from the school’s mental health team. We will also discuss any benefits or difficulties you or your child experienced when they received support and ask about any suggestions you have for improving the mental health support offered at the school.  

It is okay to skip any question asked in the surveys or the discussion at any point – you and your child will not be pressured to answer any question you don’t feel comfortable answering.  

Will my or my child's answers be tracked or identifiable?

No, the survey and discussion answers will be anonymised.  This means that your child’s answers will be assigned a code to replace any identifying information. Only the study researchers and the wellbeing staff at your child’s school will be able to access details of your child’s name, age, and school name, and these will be kept securely in a password-protected file.

What will happen to the results of the study?

We will use our findings to write reports, articles that may be published in journals, and presentations at conferences. Data will be fully anonymous; participants and schools will not be identifiable.  
Who is conducting the research?

This section of the Green Paper project is being conducted by researchers in the Child and Adolescent Resilience and Mental Health (ChARM) team at the University of Cambridge. You can find out more about the team working on this study here.  

The wider project is a collaboration between the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Cambridge.  

Who should I contact if I have a query or cencern?

We have a submission box for any questions and contact details of the research team here.