Did you know that less than 30 per cent of mental health research is focused on young people - despite the consequences of mental illness potentially lasting a lifetime?

And at least one in 10 children will experience a diagnosable mental health condition. 50 per cent of issues develop by the age of 14 years and 75 per cent by 24 years.

Because of this we have established a dedicated young people's mental health research unit.

We are a team of experienced professionals who are passionate about improving the care and support provided to young people, so they can reach their full potential.

We’re excited about developing new partnerships with clinicians, young people, family members, academics, researchers and commissioners.

Together we can drive forward research that will improve services and make a real difference.
 

To become an international pioneer of research to support the delivery of world class and sustainable mental health services for young people.
We will utilise our breadth of skills, experience and knowledge and work with local, national and international partners to undertake high quality research across mental health services for children and young people.

Our research findings will inform the development of impactful, evidence-based service improvements; which will be shared with all providers of child and adolescent mental health services.

We will:

  • Work with our partners to develop a quality improvement framework for the Healthy Young Minds directorate, in line with Pennine Care’s Quality Improvement Strategy
  • Increase opportunities for children, young people, families and carers to participate in research; from developing research ideas and designing the project to undertaking the research and evaluating the findings
  • Increase the capacity and capability of staff within Pennine Care’s Healthy Young Minds directorate to participate in research to support their professional development; from developing research ideas and designing the project to undertaking the research, evaluating and sharing the findings and implementing any service changes
  • Promote and embed a culture of research and quality improvement within the Healthy Young Minds directorate
  • Continually foster new relationships and strengthen existing relationships with key partners, to support our research
  • Develop a robust communications strategy to raise awareness of the Research Unit and enable research findings and key achievements to be shared with partners in a timely manner

We will:

  • Pursue as many research opportunities as possible, working in partnership with local and national academic organisations - including The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Work in partnership with our expert child and adolescent mental health colleagues across the Trust
  • Provide lots of opportunities for young people, families and carers to take part in research studies