I am an experienced health services researcher and programme manager with over 25 years expertise in health and social care research. My research is driven by a passion for improving mental health outcomes for children, young people and families through evidence-based solutions which enhance access, acceptability and effectiveness of services. I have a proven track record in leading complex research projects and delivering impactful findings to inform policy and practice, with citations across 59 policy documents internationally. I have extensive expertise in qualitative methods and research ethics and a strong commitment to lived experience involvement and co-production. I work collaboratively with partners beyond academia to shape research priorities and methodologies to ensure the relevance, acceptability and impact of research findings.

My current research is the NIHR HS&DR Health + Youth Work Project. The is the first study to explore how youth work services for young people with long term conditions aged 11-25 years in the UK are organised, provided and experienced. The knowledge generated in this study will be used to co-develop an evidence-based service development framework which aims to improve the commissioning, organisation and delivery of youth work services to benefit young people’s health and well-being. 

My research interests include:

• Mental health access, acceptability and effectiveness of services
• Research with children and young people and families
• Programme evaluation and outcome measurement
• Lived experience and public involvement
• Qualitative research
• Creative methods
• Service mapping

• Nov 2022 - April 2025: Co-Applicant and HS&DR Research Associate on the CAMH-Crisis2 study, led by Cardiff University where I hold an Honorary Contract. The CAMH-Crisis2 study explored the types of mental health crisis services available to children and young people up to the age of 25 years in England and Wales, examining how these were organised, perceived and integrated within local care systems. Using a mixed methods approach, including service mapping, in-depth qualitative case studies and within and cross-case analysis informed by Normalisation Process Theory, we have produced clear, actionable lessons for the future provision of high-quality crisis services. These findings are currently being utilised to inform policy frameworks for children’s mental health crisis care in England and Wales. 

• January 2019 - July 2022: HS&DR Research Associate on the Blueprint study which aimed to develop a model for high quality service design for children and young people experiencing common mental health problems by identifying available services, barriers and enablers to access, and the effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of such services. There was no strong evidence to suggest any existing service model was better than another. Instead, we developed a coproduced, evidence-based model that incorporates the fundamental components necessary for high-quality children’s mental health services, which is now being used to inform policy, practice and research. In addition to research and project management responsibilities, I led patient and public involvement, including an innovative approach to involving six young people with lived experience as co-researchers which was recognised with a Faculty Outstanding Contribution to Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Award in 2023.

• December 2017 - December 2018: Research Associate, Mental Health Research Group, School of Health Sciences. During 2018 I contributed to a number of studies within the Mental Health Research Group, providing senior researcher and project management support as needed by study PIs. On MAmMOTH, an Arthritis Research UK funded two-arm randomised trial exploring telephone cognitive behavioural therapy (tCBT) for patients with chronic widespread pain (CWP), I led a nested qualitative study exploring patient perspectives and treatment acceptability. The study extended our understanding of the acceptability and suitability of preventative interventions for CWP and the majority of participants described positive changes in either their subjective level of pain or pain-management post-intervention. On EQUITy, an NIHR funded funded study which aimed to increase engagement in telephone-delivered psychological interventions for mild to moderate depression and anxiety, I led a qualitative study of local and national decision-makers and policy leads. This study identified that service level motivations for implementation of telephone treatments are often misaligned with national objectives, highlighting the need for guidance on best practice for implementation and operationalization which was incorporated into later workstreams on the Programme grant.

• April 2013 - November 2017: Programme Manager for the NIHR funded EQUIP (Enhancing the Quality of User Involved Care Planning in Mental Health Services) Programme Grant. This complex role involved day to day programme management of a £2million randomised controlled trial (RCT) on behalf of the Chief Investigator and line management of four Research Associates and three Service User/Carer Researchers at University of Manchester and Nottingham University. The study comprised four work streams, seven individual studies and a team of over twenty including researchers, co-applicants and work stream leads located across three universities. The RCT exceeded targets, recruiting 1286 service users and 90 carers and the programme was successfully delivered on time and within budget. Our outputs included a co-developed and co-delivered training intervention for over 300 care-coordinators working in Community Mental Health Teams in 10 NHS Trusts and an audit tool. The findings on shared decision-making and involvement have been cited in policy documents published by World Health Organisation, OECD, NICE, Health Service Executive, Cochrane and the Finnish Government.

