Watch Me Play! Pilot Study UK
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Watch Me Play!: A pilot feasibility study of a Remotely-delivered Intervention to Promote Mental Health Resilience for Children (age 0-8) across UK Early Years and Children’s Services
IRAS ID
322873
Contact name
Eilis Kennedy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Research and Development
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN13644899
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, days
Research summary
Around one in six children in England were identified as having a mental health problem in July 2020, an increase from one in eight children in 2017. Early intervention to prevent or reduce the likelihood of mental health problems developing is important. Services have experienced rising demand and are not always able to offer help when families need it.
Watch Me Play! (WMP) is a simple way for a parent or carers to help their baby or child aged up to eight years old. It can help parents or carers to get to know their baby or child and enjoy being together. The study aims to see whether WMP can be delivered successfully remotely, and whether it is helpful for children and families.
To determine if WMP improves well-being in families, we need to conduct a test (a randomised control trial - RCT). The present study seeks to understand how parents engage with WMP (a pilot feasibility study), in preparation for an RCT. Forty parents will be recruited from early years and children services and offered WMP remotely. Families of babies and children (age 0 to 8) referred to early years’ services across the UK will be invited to participate. They will answer questionnaires, engage with WMP and be invited to an interview to discuss their experiences.
We expect to learn more about the experiences of families receiving WMP and experiences of participation in the research study itself. We will also investigate how WMP works as an intervention from the perspective of practitioners and services. We will investigate what other treatment is offered as usual practice in services, and how much WMP costs to deliver. We will share our findings widely including with the parents, foster carers, clinicians, service managers and social workers who have advised on design of this study.REC name
South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0045
Date of REC Opinion
10 Mar 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion