A new UK-wide research project led by the University of Glasgow will test an innovative approach to improving children’s mental health services, aiming to address growing demand and long waiting times.
The five-year “It Takes a Village” study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Translational Research Collaboration: Mental Health (NIHR TRC:MH), will trial a community-based model in which trained people from the local community work alongside clinicians to provide mental health support.
The project responds to significant pressures facing child and adolescent mental health services across the UK, where limited resources and workforce shortages can delay support for vulnerable young people. By strengthening early intervention and prevention, the research has the potential to reduce waiting times, improve outcomes, and create a more sustainable model of care that can be scaled nationally.
Professor Helen Minnis, project co-lead and NIHR TRC: MH’s Mission Children and Young People’s Mental Health workstream lead, emphasised the importance of acting early:
“Prevention, early identification and appropriate intervention opportunities are key to properly treating mental health issues in children and young people. However, currently child and adolescent mental health services are struggling, with very long waiting lists and vulnerable children going long periods before being seen.
“The concept of It Takes a Village is rooted in better understanding the problems around child mental health, as well as trialling a new way to broaden out the scope of support available using trained and trusted community members.”
The project is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, the University of Cambridge and Cardiff University.
Find out more on the University of Glasgow website.
