Listening to care experienced young people: why the COLLAGE study matters

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Care-experienced young people face some of the highest levels of mental health need in the UK. These challenges are often more complex than those experienced by other young people, and many continue into adulthood. Yet despite this, we still know surprisingly little about how young people in care seek help and support for mental health difficulties, particularly from their own perspectives.

Much of the existing evidence comes from adult or professional viewpoints. While valuable, this can miss what matters most to young people themselves: where they turn for support, what gets in the way, what feels helpful, and what they actually want from services and the adults around them.  This is particularly important for care-experienced young people in England, who are often missing from research that informs national policy and practice. Without this insight, it is difficult to design support that truly meets their needs.

About the study

The COLLAGE study, based at the University of Birmingham and funded by the NIHR, aims to address this gap. It focuses on young people aged 13–25 in England with experience of foster care, kinship care, and residential care, including care leavers. COLLAGE is a mixed-methods study, exploring how care-experienced young people seek help for mental health problems from different people and services (such as friends, family and professionals), what makes it easier or harder to get support, and what support feels meaningful and effective to them.

Importantly, COLLAGE has been co-produced with care-experienced young people from the outset. They have helped shape the research as young advisors and continue to be involved in delivering it. This helps ensure the study reflects real experiences and priorities. The study has received ethics approval from the University of Birmingham and Coram.

“In my work with care-experienced young people, I’ve seen how important it is to listen to their experiences and involve them meaningfully in shaping support. This study is built around that principle—ensuring young people’s voices are at the centre, and that what we learn can genuinely improve practice and support.”

— Dr Willem Stander, COLLAGE Lead Researcher

Taking part in the COLLAGE study

Care-experienced young people in England can take part in two ways. The first is a short anonymous online survey (10–15 minutes) for those aged 13-25, with the option to enter a prize draw to win one of 20 × £25 e-gift vouchers. The research team hopes around 250 care-experienced young people will take part in the survey and has already heard from around 100 young people across England.

The second is a one-to-one online interview (45–60 minutes) for those aged 16-25, supported by both an experienced researcher and a young co-researcher with lived experience, with a £25 e-gift voucher as a thank you. This interview study specifically focuses on care-experienced young people in England who also hold one or more minoritised identities – including those who are LGBTQ+, from racially minoritised backgrounds, disabled, or neurodivergent – who often face additional barriers when accessing mental health support, yet whose experiences remain under-represented in existing evidence. Around 20-30 young people will take part in these interviews.

“Young people in care have a wide range of different experiences, and many face further challenges, just because of who they are. It is crucial that the voices of individuals who are in care are included so mental health support can help and support everyone, no matter their experiences.”

Kieran, Young Advisor, COLLAGE Study

Data collection for both the survey and interviews runs until July-August 2026, and the overall project will run until November 2026.

For practitioners

This research offers clear benefits for practitioners. In the short term, it will provide insights into how care-experienced young people navigate mental health support, what gets in the way, and what helps. Over time, findings will inform training, service design, and policy, supporting more responsive and accessible mental health provision.

Practitioners play a crucial role in making this research possible, and the team is grateful for the strong support already shown by professionals, which has been essential in helping reach care‑experienced young people. As trusted adults, practitioners are often best placed to share opportunities like this study and support young people to take part if they wish. The research team can also provide flyers and other materials to support dissemination.

Dissemination

The research team will share early findings through a workshop at the CoramBAAF Health Conference in Birmingham in June 2026, providing an opportunity to give back to practitioners working directly with care‑experienced children and young people. At the end of the project in November 2026, the team will also host a free online event open to the public, including young people, professionals and policymakers. Young advisors with lived experience will be actively involved in presenting and sharing findings, ensuring young people’s perspectives remain central throughout dissemination. In addition, the team will co‑produce a range of free digital resources with the COLLAGE young advisory group, based directly on the study’s findings, and share these widely across England.

If you are able to support recruitment or would like to find out more, please visit:

At its heart, this study is about ensuring that care-experienced young people’s voices are not only heard, but acted upon. By centring their perspectives – which are too often missing from research and decision-making – COLLAGE aims to support more inclusive and effective mental health support. Every response contributes to a clearer understanding – and ultimately, to better support.

Dr Willem Stander, COLLAGE Lead Researcher