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A group of voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations across the North East and North Cumbria have received funding to help encourage young people to participate in mental health research.

The funding will be used to support new models of community engagement, developed by VCSE organisations, to improve the representation of young people in research projects linked to mental health.

Following a successful joint bid, the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System (NENC ICS) received nearly £100,000 in funding from the NHS England Innovation Research and Life Sciences programme, to support new models of community engagement which have the potential to improve participation and diversity of representation health and care research projects.

The funding bid was supported by the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria (NENC), Voluntary Organisations’ Network North East (VONNE) and Cumbria CVS – and the three organisations will support the VCSE organisation in the delivery of the initiative and evaluate its impact.

NIHR ARC NENC Research Fellow Dr Angela Wearn will be leading the evaluation of the work.

Applications from a wide range of VCSE organisations from across the region supporting diverse communities were received, with seven VCSE organisations in the four integrated partnership areas in the North East and North Cumbria being awarded funding.

The successful organisations are;

• New Beginnings North CIC (Sunderland)
• YMCA (North Tyneside).
• People First Independent Advocacy (Carlisle)
• NE Youth (North East)
• Young Women’s Outreach Project (Gateshead)
• A Way Out (Stockton)
• Healthworks (Newcastle)

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), executive director of Innovation, Aejaz Zahid said: “Improving the mental health of our young people is a key priority for partner organisations across the North East and North Cumbria. It is essential to develop a deeper understanding of the root causes of rising mental health issues and evidence to develop effective services for our young people that are informed by their diverse lived experiences and thinking.

“This funding has helped bring together these organisations which offer a range of approaches, strengths, and valuable connections with young people in their respective communities. Ensuring diverse participation from a wide range of young people is crucial to help us effectively develop action plans, whilst also sharing ideas and learning together to improve our collective approach of involving young people in research projects.”

The project is being coordinated by the NENC VCSE Partnership Programme (VONNE and Cumbria CVS), alongside the ICB, the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria, the NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria, and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, who will in partnership support the successful organisations through the stages of the programme.

Lisa Taylor, health and wellbeing programme director for VONNE said: “It is both important and encouraging to see a range of VCSE organisations working towards involving children and young people in mental health research participation. It was fantastic to see so many great organisations bid for funding. Empowering young people to actively engage in research is a great way to promote their voices and experiences, but also ensures that our programmes are developed with the users in mind.”

The partners in the joint funding bid and the development of the research programme are:

NHS North East and North Cumbia Integrated Care Board

NENC VCSE Partnership Programme (VONNE and Cumbria CVS)

NIHR Clinical Research Network – North East and North Cumbria

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) North East and North Cumbria

North East Commissioning Support (NECS)

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne, and Wear NHS Foundation Trust

Background to successful bid organisations:

• New Beginnings North CIC (Sunderland) – provide social justice for neurodivergent young people aged 10-25, who are involved in or at risk of entering the criminal justice system.
• YMCA (North Tyneside) –supports communities in North and South Tyneside and Teesdale, County Durham with a wide range of services including housing, youth and play work, community support, free meals, signposting, activities, and advice to prevent social isolation.
• People First Independent Advocacy (Carlisle) – an independent organisation that works across Cumbria, Lancashire and Teesside to deliver advocacy, supporting thousands of people every year to have their voices heard and helping them to live their best lives.
• NE Youth (North East) – youth development charity supporting young people and youth organisations who face significant socio-economic inequalities including low household income, lack of opportunities and poor safety in their local communities.
• Young Women’s Outreach Project (Gateshead) – supports young women and young mothers aged 11 to 19 years facing inequalities which lead to single or complex issues occurring in their lives.
• A Way Out (Stockton) – an outreach and prevention charity which aims to engage, empower and equip vulnerable and excluded women, families and young people to live lives free from harm, abuse and exploitation.
• Healthworks (Newcastle) – tackles health inequalities with a diverse range of projects, activities and interventions that improve health outcomes for individuals, families and communities across the region, with a core purpose of engaging vulnerable and hard to reach families and children.