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There are three stages to this research study.
Pre-screening: questionnaires sent to carers
Local authorities notify parents and post questionnaire packs to carers on behalf of the study team.
If you require another pack to be sent to you, or if you’d like to enquire about self-referrals, please get in touch with the research team.
The questionnaires are used to identify children who are showing the kinds of emotional and relationship difficulties that VIPP-FC is designed for. Not all children will have these kinds of difficulties and as such we need to work out which children are experiencing this type of concern.
It is also an important aim of the study to find out how prevalent these difficulties are, so even if the child does not seem to show any of the behaviours that we ask about in the questionnaires, it would still be very important for us to receive the questionnaires about them.
Stage 1: carers return completed questionnaires
If the responses to the questionnaires indicate that the child might be eligible to take part in the next part of the study, we will then contact the carer to do an interview at their home to get a better understanding of the child’s behaviour and emotions.
If the responses to the questionnaires or interview do not indicate problems in this area, their involvement in the research will end here. If this is the case we are still extremely grateful for the involvement as the responses to the questionnaires and interviews will provide us with incredibly valuable information.
Stage 2: randomised clinical trial
If the child is eligible to this stage and the carer would like to take part, they will be randomly assigned to either receive the VIPP-FC support or they will receive what we call “usual care”.
If the child is placed in the “usual care” group, they will continue to receive the care that is usually available in their area. If the child is in the VIPP-FC group, they will still receive their usual care, but in addition they will also receive the VIPP-FC support.
Regardless of whether the child is placed in the “usual care” group or the VIPP-FC group, the carer and child will be seen by a researcher twice.
The Research Visits
During these research meetings the carer will have the opportunity to talk about the child’s development and the researcher will carry out a number of commonly used assessments of children’s behaviour and wellbeing. These include questionnaires, an interview, and an observation to see how the child responds to meeting new people and how they respond when the carer steps out of the room for a short period of time. The carer will be able to see the child throughout the entire research visit. These research visits could take place at the Local Authority/ CAMHS offices or at our offices at the University – whichever is more convenient to the carer and child. All participants will have their travel expenses reimbursed as well as a small compensation for their time.