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A new online training resource has been launched to help improve mental health support for children in care.

The ‘Shaping Futures Together’ training builds on the work of the ADaPT project, which was supported by four NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs), including ARC North East and North Cumbria. ADaPT focused on understanding strategies to improve access to best-evidenced trauma-focused mental health interventions for care-experienced young people.

Although care-experienced young people often have significant mental health needs, research shows they often struggle with access to mental health services and are not offered best-evidenced interventions.

The new resource, led by the UK Trauma Council, aims to empower commissioners, decision-makers and leaders across mental health and children’s social care. It gives them the tools to advocate for and build evidence-informed mental health provision for care-experienced young people.

The free training is available through the UK Trauma Council website. It has been developed in collaboration with care-experienced young people and over 100 cross-sector commissioners and decision-makers.

The new resource:

• Provides accessible information on what is meant by ‘evidence-based practice’
• Encourages development of shared evidence-driven language around trauma and mental health
• Supports collaborative evaluation and improvement of mental health services

The modules include videos and downloadable handouts.

Rachel Hiller, Professor of Child and Adolescent Mental Health at University College London, who leads the project, said:

“We know that care-experienced young people have much higher rates of mental health difficulties than other young people. We have best-evidenced treatments for these mental health needs that are often not provided to this group.

“ADaPT showed that one of the barriers to access to best-evidenced mental health interventions was how we commission services and confusion between sectors around needs and treatment.

“We hope these resources can be used by commissioners, decision-makers, and leadership – across children’s social care and mental health services – to encourage collaborative and joined-up working that is driven by best-evidenced practice. Care-experienced young people deserve this.”

Access the Shaping Futures Together resources and training.

ADaPT and the related resources were supported by NIHR ARC North East and North Cumbria, ARC West, ARC North Thames and ARC South West Peninsula.