What is the project?
Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the UK, with half having a history of self-harm. Young people from marginalised groups (such as LGBTQ+, those in care or care leavers, and ethnic minorities), as well as those living in rural or deprived areas, are at higher risk compared to their peers. They are often reluctant to seek help from health and social care services. We know that voluntary organisations play a significant role in supporting these young people, but we know very little about how, why, and when young people choose to seek help from these organisations, or how these organisations respond to their needs.
The ATTUNE study, conducted by researchers at the University of Birmingham, Exeter, and Bristol, aims to understand the types of services voluntary organisations provide to young people seeking help for self-harm and suicidal thoughts or behaviour. We also want to explore if and how the voluntary sector and health and social care services work together to support young people, and identify the barriers and facilitators to effective collaboration. Voluntary organisation are those that operate independently from the government or public sector and are often run by volunteers. Examples include helplines, live chat or text and counselling services provided by the Samaritans, Papyrus and other similar young people’s charities.
This research will focus on the West Midlands (including the counties of West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, and Herefordshire) and the South West Peninsula (covering Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, and Dorset; excluding Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire).
Find out more
We are looking for 40 young people (20 per region) to take part in a one-off, 1-hour interview (either face-to-face or online). While the research is open to everyone, we are especially interested in hearing from those belonging to marginalised groups including LGBTQ+ young people, those currently in care or care leavers, and individuals from ethnic minority backrgounds.
The interview can be conducted face-to-face (e.g., at a voluntary organisation) or online (via Zoom or MS Teams) and will be audio-recorded. Before the interview, we will ask you to complete a short online questionnaire about yourself (age, gender, ethnicity, occupational status etc.).
There is also an optional online workshop with other young people, voluntary sector staff, and professionals from health and social care. The workshop will last approximately 3-4 hours, with regular breaks.
- Aged 16-25 years old.
- With lived or living experience of self-harm and/or suicidal behaviour.
- Living in the West Midlands and South West Peninsula (as defined above).
- Have sought or are currently seeking help from voluntary organisations for self-harm and/or suicidal behaviour.
- For those taking part online, a stable internet connection is required.
During the interview, we will ask you questions about seeking help and support for self-harm and suicidal thoughts or behaviour. This includes when you sought help, who you looked to for support, what worked well, and what did not work so well. We will also discuss your experiences with and differences between support from voluntary organisations and health and social care services.
During the workshop, we will share what we learned from the interviews to develop best practice recommendations as a group. These recommendations will focus on effective collaborative care between voluntary organisations and health and social care services to better support young people.
Payment:
As a thank you for your time, we will offer £30 per hour for the interview and £30 per hour for the online workshop. Please note that we cannot cover travel expenses for in-person interviews.
Support and Resources:
The interview is for research purposes, and the researchers are not trained mental health professionals. Before the interview, we will have a short telephone call where you can ask questions about the interview. You can also discuss any concerns or triggers related to the interview topic, share strategies you use when feeling upset, and provide your GP or a support person’s contact details as part of a safety plan, if you wish.
If we are worried about you during the interview, we will help you use your safety plan strategy or contact your GP or support person. We will only break confidentiality if we believe you are at immediate risk, and we will inform you if we do this.
After the interview, you will be offered a debrief meeting with a member of our research team. Regardless of whether you choose to have a debrief meeting, we will email you a debrief sheet with signposting information and contact details for suicide prevention helplines.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please email Dr Willem Stander at [email protected] with brief answers to the following questions:
- What is your name?
- What is your date of birth?
- Are you based in the West Midlands or South West Peninsula? If yes, please state where (city/town/village etc.).
- Please give details of any relevant experience to the topic of the study (e.g., I have sought help from a voluntary organisation for self-harm in the West Midlands).
- How did you hear about this opportunity?
5 pm on Monday 30th June 2025.
Please note that the McPin Foundation regularly promotes opportunities on behalf of other institutions; we are not responsible for the continuation or contents of further correspondence with any project partners where we are not listed as the project main point of contact.
