Optimising the delivery of mental health support to adolescents living in care out of home care via low intensity Life Story Work [LIMITLESS 2]
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN18046151 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN18046151 |
- Submission date
- 19/04/2024
- Registration date
- 10/05/2024
- Last edited
- 12/09/2024
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Teens are the fastest growing age group entering care, and the group most at risk of poor mental health. Better evidence on the ways carers can support teen's mental health is urgently needed.
Life story work is a way of promoting mental health for those living in care by helping them to understand who they are and how their experiences might have shaped them. This builds a sense of identity and belonging. It is usually delivered in a high-intensity way meaning it relies on specialist input over many months. It is therefore too expensive to provide to everyone. Life story work tends to be delivered solely to younger looked-after children (0-11 years old), and there is limited evidence and guidance available for its use with teens (12-18 years old). Ultimately, the most in need often miss out. Understanding if life story work could be delivered in a lower-intensity way (e.g., by foster carers) to teens, how and if this helps is vital.
Our recent project, LIMITLESS 1, reviewed international literature to understand when and how low-intensity life story work could work for teens. We produced initial guidance. For example, a teen should be supported by a carer to record everyday successes to promote self-belief. However, the literature did not tell us enough about how different external and/or internal factors may change how this should be delivered in different settings or if it makes a difference. To develop detailed advice that takes these factors into account and can improve mental health, we must now hear from those living and working in care. We will then need to test out if this advice is liked by teens, carers and social care professionals, if it is practical and learn how we could test if it helps.
We aim to improve the mental health of teens living in social care by improving the guidance available to support them.
Who can participate?
Carers, teens and Social Workers in partner local authorities.
What does the study involve?
This study has 5 stages. In stage 1, we will gain permissions to do our research and recruit and train 8 teens in care as co-researchers to help collect views from teen participants. In stage 2, we will ask participants to look at our initial guidance for teen-focused low-intensity life story work from LIMITLESS 1 and tell us how it could work (or not), when (and when not), why (and why not) in real life. In stage 3, we will use these findings to co-design detailed advice in the form of a “LIMITLESS Toolkit” to improve life story work delivery to teens. In stage 4, we will give 10 carers the toolkit to try, and update it using their feedback. Finally, to see if it is practical and learn how we would see if it helps, we will ask a larger group of carers to help, giving half the toolkit and asking the other half to carry on as normal.
What are the possible benefits and risk of participating?
Participants may enjoy helping a study that aims to improve guidance.
There are no direct risks from participating.
Where is the study run from?
School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia (UEA) (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2024 to October 2027
Who is funding the study?
The study is funded by The National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Simon P Hammond, University of East Anglia (UEA). s.hammond@uea.ac.uk
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
UEA
Norwich Research Park
Norwich
NR4 7TJ
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-0473-3610 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 1603 591460 |
| s.hammond@uea.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Multi-center interventional feasibility trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Other, Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | No participant information sheet available |
| Scientific title | Optimising the deLIvery of Mental health support to adolescents in care vIa lowinTensity LifE Story work: a realist evaluation with co-deSign and feasibility trial [LIMITLESS 2] |
| Study acronym | LIMITLESS 2 |
| Study objectives | Optimising the delivery of mental health support to adolescents in care via low-intensity Life Story Work will improve carer closeness and teen's well-being |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 20/02/2024, School of Education and Lifelong Learning Research Ethics Subcommittee (University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom; +44 1603 591460; s.hammond@uea.ac.uk), ref: ETH2324-1306 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Well-being |
| Intervention | The intervention arm will be given the LIMITLESS Toolkit to implement. This intervention comprises of resources for teens, carers and social workers to implement. We will assess the acceptability of the intervention and the feasibility of the trial processes (e.g., participant identification, recruitment, randomisation, data collection and completeness) to inform the design of a future substantive impact evaluation. Data will be collected via participant-reported web-based questionnaires at baseline (before carers are given the intervention) and one, three, and six-months post-randomisation. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | 1. Caregiver-reported mental health difficulties in adolescents in care measured using The Brief Assessment Checklist for Adolescents (BAC-A) at baseline, one, three and six months 2. Emotional and behavioural difficulties in children and young people measured using Parent-report version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at baseline, one, three and six months 3. Perceived closeness of relationship measured using the ‘Inclusion of the Other in the self’ Scale at baseline, one, three and six months 4. Parental self-regulation, including their self-efficacy, personal agency, self-management and self-sufficiency as a parent measured using the Me as a Parent questionnaire at baseline, one, three and six months 5. Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) measured using EQ-5D-5L at baseline, one, three and six months |
| Secondary outcome measures | There are no secondary outcome measures |
| Overall study start date | 20/02/2024 |
| Completion date | 31/10/2027 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Service user |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 12 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 80 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Our unit of analysis will be the carer but we will also asses the feasibility of recruiting and collecting data from adolescents in care. For this feasibility stage, carer recruitment is not contingent on having a paired adolescent recruited into the study, i.e. we are not recruiting dyads. 1. Carers 1.1. Currently looking after an adolescent aged between 12-18 years who has been in placement for at least 4 weeks with no moves planned in next 6 months 1.2. Offering any placement (foster, kinship foster care, residential) 2. Adolescent in care 2.1. Aged between 12-18 years 2.2. In any placement (foster, kinship foster, residential) except where living with their biological parent(s) 2.3. Not currently seeking support from a specialist (tier 3) CAMHS 2.4. No moves planned in next 6 months |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Carer 1.1. Offering an emergency placement 1.2. Have an adolescent currently seeking support from a specialist (tier 3) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) 2. Adolescent in care 2.1. Below 12 years old 2.2. No carer enrolled in the feasibility trial |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/05/2024 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/07/2024 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centres
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
United Kingdom
Russell Road
Ipswich
IP1 2BX
United Kingdom
Pegs Lane
Hertford
SG13 8DQ
United Kingdom
Market Rd
Chelmsford
CM1 1QH
United Kingdom
Loughborough Road
West Bridgford
Nottingham
NG2 7QP
United Kingdom
County Hall
Northallerton
DL7 8SB
United Kingdom
5 Pancras Square
London
N1C 4AG
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Norwich Research Park
Norwich
NR4 7TJ
England
United Kingdom
| Julie.Frith@uea.ac.uk | |
| Website | https://www.uea.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/026k5mg93 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
Government organisation / National government
- Alternative name(s)
- National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/04/2028 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | We will produce two main outputs of value to social care: (1) a detailed understanding of how, why, for whom, in what context, and to what extent teen-focused low-intensity life story work approaches work; (2) the LIMITLESS Toolkit and learnings on how we could test to see if it works. We will also host practice webinars, make teen focused materials and share academic papers with easy-read summaries, |
| IPD sharing plan | Available on request from s.hammond@uea.ac.uk |
Editorial Notes
12/09/2024: Sponsor email was corrected.
19/04/2024: Trial's existence confirmed by University of East Anglia.
