How can schools best identify children's mild to moderate mental health needs, and what role can early intervention play in preventing escalation?

Background

This publication sets out areas where DfE is interested in more research and new evidence2. Given the broad policy agenda of the department it is not practical to provide an exhaustive list of research questions of interest. Instead this is a targeted list of areas which are both key departmental priorities and where we feel the research community is currently well placed to add to our evidence base. In terms of approaches to answer the questions, we are interested in both primary qualitative and quantitative research, secondary data analysis, and literature reviews/synthesis of existing evidence. For all questions we are interested in international perspectives and what has worked, or not, in other countries. For all our questions we are interested in how results differ for relevant sub-groups such as Free School Meal pupils, Pupil Premium pupils, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) pupils, Black and Minority Ethnic pupils, and gender.

Next steps

Get in touch with ARI.Reply@education.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Df E Areas of research interest

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Emerging Minds: Action for Child Mental Health

    Approximately one in ten children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence bring significant emotional, social, and educational disadvantage and prese...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Oxford

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on identifying children's mental health needs and the role of early intervention in preventing escalation.

  • Building a prevention pathway for early mental health problems

    One in ten children in the UK are affected by a mental health problem, causing significant distress to them and their families. Where these problems endure, they can hold children back from reaching their potential in sc...

    Funded by: FLF

    Lead research organisation: University of Cambridge

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project aims to build a prevention pathway for early mental health problems and addresses the role of early intervention in preventing escalation.

  • Towards early identification of adolescent mental health problems

    Many aspects of a child or young person's life can affect their mental health. If someone has a serious mental health problem their general practitioner (GP) may refer them to mental health (psychiatry) services for asse...

    Funded by: SPF

    Lead research organisation: University of Cambridge

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project addresses early identification of adolescent mental health problems and the role of early intervention, aligning with the question.

  • Understanding the relationship between mental health difficulties and educational outcomes in children and young people

    Anxiety and depression ("emotional disorders") are among the most common mental health conditions in children and young people (CYP), and are linked with long-term impairments in health, education, employment a...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

  • Time trends in childhood mental health problems: a 40-year cross-cohort comparison

    Many people and professionals are worried that child mental health problems have become more common in recent years. For example, more children today are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD...

    Funded by: MRC

    Lead research organisation: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

  • University of York (The) and PSHE Association KTP 21_22 R5

    To enhance support for children's mental health and emotional wellbeing by creating classroom resources and training for teachers based on the latest research in developmental psychology and neuroscience....

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: UNIVERSITY OF YORK

  • Early-warning platform for children’s mental health and wellbeing

    Studybugs provides a unique communication platform for children's health, used by thousands of schools and parents across the UK. Via the Studybugs app, parents have already posted more than 8,000 absence reports describ...

    Funded by: ISCF

    Lead research organisation: STUDYBUGS LIMITED

  • The influence of mental health on educational attainment in adolescence

    Growing evidence of the prevalence of poor mental health among children and young people in the UK has led to this issue becoming a key policy priority. Recent Government reports and policy programmes have particularly e...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: NatCen Social Research

  • Understanding and enhancing mental health competence - a promising new approach to improving lives for young people

    Background The Chief Medical Officer for England's Annual Reports 2012 and 2013 acknowledged the importance of promotion of mental health in young people, rather than focusing on mental health problems. One conceptualisa...

    Funded by: SPF

    Lead research organisation: University College London

  • Exploring whole-system intervention to improve mental health and wellbeing through schools.

    The integration of health and education policy and practice, with a specific focus on the role of schools in mental health education and preventative intervention, is of major topical concern. There is strong support in ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Brighton