DISCOVER Workshop Programme for Care Experienced Young People

DISCOVER "Getting the Life You Want" Workshop Programme for Care Experienced Young People Aged 16-19: A Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study

The NHS DISCOVER team has secured 2-year funding from the Maudsley Charity to tailor the workshop programme the investigators deliver in school Sixth Forms to meet the specific needs of Care Experienced young people. The investigators are planning to complete a pilot of this adapted workshop programme within Medway Children's Social Services to explore its feasibility, accessibility, acceptability and early-stage efficacy within this population of adolescents.

Investigators from the DISCOVER team will recruit young people aged 16-19yrs who are currently known to the Medway Care Leavers 16+ teams. The study will be conducted at Medway Local Authority sites, with the option of some stages being completed remotely via Microsoft Teams if needed in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Inclusion Criteria:

Participants who are eligible to take part in this DISCOVER research project will be:

• Young people aged 16-19 years who have experience of being in Care and are currently under one of the Medway Children's Social Care, Care Leavers 16+ teams. This means that they are either currently a Looked After young person or a Care Leaver (i.e. they are no longer Looked After but they remain under the care of a Medway Care Leavers team).
• Able to work within a group setting over the course of a day workshop.
• Able to communicate and read in English.

Exclusion Criteria:

The investigators will not be able to recruit young people to the project if they are:

• Acutely psychotic or actively suicidal.
• Currently taking part in other research project(s).
• Under the influence of alcohol or any other substances during DISCOVER programme meetings - this is essential as a safety consideration for all participants and staff. Struggles with alcohol/substance use in themselves are not necessarily grounds for exclusion; the investigators will discuss with the allocated member of the young person's Care Leavers 16+ team on a case-by-case basis where relevant.
• Unable to communicate and read in English - as the investigators are at an early stage in developing this DISCOVER workshop programme for Care Experienced young people, these young people must be excluded at this time. However, the investigators are eager to review this criterion in future to enhance the accessibility of the intervention, once the initial feasibility and acceptability of the workshop programme has been established.