• April 2012 - March 2013: Research Associate on a RfPB funded study with University of Manchester colleagues Professor Sue Kirk and Dr Debbie Fallon along with Dr Grace Vassallo and Gillian Robinson at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. This NHS Trust funded study aimed to examine parents’ experiences and support needs following a childhood traumatic brain injury from the time of the accident to their child’s discharge home. As the sole researcher on the project, I was responsible for ethical approval; liaison with NHS colleagues to recruit parents / carers of traumatically injured children to the study; qualitative data collection and analysis; day to day project management of the study and contributing to dissemination outputs led by the study PI. The study found that parents had unmet information and emotional support needs and highlighted the need for improvements in coordination and support across key care transitions. Study findings have informed policy guidelines published by NICE, Cochrane and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Nov 2011 - Nov 2012: Research Associate, Children's Hospices & Support of Young Adults. This qualitative study, funded by a children’s hospice, aimed to examine how young people with life-limiting conditions experience transition from child to adult services and the implications for children’s hospices. As the sole researcher on the project, I was responsible for ethical approval; liaison with Hospice colleagues to recruit young people to the study; qualitative data collection and analysis; day to day project management of the study and contributing to dissemination outputs led by the study PI. The study found that transition planning was absent or poorly coordinated for most young people and their families. It identified the need for a model of support which promotes young people’s independence and provides emotional support whilst continuing to support parents and siblings. Study findings have informed policy guidelines on transition and service delivery for disabled children with complex needs published by NICE and Cochrane.

• Sept 2004 - April 2013: Freelance Research Consultant. Contracted to undertake health and social care research and evaluation for several UK organisations across the higher education, local authority and voluntary sectors. Research areas included family support and parenting; youth and community work interventions; drug and alcohol (mis)use; child protection and abuse prevention. Study findings have had significant international policy impact, with citations in guidelines published by Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, UK legislation (Care Act, 2014), NICE, Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Public Health England, UNICEF Office of Research, TUSLA, Ireland, US Department of Justice, Australian Government, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, New South Wales Office of Preventative Health, Centre for Policy Studies, Estonia, Ministry of Social Affairs, Estonia.

• May 2002 - August 2004: Research Fellow, University of Huddersfield. Nuffield funded study of international and internet child sexual abuse. This study involved national postal questionnaire surveys among police, and the then HM Customs and Excise (HMCE), interviews with police and HMCE officers, and workers from other organisations concerned with these cases, and extensive searches of police records.

• Sept 1999 - April 2002: Research Assistant, University of Huddersfield. Cancer charity funded study of children’s understanding of infertility and the ethical implications relevant to gamete storage. Responsible for literature searches; research design; ethical approval; liaison with NHS colleagues and schools to recruit participants; data collection in schools; data analysis; and contributions to dissemination which included two book chapters.

Professor Sue Kirk

Professor Steven Pryjmachuk

Professor Karina Lovell

Professor Penny Bee

Dr Marie Marshall MBE

Professor Ben Hannigan

Dr Nicola Bennett

Dr Clare Bennett

British Psychological Society

Social Research Association

International Association of Youth Mental Health

Qualitative research

Quantitative research

Child-friendly methodologies including creative methods

Service mapping

Outcome evaluation

Project Management Foundation and Practitioner

JBI Comprehensive Systematic Review Training

ILM Researchers into Management

MSc Social Research & Evaluation

BSc (Hons) Psychology

Certificate in Counselling Skills

In my spare time I enjoy volunteering with local community projects to improve the river Holme and the wider Holme Valley:

https://www.riverholmeconnections.org/  

http://www.kirkleescountrysidevolunteers.org.uk/