Study 1

Study team: Dr Sarah Wadd (sarah.wadd@beds.ac.uk), Maureen Dutton (maureen.dutton@beds.ac.uk), Michelle McCann (michelle.mccann@beds.ac.uk) and Professor Mike Fisher (mike.fisher@beds.ac.uk)

BLMK ICS priorities

• Reduced inequalities in outcomes, experience, and access

Summary

Inclusion Health Groups are groups of people who experience very high levels of social exclusion and health inequalities. This study is about ‘Street Inclusion Health Groups’, that is, people who engage in street activities – ‘begging’, street drinking, public injecting, street sex work, and rough sleeping. There is a considerable intersection between these groups as well as common life experiences and risk factors including addictions, extreme poverty, complex trauma, violence, mental health conditions, criminal justice involvement, chaotic lifestyles, and risky behaviours. This study aims to conduct in-depth interviews and focus groups with different stakeholders across BLMK with an emphasis on the voice of Street Inclusion Health Groups.

Expected Impact

• To work collaboratively with colleagues from BLMK ICB, stakeholders, and, importantly, people from Street Inclusion Health Groups, and to utilise the East London NHS Foundation Trust Quality Improvement Method to develop an evidence-based strategy and ‘change ideas’ to reduce structural stigma
• To disseminate the findings beyond BLMK, for example, through a report and policy brief, publications in academic and practice journals presentations at practitioner and academic conferences, and via social media

Study 2

Study team: Professor Emily Munro (emily.munro@beds.ac.uk), Amy Lynch (amy.lynch@beds.ac.uk) and Seana Friel (seana.friel@beds.ac.uk)

BLMK ICS priorities

• Start Well
• Live Well

Summary

Care leavers meet the requirements for an "Inclusion Health Group," a major focus of "Core20PLUS5," and a priority for ICS evaluation and development since they endure pervasive and persistent disparities, including those related to poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and health. Compared to their counterparts who have not experienced care, looked after children and care leavers have higher rates of mental illness and report lower emotional well-being. At the national policy level, it is acknowledged that there is a need to close the knowledge gap and enhance integrated care for children in care and care leavers. Therefore, this study aims to enhance understanding of the mental health and well-being support needs of care leavers in BLMK, service availability, and barriers and enablers to access and uptake and promote system changes and practice developments.

Expected Impact

• To maximise learning and support system change and practice developments based on findings from WP1-5 and collaboration with the Networked Learning Community
• To engage in activities such as knowledge- exchange events and practice skills development workshops, developing resources or toolkits for practitioners

Study 3

Study lead: Dr Debra Allnock (debra.allnock@beds.ac.uk), Claire Soares (claire.soares@beds.ac.uk)

BLMK ICS priorities

• Start well
• Live well
• Reducing inequalities

Summary

The need for professionals to listen and respond to children and young people’s views and wishes is well recognised and embedded in practice and is included in legal, statutory and international guidance. Academic literature and serious case reviews also emphasise the importance of listening to children and young people – particularly those who are at risk of, are or have experienced exploitation.

The recent ‘Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme’ (or TCE) delivered eight Practice Principles which serve as non-statutory guidance, endorsed cross government. They are designed to support effective partnership working across different local contexts, providing a common language and framework to better respond to child exploitation and extra-familial harm. Two of these Principles are: ‘Respecting the voice, experience and expertise of children and young people’, and ‘Putting children and young people first’.

Through our work – including our involvement in the TCE Programme – we know that the voice of the child and putting children and young people first is already embedded in organisational approaches, including across Bedfordshire. However, we know less about how young people’s views are shared with multi-agency partners, what feedback loop there is back into ongoing service delivery, and what it means to children and young people to have their views listened to. This research project seeks to explore this and provide evidence about what difference respecting young people’s voices makes to their engagement with service providers and their outcomes. In doing so, it will provide insight into how the two Practice Principles named above are operationalised and the difference they make. This will be important for young people and their families, service providers and policy makers.

Expected Impact

• To improve social care practices in capturing and recording children’s voices, and understanding of the ways in which this impacts children and young people’s outcomes and experiences

• Through the co-development and testing of a new approach to feedback loops and mechanisms for sharing voice with multi-agency partners, we expect this to positivel

• Impact children’s experiences and engagement of services following child exploitation and extra-familial harm.