‘Online and Big Data in Social Care Research: Exploring risk factors for increasing rates of suicide and self-harm in children and young people’.

Summary

Since 2020 there have been many changes to our daily lives. This includes getting healthcare, at school and university and feeling secure in our jobs. These changes affect everyone, but young people, especially those who were already vulnerable are likely to have experienced bigger changes. This includes young people who are receiving support from social care. We don’t know what the long-term effects of this will be, but researchers and policy makers are worried that by not looking after vulnerable young peoples’ mental health now, they could be at greater risk of self harm and suicide in the future. 

The aim of this project is to bring together different kinds of research to learn as much as possible about the support young people need. I will look at data collected as social care services go about their day-to-day practice and integrate it with healthcare and school survey data. I will also look at support app data. I will run a survey and in-depth interviews to learn more about the experiences of young people from their perspective. 

This research will help us learn more about what changes to policy could make the biggest difference for vulnerable young people.