Outreach is at the heart of meaningful and impactful research on children and young people’s mental health. Effective outreach isn’t just about telling children and young people about what research is currently taking place; it is about them taking part in the decision making which surrounds it.

This aligns with the core principles of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) which is all about listening and working with people – like patients, families, the public – to help make research better. It is a vital bridge which ensures their lived experiences are met with the appropriate support, understanding, and evidence-based insight within research.

As part of our deep commitment to mental health research outreach work, two sixth-form students were hosted at The University of Manchester for a chance to inform researchers’ understanding of digital mental health interventions alongside the opportunity to develop their own hands-on mental health research experience.

In August 2025, Aaron and Eliana, who are from Greater Manchester sixth form colleges, took part in a two-week Destination STEM placement. The placement was hosted at The University of Manchester by Professor Rebecca Elliott.

The students were asked to plan and facilitate a focus group to understand how young people would like to be able to use technology to support their mental health. We wanted this focus group to explore the intersection between the needs of young people and digital mental health apps.

All the work the students completed throughout their placement was designed to inform the Digital Interventions work package of the NIHR MH-TRC Missions Children and Young People’s Mental Health Theme, which was founded by Professor Jonathan Green and further developed with colleagues across the UK.

Before the start of the placement

To provide some structure to the placement, our research administrator, Roksana Krol, worked alongside the rest of the research team to develop a workbook for the students to use across the two weeks.

This resource provided guidance on the key research tasks Aaron and Eliana would be undertaking, such as engaging with digital mental health tools and designing a focus group, in addition to suggested reading materials.

Importantly, the workbook allowed the students to actively align the tasks to their own mental health research interests. This linked with our overall aim for the placement to not just be Aaron and Eliana listening to our instructions; rather, giving them an opportunity to take on active roles as focus group co-developers.

Week 1: preparation

The first week of the placement was structured to lay the groundwork for the students to lead a focus group, by developing their research experience.

They had the opportunity to explore and try out different digital mental health apps themselves, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in terms of app accessibility and design.

Alongside the digital mental health intervention scoping tasks, they were also introduced to different research procedures such writing ethical consent forms. These tasks were all designed to help inform their focus group planning, by narrowing down focus group discussion questions and facilitating the creation of baseline questionnaires.

The students met with Roksana, or another member of the research team, daily to ensure they were on track and to answer any questions they might have.

Throughout their placement, the students also had the opportunity to meet different mental health researchers. This opportunity enabled them to find out more about research roles, as well as what it is like to carry out studies.

Week 2: the focus group

The students started the second week of the placement by delivering the focus group. They invited 7 other young people, aged 16 to 17 years old, to participate in the group, which was divided into two parts.

Firstly, the group had the opportunity to test out different iPad and VR headset digital mental health intervention apps. In the second half of the focus group, Aaron and Eliana co-facilitated group discussions surrounding what the participants thought of the different apps, evaluating their design, features and usefulness in supporting mental health.

By taking ownership of the session, asking follow-up questions and noting key themes from the discussion, the placement students were able to gain valuable first-hand research experience. This enabled them to see what it is like to manage focus group dynamics and to communicate effectively with their peers.

Professor Rebecca Elliott commented: “Aaron and Eliana did an amazing job at running the focus group, we were really impressed with their leadership skills throughout the session.”

After the focus group

Following the focus group session, with support from Roksana and the rest of the research team, the students compiled their focus group findings into a detailed report. This report was designed to enhance the students’ critical thinking skills by asking them to capture key themes and reflections which emerged from the focus group. Both Aaron and Eliana chose for their reports to form the basis of their Gold CREST Award applications.

Aaron and Eliana created a video to showcase the focus group and their achievements. This video was edited by Roksana, with the permission of Aaron and Eliana.

Roksana commented: “It was a pleasure to work alongside Aaron and Eliana for the planning and running of the focus group. Their organisational and problem-solving skills really shined throughout the placement. I learned a lot from their insights as young people involved in mental health research. I am so pleased the video can showcase all their hard work.”

A meaningful and practical approach to patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)

From the outset of the placement, we really wanted to make sure the two-week experience could be tailored to what Aaron and Eliana wanted to gain from it.

We wanted their voices to be at the centre of the research design to highlight that young people don’t always have to be solely participants in research; they can also be involved as active facilitators in the research design itself.

This inclusive approach to PPIE ensures that young people can directly contribute to the development of mental health interventions and research which affects them.

Aaron and Eliana did a fantastic job, and we wish them the best of luck in their future studies and careers.

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