Parent & autistic child experience of mental health support in schools
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do parents and children experience mental health support in schools when on the autism pathway?
IRAS ID
313146
Contact name
Andrea Flood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 27 days
Research summary
Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) work in schools to deliver psychological interventions for children and young people with mild to moderate mental health difficulties, and to support parents. Autistic children require flexible approaches to intervention and so it is important to explore whether this group of people can benefit from support provided by MHSTs.
This research aims to recruit between four and eight families, with children aged nine to eleven, who are autistic or are on the autism pathway and who have received support from MHSTs. One parent/guardian who has received support provided from MHSTs will be interviewed alongside the child. Participants will be recruited from MHST clinical services in Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Participants will be asked to take part in a joint interview and Narrative Analysis will be used to analyse data.
The objectives of this research are to explore the stories of autistic children, those on the autism pathway and their parents, who have accessed MHST support, and to consider whether current implementation is accessible for this population group.
Autism pathway is defined as already having received a diagnosis of autism or as being supported as experiencing difficulties in line with an autism diagnosis, i.e., being on the waitlist for a formal autism assessment.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/PR/1192
Date of REC Opinion
15 Dec 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion