The Child and Young People Mental Health Services Research Group aims to provide evidence to support the design and evaluation of innovative services and treatments for young people at risk of mental health difficulties. Download a brief description of our work.
Our work includes:
Prevention and Early Intervention.
- Prototype Primary School Based Mental Health Screening Programme
- Evaluation of Cambridge Family Social Enterprise (CFSE)
- The Mindful Student study
- IMPRoving Outcomes for children exposed to domestic ViolencE (IMPROVE): A scoping study and evidence synthesis
Innovation and Service Design
- A mixed methods process evaluation of the children and young people’s IAPT quality improvement initiative in Cambridgeshire
- A Delphi study to design a service model to promote the mental health and well-being of children and young people in Cambridgeshire and the wider region. Read a brief report on the study results.
- Scoping literature review
Who we are:
Dr Emma Howarth is a Senior Research Associate for the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research Care in the East of England (EoE CLAHRC). Her research focuses on developing and evaluating interventions and services to improve children’s mental health outcomes. She has a particular interest in those interventions aimed at ‘high risk’ groups, with specific expertise regarding children’s exposure to hostile, coercive and violent family environments. She is currently leading on a Delphi study to identify priority features of a comprehensive community based child and adolescent mental health service; a mixed methods case study evaluation of the implementation of CYP-IAPT in Cambridgeshire, and a mixed method feasibility study of systematic methods to identify mental health problems in Primary schools. She is also part of a collaboration with Canadian colleagues to develop pan-Canadian public health guidance, protocols, curricula and tools for health and social service providers to respond to family violence https://projectvega.ca/. Some of this work builds on an evidence synthesis lead by Emma to review the effectiveness and acceptability of interventions for children who have experienced domestic violence.
Full list of publications here.
Dr. Ayla Humphrey is Lead Child and Adolescent Psychologist (CPFT) & Affiliated Lecturer in Developmental Psychiatry,University of Cambridge. She is interested in developing and evaluating clinical services for children & families. Recent service initiatives include: co-founder of first UK holistic neuropsychological rehab service for children with brain injury (CCPNR, Cambridge Centre for Paediatric Neuropsychological Rehabilitation); a school based screening & early intervention program for reception year children & their families (FAB, Family Happiness and Well-being Project); Cambridgeshire Children & Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, Gretton School for children with autism spectrum disorder, and founder of Cambridge Family Social Enterprise, a community service providing early intervention for children and teens with mental health difficulties.
Full list of publications here.
Dr. Jo Anderson is a Chartered Psychologist with background in neuropsychology and health psychology. Her research focused on using new technologies to deliver health interventions to people living with long term health conditions. She developed and evaluated a number of self-management interventions including programmes for people with multiple sclerosis and depression. She had also worked as clinical neuropsychologist, focusing particularly on children and adolescents recovering from traumatic brain injuries. Jo is a part of CLAHRC research team working on developing a community based service model to promote mental health and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. She is currently working on a scoping literature review of CAMHS delivery models. Its’ outcomes will service as evidence-base to support commissioners’ decisions about redesigning currently provided services and implementing new ones, to guide change processes and measure outcomes using methods with proven effectiveness.
Full list of publications here.
Dr Julieta Galante is a Research Associate at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge. In addition to her background as a qualified medical doctor, she has a wide range of research skills. She has conducted randomised trials and systematic reviews in public and mental health, worked on economic evaluations, and analysed data from UK Biobank and Caerphilly population-based cohorts. Julieta has established research interests in preventative medicine and the effects of lifestyle on health. Her main focus has been studying the effects of meditation on mental health. This has been the theme of her PhD at Cardiff University and she is currently leading the evaluation of a pilot scheme to provide mindfulness courses to students at the University of Cambridge.
Full list of publications here.
Dr. Georgina Gomez De La Cuesta is a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of East Anglia. She is interested in researching early intervention and playful/creative therapies for children and families. She is working with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Group Innovation and Evaluation Team on the Family Happiness and Well-being project as part of her service research project. Previously, Gina carried out her PhD at the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, evaluating social skills programmes for children on the autism spectrum. She continues to be interested in autism and runs training courses for professionals interested in LEGO-based therapy.
Full list of publications here.
Maris Vainre is supporting a Delphi study on features of a community-based service model to promote mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people. She also contributes to an evaluation of the Children and Young People’s Improved Access to Psychological Therapy (CYP IAPT) transformation in the region as well as to the randomised controlled trial of the Mindful Student Study. Previously, she was the Data Manager in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) specialising on implementing and analysing the CYP IAPT dataset. Maris is particularly interested in evidence-based decision making, the link between cultural values and policy-making, innovation and social psychology.
Full list of publications here.
Dr Jasmine Childs-Fegredo is a Counselling Psychologist and Research Associate, working primarily on the ‘DEAL’ study, looking at a prototype for a school based identification method for primary schools. The ‘DEAL’ study – Developing Early identification and Access in Learning Environments, is a mixed methods feasibility study, helping primary schools find the best ways in which to go about the early identification of mental health issues in primary school children. The study speaks to the the national conversation around mental health in young people, hoping to provide an evidence-based approach for schools to identify problems early on, and helping to ensure that mental health issues do not escalate into teenage years and adulthood. Four schools have been recruited in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire to undertake qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaire data with staff, parents, and commissioners. HERE is an information video about the study and its aims. The ‘DEAL’ study – Developing Early identification and Access in Learning Environments.