TY - JOUR
T1 - A controlled trial of implementing a complex mental health intervention for carers of vulnerable young people living in out-of-home care
T2 - The ripple project
AU - Herrman, Helen
AU - Humphreys, Cathy
AU - Halperin, Stephen
AU - Monson, Katherine
AU - Harvey, Carol
AU - Mihalopoulos, Cathrine
AU - Cotton, Susan
AU - Mitchell, Penelope
AU - Glynn, Tony
AU - Magnus, Anne
AU - Murray, Lenice
AU - Szwarc, Josef
AU - Davis, Elise
AU - Havighurst, Sophie
AU - McGorry, Patrick
AU - Tyano, Sam
AU - Kaplan, Ida
AU - Rice, Simon
AU - Moeller-Saxone, Kristen
N1 - Funding Information:
The Ripple Study is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Targeted Call for Research grant number 1046692. The Bounce project is funded by Australian Rotary Health; and the Bounce codesign study that preceded it was funded by the Melbourne Social Equity Institute at The University of Melbourne.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s).
PY - 2016/12/7
Y1 - 2016/12/7
N2 - Background: Out-of-home care (OoHC) refers to young people removed from their families by the state because of abuse, neglect or other adversities. Many of the young people experience poor mental health and social function before, during and after leaving care. Rigorously evaluated interventions are urgently required. This publication describes the protocol for the Ripple project and notes early findings from a controlled trial demonstrating the feasibility of the work. The Ripple project is implementing and evaluating a complex mental health intervention that aims to strengthen the therapeutic capacities of carers and case managers of young people (12-17 years) in OoHC. Methods: The study is conducted in partnership with mental health, substance abuse and social services in Melbourne, with young people as participants. It has three parts: 1. Needs assessment and implementation of a complex mental health intervention; 2. A 3-year controlled trial of the mental health, social and economic outcomes; and 3. Nested process evaluation of the intervention. Results: Early findings characterising the young people, their carers and case managers and implementing the intervention are available. The trial Wave 1 includes interviews with 176 young people, 52% of those eligible in the study population, 104 carers and 79 case managers. Conclusions: Implementing and researching an affordable service system intervention appears feasible and likely to be applicable in other places and countries. Success of the intervention will potentially contribute to reducing mental ill-health among these young people, including suicide attempts, self-harm and substance abuse, as well as reducing homelessness, social isolation and contact with the criminal justice system. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000501549. Retrospectively registered 19 May 2015.
AB - Background: Out-of-home care (OoHC) refers to young people removed from their families by the state because of abuse, neglect or other adversities. Many of the young people experience poor mental health and social function before, during and after leaving care. Rigorously evaluated interventions are urgently required. This publication describes the protocol for the Ripple project and notes early findings from a controlled trial demonstrating the feasibility of the work. The Ripple project is implementing and evaluating a complex mental health intervention that aims to strengthen the therapeutic capacities of carers and case managers of young people (12-17 years) in OoHC. Methods: The study is conducted in partnership with mental health, substance abuse and social services in Melbourne, with young people as participants. It has three parts: 1. Needs assessment and implementation of a complex mental health intervention; 2. A 3-year controlled trial of the mental health, social and economic outcomes; and 3. Nested process evaluation of the intervention. Results: Early findings characterising the young people, their carers and case managers and implementing the intervention are available. The trial Wave 1 includes interviews with 176 young people, 52% of those eligible in the study population, 104 carers and 79 case managers. Conclusions: Implementing and researching an affordable service system intervention appears feasible and likely to be applicable in other places and countries. Success of the intervention will potentially contribute to reducing mental ill-health among these young people, including suicide attempts, self-harm and substance abuse, as well as reducing homelessness, social isolation and contact with the criminal justice system. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12615000501549. Retrospectively registered 19 May 2015.
KW - Complex intervention
KW - Implementation
KW - Looked after children
KW - Out-of-home care
KW - Prevention
KW - Youth mental health
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85003007096&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s12888-016-1145-6
DO - 10.1186/s12888-016-1145-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 27927174
AN - SCOPUS:85003007096
SN - 1471-244X
VL - 16
JO - BMC Psychiatry
JF - BMC Psychiatry
IS - 1
M1 - 436
ER -
