University secures £2.5m funding to tackle mental health challenges in young people
The University of Bradford has been awarded £2.5m to address mental health challenges for children and young people in the district.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Research Leader Award will fund a programme to work with communities, education, health and religious groups to map mental health challenges in the region, identify existing resources, and establish a framework that will enable the University to seek further funding in order to implement change.
The NIHR funding will also enable preventative interventions to be developed and implemented across the district, aimed at improving children and young people’s quality of life.
In particular, the funding will be focused on under-represented communities, developing evidence-based approaches to reducing inequalities.
In its bid application, the University noted inequalities play a major role in mental health challenges, with higher prevalence rates in more deprived areas. Working with local co-production groups in a scoping study for this application, it was evident that there is a need to focus on upstream determinants of mental health, including physical activity, sleep, and eating.
Dr Eleanor Bryant, co-programme lead, said: "There is an urgent need to address mental health challenges for children and young people in Bradford and the UK. With a third of its young people living in poverty, poor mental health is increasingly common in the Bradford district. This much-needed programme of research will allow us to work with existing groups and resources to help prevent mental health challenges among children and young people.”
Fellow programme lead Dr Paul Sullivan said: “This is a significant opportunity to understand the factors underpinning the development of mental health challenges allowing us to prioritise preventative intervention where it is most needed. Ultimately the goal is to reduce inequalities and improve the life chances of our children and young people."
Vice-Chancellor Professor Shirley Congdon said: “This award will make a significant difference to the mental health outcomes of children and young people in Bradford and beyond and will enable us to build partnerships to develop a world-leading centre of excellence in mental health research.”
What will the money pay for?
The University of Bradford will establish a research centre of excellence in preventative approaches to early life risk factors for mental health challenges. University of Bradford staff, Dr Lucy Eddy, Dr Syka Iqbal, Professors Andy Daly-Smith and Beth Fylan were also instrumental in securing the grant. Their combined areas of expertise lie in prevention, working with communities, physical activity and patient safety.
The Mental Health Leaders Award project will take a three-pronged approach that will include:
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Evidence synthesis –review the existing evidence relating to risk factors for mental health challenges and identify areas of best practice
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Systems mapping – map the existing services and pathways in the district addressing mental health in children and young people, to understand the local landscape of provision
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Data insights – analyse existing data (e.g. Born in Bradford, Connected Bradford) to help identify population level risk factors
The programme of work will be supported by the University of York and Bradford Institute of Health Research.
Professor Paul Tiffin, project lead for the University of York, said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Bradford on this programme. This further strengthens our existing relationship with the University and Bradford’s Institute of Health Research and is a wonderful opportunity to develop much needed youth mental health research in the region.”
The programme will also involve working with numerous organisations, including Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Born in Bradford, Bradford Council for Mosques, Bishop of Bradford, Bradford Council, youth mental health charities like Bradford District and Craven Mind, and Bradford 2025.