What’s the project?
A research team at the University of Nottingham wants to learn more about self-harm in autistic people of all ages. They are developing and testing a new self-harm assessment tool called the Self-Harm Questionnaire – Autism (SHQ-A).
The team wants to work with autistic people to make sure the research is respectful, accessible and useful. They are looking for autistic people with lived experience of self-harm to join a steering group and help guide the research.
This is an involvement opportunity. This means you will be helping the research team as an advisor rather than taking part as a research participant. The University of Nottingham has given ethical approval for the project (F1769).
Find out more
The team is looking for 5 autistic people to join a steering group. Two places are reserved for young people aged 12–17.
A steering group is a group of people with personal experience who help researchers make decisions about their research.
As a steering group member, you may:
- help design research materials, such as surveys and information leaflets
- look at and give feedback on the research results
- help decide the best ways to share the findings
- give feedback on how the steering group is working
- share your ideas about how the research could be improved
There will be a 2-hour meeting about every 3 months until June 2029. We may also ask you to look at documents or think about questions before a meeting.
Meetings can take place online using Microsoft Teams or in person at the University of Nottingham. If you are unable to attend a meeting, you can also share your thoughts in other ways.
To get involved, the team is looking for young people who are:
- an autistic person – you can have a formal diagnosis, be waiting for an assessment, or think you are autistic
- aged 12–17 years old
- have lived experience of self-harm
- currently living in the UK
You will need access to a phone, laptop or tablet if you want to join meetings online or be able to travel to the University of Nottingham if you want to attend meetings in person.
You do not need to have done any research or involvement before. The team will explain anything you need to know.
- You will receive £82.50 for each steering group meeting you attend.
- If you contribute to the group in another way instead of attending a meeting, for example by email, we can also pay you for your time.
- If you come to an in-person meeting, the team can pay you back up to £25 towards your travel costs.
Support
- Before joining the steering group, you will have a 30-minute introductory meeting with two researchers. This is a chance to meet some of the team, ask questions, and discuss any support you might need.
- If you decide to join the steering group, the team will provide information in formats that work for you, such as written information, video, or Easy Read.
- There are different ways to contribute during meetings, including speaking, writing, or typing in the chat.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please click on this link to fill in a short form: https://tinyurl.com/4ndaaxvd
The form will ask for some information about you, your experience, and support needs for an introductory meeting. Because there are a limited number of places, it will also ask what you would like us to do with your contact details if you are not offered a place on the steering group.
You can also contact the lead researcher (Victoria Newell) at [email protected] if you have any questions or would prefer to respond by email, audio, or video.
The research team will look at the information you provide and contact you to let you know what happens next.
6pm on Friday 30th October 2026.
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.
