COLLAGE
COLLAGE (Care-experienced yOung peopLe’s mentaL heAlth help-seekinG bEhaviours) is a research study funded by the NIHR Research Programme for Social Care and led by Dr Willem Stander.
COLLAGE explores how care-experienced young people seek help and support for mental health problems. The name reflects the project’s aim: to bring together different voices, experiences, and identities to build a fuller, more inclusive picture of what helps — or gets in the way of — finding support. This includes the experiences of care-experienced young people with other marginalised identities — for example, those who are LGBTQ+, from ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled, or neurodivergent.
This is a co-produced study, which means care-experienced young people are not just participants — they are partners in the research, helping shape the questions, methods, and findings.
We’ve kept the language on this page clear and straightforward so that it makes sense to young people and adults alike.
About the project
Care-experienced young people are more likely to face mental health problems than their peers in the general population. Yet, we still know very little about how they seek help when they’re struggling. This matters because many young people with mental health problems often don’t receive the support they need — and for those with care experience, the risks and barriers are often greater. Understanding how care-experienced young people look for support, and what helps or gets in the way, is essential for improving services that are meant to support their wellbeing.
This study focuses on care-experienced young people aged 13 to 25 in England. This includes those who live or have lived in foster care, residential care or group homes, with relatives or friends who step in as carers (kinship care), or who have left the care system (care leavers). We want to understand how they seek help for their mental health, and how their experiences may be shaped by other parts of their identity — for example, if they are LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodivergent, or from ethnically minoritised backgrounds. Listening to young people with these overlapping experiences will help us build a more inclusive and accurate picture of what supports or hinders their access to help.
The findings will be used to improve services, policies, and outcomes for care-experienced young people. All parts of the project — including resources, events, and recommendations — will be co-designed, meaning they will be created together with care-experienced young people, as well as professionals supporting them. This approach, often called co-production, values everyone’s knowledge equally and ensures that young people are meaningfully involved in shaping what the project produces. Our outputs will include digital resources, a free online event, and accessible materials for the public, professionals, and policymakers.
What does the study involve?
What does the study involve?
We’re exploring how care-experienced young people aged 13 to 25 in England look for help and support when they’re struggling with their mental health.
We’re asking three key questions:
- How do care-experienced young people seek support for mental health problems?
- What makes it easier or harder for care-experienced young people to get mental health support?
- What are the mental health help-seeking experiences of care-experienced young people who also have other marginalised identities? For example, LGBTQ+, ethnically minoritised, disabled, and neurodivergent young people.
We’re using a mixed-methods approach, which means we’re combining surveys and interviews to better understand a range of experiences.
We’re also using participatory and co-production methods throughout the study. This means care-experienced young people are actively involved as partners in the research. Their lived experience will help shape the study at every stage, including:
- informing the research questions
- shaping recommendations
- developing study materials and outputs
- and even helping to carry out some of the research
By working together, we aim to make sure the study reflects what really matters to care-experienced young people.
How will we do this?
The study has three main parts.
A review of the existing international research about young people seek help for mental health problems across different types of care placements. This is called a systematic review, and it helps us understand what’s already known and where the gaps are.
An online survey with care-experienced young people to learn more about their mental health help-seeking behaviours. We’ll look at:
- what support they’ve tried to access
- what has helped or made it harder
- how these patterns vary based on things like placement type, gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and age.
Online interviews with 20 to 30 care-experienced young people in England who have more than one marginalised identity—for example, LGBTQ+, ethnically minoritised, disabled, and neurodivergent people. These interviews will give a deeper understanding of their experiences with mental health help-seeking.
Meet the team
Meet the team
- Dr Willem Stander (he/him), Project Lead, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham
- Emma Wallace (she/her), Research Fellow, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham
- Dr Jolie Keemink (she/her), Co-Investigator, Centre for Health Services Studies, Kent University
- Professor Jason Schaub (he/him), Co-Investigator, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
- Mr Omar Mohamed (he/him), Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) Co-Applicant
Contact information
If you’re interested in finding out more about the study or would like to get involved, please visit our Linktree to connect with the research team and explore our social media channels.
News
