Exploring and Modifying BarrieRs to Enhance ACcess to Mental Health Support for Ethnic Minority Children and Young People in Acute Paediatric Settings. (EMBRACE)

November 6, 2026 updated by: University of Leicester

This study will explore how, why and under what circumstances acute children's hospital settings support, or fail to support Black and Mixed-Black children and young people (CYP) to access appropriate mental health (MH) support. This matters because more CYP with MH issues are attending acute children's hospital settings. These settings include emergency departments and children's wards. Investigations have shown that they are often unsuitable for managing high-risk MH behaviour. CYP from ethnic minority groups have poorer access to, and outcomes from, MH services, but they remain under-researched. Black ethnic groups, in particular, have had persistently higher rates of serious mental health issues and detention under the Mental Health Act.

This study will use an exploratory mixed-methods multiple case study design. It will take place across up to three acute hospital trusts in England, including Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. Data collection methods will include document reviews, observations, interviews, patient record reviews and anonymised aggregate statistics about CYP's MH presentations.

The study will use purposive sampling and aims to recruit about 90 participants: around 30 CYP, 30 parents or carers, and 30 healthcare professionals. Recruitment may take place through posters containing QR codes displayed in hospitals, community and mental health organisations, and on social media. Children, young people, and parents/carers may also be identified by clinical staff during an acute hospital presentation or through hospital databases following discharge. Healthcare professionals may additionally be recruited through email invitations, staff meetings, and direct approaches.

People who express interest, or complete a consent-to-contact form, will be contacted by the researcher to confirm whether they are eligible and to arrange an information session. Consent will usually be completed electronically. The University of Leicester is sponsoring this research as part of a PhD fellowship funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • Leicester, United Kingdom, LE15WW
        • University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Damian Roland, BMBS, PhD
      • Leicester, United Kingdom, LE17RH
      • Nottingham, United Kingdom, NG7 2UH
        • Nottingham University Hospital Trust
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Joseph Manning, Registered Nurse, PhD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

11 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children and Young People, Parents and Carers, Healthcare Professionals.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Black and Mixed-Black Children and Young People (CYP): Aged 11-18 years old at study enrolment (or up to 20 years if they presented before age 18 within the past 18 months) who have experienced at least one acute paediatric presentation for a mental health need within the last 18 months.
  • Parents and/or carers: of CYP meeting the criteria above.
  • Healthcare Professionals: who are involved in managing CYP's MH needs in acute paediatric settings.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants who do not understand verbal and written English and for whom it has not been possible to provide documents in an appropriately translated language or obtain an interpreter to conduct the interview.
  • CYP actively sectioned under the Mental Health Act (MHA) and/or clinically unstable will not be interviewed.
  • CYP aged (11-15) where assent from either the child or consent from the parent/carer is not obtained (i.e., both are required).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Observational Models: OTHER
  • Time Perspectives: OTHER

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Children and Young People

Children and young people who:

1) Belong to a Black or Mixed-Black ethnic group, 2) Have gone to the hospital for a mental health problem within the last 18 months, AND 3) Are aged 11-18 or are now aged up to 20 but attended hospital for a mental health problem before their 18th birthday and within the last 18 months.
Other: Mental health support

How acute paediatrics settings support children and young people to access mental health support.
Parents and Carers

Parents and carers of children and young people who: 1) Belong to a Black or Mixed-Black ethnic group, 2) Have gone to the hospital for a mental health problem within the last 18 months, AND 3) Are aged 11-18 or are now aged up to 20 but attended hospital for a mental health problem before their 18th birthday and within the last 18 months.
Healthcare professionals

Healthcare professionals who are involved in managing children and young people's mental health needs in acute paediatric settings (emergency departments and acute children's hospital wards).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Qualitative experiences and perceptions of how acute paediatric settings support or do not support access to mental health support - interviews.
Time Frame: Up to 11 months.

Up to two qualitative semi-structured interviews per participant, each lasting up to 90 minutes, with Black and Mixed-Black children and young people who have presented to an acute paediatric setting at a participating a site with a mental health need, their parents/carers and healthcare professionals with direct experience of the mental health pathway at the site. The interviews will explore the experiences and perceptions of these participants and cover the following components of access to mental health support for Black and Mixed-Black Children and Young People attending acute paediatric settings with a mental health need: 1) disclosure of mental health needs, (2) assessment and referral for mental health support, (3) availability of mental health support, and (4) engagement with mental health support. Access is a composite outcome.
Up to 11 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Characteristics of the mental health support pathway - non-participant clinical observations.
Time Frame: Within 1 month of each participating site opening.

Care processes and service delivery for children and young people presenting to acute paediatric settings at participating sites with mental health needs, assessed through approximately four, 2-3 hour non-participant clinical observations at each participating site. Field notes will contain non-identifiable, anonymised, contextual information only.
Within 1 month of each participating site opening.
Characteristics of the recommended mental health support pathway - document review.
Time Frame: Up to 11 months.

Recommended processes at participating sites for the assessment, management, escalation and referral of children and young people presenting to acute paediatric settings with mental health needs, assessed through review of relevant documents from participating NHS trusts.
Up to 11 months.
Characteristics of the mental health support pathway - medical record review.
Time Frame: Up to 11 months.

Medical records of participating Black and Mixed-Black children and young people who previously presented to an acute paediatric setting at a participating site with a mental health need will be reviewed retrospectively to identify the characteristics of their mental health support pathway, including any documented assessment, management, escalation and referral.
Up to 11 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Leicester

Collaborators

University of Nottingham
Wellcome Trust

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 12, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 6, 2026

Last Verified

November 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 1077
  • 323578/Z/24/Z (Other Grant/Funding Number: Wellcome Trust)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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