We are pleased to share the findings of two research projects recently completed in partnership with the University of Liverpool through the Interchange programme.
Interchange is a charity that connects postgraduate students with voluntary and community organisations, giving students the chance to carry out real-world research while helping organisations like ours gain valuable insights into the work we do and the challenges we face.
YPAS put forward two proposals for the programme, and both were accepted. The resulting reports – one focused on our Seedlings service, the other on our WISH service – offer a detailed look at some of the persistent challenges in children and young people’s mental health support, as well as practical recommendations for how things could be improved.
Seedlings: bridging the gap between teachers and parents
The Seedlings report, Bridges and Barriers: Teachers’ Experiences of Parental Involvement in Children’s Mental Health Support, was produced by student researcher Emily Canfield. It explored primary school teachers’ experiences of working with parents to support children’s mental health, including the barriers they face and the strategies that work best.
Seedlings is our school-based therapeutic service for primary schools across Liverpool. We work with children aged 5 to 11 to help them explore and process difficult feelings and build confidence in expressing themselves. The service is delivered in over 100 primary schools, and practitioners work closely with school staff to identify pupils who may need support.
The research found that while teachers view parental involvement as essential, current collaboration is often inconsistent. The most effective strategies identified were regular communication and signposting to external services. However, teachers also reported significant barriers: limited parental engagement, cultural differences between home and school, mental health stigma and communication difficulties.
Teachers who took part in the research suggested a number of improvements, including parent workshops, better access to external services, staff training on working with families and translation or cultural liaison support. One participant summed up the challenge: “Provide more accessible opportunities for parents to engage in conversations about mental health, such as informal workshops or drop-in sessions, to build trust and confidence in working collaboratively with school.”
The report makes five recommendations for schools and services: develop more accessible engagement opportunities for parents; strengthen consistent communication strategies, enhance access to external support, introduce culturally responsive practices and provide targeted staff training on parental engagement.
Special thanks go to our Seedlings link workers, Carla Stanley and Anne-Marie Clarke, whose knowledge and expertise were invaluable to this project.
WISH: understanding the barriers young adults face
The second report, Challenges within the WISH service: accessing mental health services post-18 years old and transition from CAMHS to AMHS, was produced by student researcher Daniel Blythin. It examined the barriers young adults aged 18 to 25 face when trying to access mental health support, and the difficult transition from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS).
WISH – our Walk In Support Hub – provides same-day mental health support for children, young people and families across Merseyside. The service was piloted in 2021 and is now available from three locations. WISH sees thousands of support sessions every single year. It’s designed to intervene early, help people de-escalate problems, and connect them with further support.
The research identified four key barriers that prevent young adults from accessing the help they need.
Awareness was the most significant. Staff reported that young people have very little idea of what services are available or how to access them. One participant commented: “I think in general, young people are not very aware, I think a lot of people think you can just go to the GP.” This lack of knowledge often means opportunities for early intervention are missed.
Waiting times were also a major issue. Questionnaire responses showed that 57% of participants waited over 12 weeks or were still waiting, and 57% were offered no support during that period. One staff member summed up the impact: “Maybe you’ve been on the CAMHS waiting list for two years before seeing and then not offered anything in depth… And then you just feel like, oh, what’s the point?”
Independence was identified as a barrier in a different way. Young adults are expected to take full responsibility for their own mental health care as soon as they turn 18, without any transition period. As one participant put it: “suddenly turn 18 and then it’s like, okay, now deal with it on your own.”
Finally, the ‘eligibility gap’ emerged as a critical issue. Young people who are deemed “not ill enough” for statutory services are often left without support, even though they clearly need it. Staff said this happens “very, very often.”
Despite these challenges, the research also highlighted what works. YPAS’s accessible, flexible, low-barrier model was seen as highly effective. Staff emphasised the value of drop-in services, ongoing communication and a holistic, youth-centred approach – things that are often missing in statutory adult services.
The report recommends that YPAS continue to sustain and expand this model and use the findings to continue to advocate for change with local authorities, NHS commissioners and policymakers.
Thanks go to our WISH link workers, Juliette Brassey and Claire Webb for their support throughout the project.
What this means for YPAS
Both reports reinforce what we already know from working with young people every day: the current mental health system is difficult to navigate, and too many young people fall through the gaps. But they also show that accessible, flexible, youth-centred services like ours make a real difference.
We’ll be using these findings to continue informing our practice, to strengthen our partnerships and keep advocating for the changes young people and families need.
If you’re a parent, carer or young person looking for support, you can find out more about our services – including WISH and Seedlings – on our website.