The role and contribution of the voluntary sector to the prevention of suicide among young people

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the UK, with half having a history of self-harm. Young people from marginalised groups (e.g., LGBTQ+, those in care or care leavers, ethnic minorities) and those living in rural or deprived areas are at higher risk and often reluctant to seek help from health and social care services. Research shows that the voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSE) sector (hereafter “voluntary organisations”) plays a significant role in supporting these young people. However, we know very little about how, why, and when young people choose to seek help from voluntary organisations, or how these organisations respond to their needs and interface with the health and social care sector.
Shaped by the insights of young people with lived experience and in collaboration with voluntary organisations and statutory services, this study seeks to:
1. Understand young people’s experiences of seeking, accessing, and receiving support from the voluntary sector in diverse regional contexts when experiencing self-harm or suicidal thoughts and behaviours.
2. Establish how the voluntary sector interfaces with the statutory sector in diverse regional contexts to serve young people by exploring their engagement, collaboration, and the barriers and facilitators to effective collaborative care.
3. Co-produce best practice recommendations for effective collaborative care between voluntary and statutory sectors in youth suicide prevention, considering the impact of diverse contexts.
The research will take place in the West Midlands (counties of West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire & Herefordshire) and South West Peninsula (counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset & Dorset), two regions of significant geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity in England. A youth advisory group from the Institute for Mental Health will help shape the research programme, interpret findings, and communicate key messages.

Who can participate?
1. Young people aged 16-25 years with lived or living experience of self-harm and/or suicidal thoughts or behaviour, currently seeking help from voluntary organisations in the West Midlands and South West Peninsula (England).
2. Voluntary and statutory organisation professionals supporting suicidal or self-harming young people in the West Midlands and South West Peninsula (England). Examples include helpline staff, youth workers, peer support workers, counsellors/therapists, crisis café volunteers, GPs, CAMHS workers, psychologists, children’s services, and social workers.

What does the study involve?
The study involves a comparative case study of VCSE provision in the West Midlands and South West Peninsula regions to allow an in-depth investigation into the range and type of VCSE service provision, as well as young people's help-seeking patterns and their experiences of that service provision. Specifically, we will purposefully sample 5-7 case studies of VCSE organisations across each region (a total of 10-14) according to size, geography and service type, and will qualitatively explore through semi-structured interviews, the experiences of:
1. 40 young people aged 16-25 years with lived or living experiences of self-harm and suicidal behaviour who have sought or are seeking help from the VCSE case studies (20 per region, i.e., West Midlands and South West Peninsula)
2. 20-28 VCSE professionals in total across the two regions (2 per case study organisation) and 20 statutory sector professionals (10 from each region) working with suicidal or self-harming young people in the West Midlands and South West Peninsula, to identfiy how they work together to support young people, what the barriers and facilitators are to effective collaborative care.
Interviews will be conducted online or face-to-face, audio-recorded and transcribed.
A co-production workshop with 10-15 young people, voluntary and statutory sector professionals from both regions, and drawn from those who have taken part in interviews, will develop best practice recommendations for effective collaborative care. The workshop will be online and facilitated with young experts by experience from the Institute for Mental Health’s Youth Advisory Group.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
We do not anticipate any harm from taking part in interviews or workshops. However, given the sensitive topic, we have identified possible risks and precautions to ensure the safety of participants.

For Young People:
1. We will not ask questions about a participant’s history of suicidal thoughts or self-harm. However, interviews will discuss suicide and self-harm, which may be upsetting or triggering for some. Therefore, we encourage participants to ensure they are feeling okay before taking part in the interview. They can postpone the interview if they’ve had a bad day or are feeling upset.
2. A short telephone briefing session with the researcher will be offered before the interview to develop a safety plan, including contact details of the participant’s GP or support person, so we can contact them on their behalf if needed.
3. Participants will be asked to share any concerns or triggers and strategies they use when feeling upset.
4. During the interview, participants can take a break or stop the interview at any time. If the researcher is worried about a participant during the interview, they will offer to help use the participant's safety plan strategy or contact their GP or support person.
5. Confidentiality will only be broken if the participant is at immediate risk.
6. A debrief meeting and a debrief sheet with 24/7 suicide prevention helplines will be provided after the interview.

For Professionals:
1. We will not ask professionals to share any personal experiences of providing services or supporting young people with self-harm or suicidal behaviour.
2. Participants can take breaks or stop the interview if they feel uncomfortable.
3. Professionals are encouraged to contact their Employee Assistance Programme if they need to talk to someone after the interview.
All participants have the option to withdraw their data up to 2 weeks after their participation in the study.

The benefits of participation include an opportunity to:
1. Share experiences and contribute to research that aims to improve support services.
2. Contribute to best practice recommendations for collaborative care.

Where is the study run from?
The Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham (UK)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2025 to March 2026

Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) within its Three NIHR Research Schools’ Mental Health Programme (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Dr Maria Michail, m.michail@bham.ac.uk

Study website

Contact information

Dr Maria Michail
Scientific, Principal Investigator

University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom

ORCID ID	0000-0001-7380-3494
Phone	+44 (0)121 414 3344
Email	m.michail@bham.ac.uk

Dr Willem Stander
Public

University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom

ORCID ID	0000-0002-3664-4647
Phone	+44 (0)121 414 3344
Email	w.stander@bham.ac.uk

Study information

Eligibility

Locations

Countries of recruitment

• England
• United Kingdom

Study participating centres

Sponsor information

University of Birmingham
University/education

Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
England
United Kingdom

Phone	+44 (0)121 414 3344
Email	m.michail@bham.ac.uk
Website	https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/
"ROR"	https://ror.org/03angcq70

Funders

Funder type

Government

Results and Publications

Editorial Notes

07/04/2025: Study's existence confirmed by the University of Birmingham's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Research Ethics Committee.