The study, led by Dr Amanda Marchant, Research Fellow at Swansea University Medical School, seeks to identify how vulnerable young people can be better supported and how evidence-based insights can shape future mental health services and policy.
Evidence-Based Approach to Social Care
Dr Marchant, who has over a decade of experience in suicide prevention research, explained:
“We’ve seen big advances in understanding self-harm in healthcare settings. Now we want to apply that same evidence-based approach to social care, where there is huge potential to support some of the most vulnerable young people in our society.”
She has been awarded a Social Care Research Fellowship by the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty to lead the project.
The work will be supported by leading experts Professor Ann John, Director of the National Centre for Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Research, and Professor Jonathan Scourfield, Deputy Director of the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) Partnership.
Data, Digital Insights and Lived Experience
The project will combine anonymised health, social care and education data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank with insights from TalkLife, a peer support app widely used by young people seeking mental health support online.
It will also expand the SHARE UK Research Register, which already includes more than 2,000 people who have consented to be contacted for self-harm studies. For the first time, it will extend to young people with lived experience of social care and self-harm, giving them the chance to shape surveys, interviews and policy recommendations.
Young People at the Centre
Dr Marchant stressed the importance of meaningful engagement:
“We’re not just analysing data, we’re listening to young people – and they want to be heard.”
A newly expanded youth research panel will play a central role, helping to design the study, interpret findings and provide lived insight.
Although in its early stages, the project aims to create an evidence base for long-term change, improving how mental health support is delivered through schools, social care and digital platforms.
Dr Marchant added:
“This fellowship is just the starting point. We want to build an evidence base that can inform long-term change for young people, whether that’s in schools, social care or digital spaces. Our ultimate goal is to influence policy and make lasting change for vulnerable youth in Wales and beyond.”
