Dr Amanda Marchant, a Research Fellow at Swansea University Medical School, is leading a new study focused on improving mental health support for young people, particularly those in social care. Drawing on over ten years of experience in suicide prevention and self-harm research, Dr Marchant aims to combine health and social care data with insights from young people themselves.
“We’ve seen big advances in understanding self-harm in healthcare settings. Now we want to apply that same evidence-based approach to social care, where there is huge potential to support some of the most vulnerable young people in our society,” said Dr Marchant.
She has received a Social Care Research Fellowship from the Health and Care Research Wales Faculty for this work. Her mentors include Professor Ann John, Director of the National Centre for Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Research, and Professor Jonathan Scourfield, Deputy Director of the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) Partnership. Both centres receive funding from Health and Care Research Wales.
The research uses anonymised health, social care, and education data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank at Swansea University. The study also incorporates information from TalkLife, an app widely used by young people seeking mental health support online.
As part of the project, the SHARE UK Research Register—currently involving over 2,000 participants—will be expanded to include more young people with experience in both social care and self-harm. This expansion aims to ensure these individuals can directly contribute to ongoing and future studies.
“Engaging young people meaningfully is at the heart of this work. They are not just study subjects, they’re partners. Their voices provide critical insights into the development of the study," said Dr Marchant.
“We're not just analysing data, we’re listening to young people and they want to be heard.”
A panel made up of young people will help shape how the research is conducted and provide feedback on findings.
While still early in its progress, Dr Marchant hopes her research will lead to improvements in how mental health services are delivered through schools and social care systems.
She added: “This fellowship is just the starting point. We want to build an evidence base that can inform long-term change for young people, whether that’s in schools, social care or digital spaces.”
“Our ultimate goal is to influence policy and make lasting change for vulnerable youth in Wales and beyond.”
Dr Marchant also serves as Co-investigator at the National Centre for Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Research. Led by Professor John, this centre was launched earlier this year with over £2 million in funding from Health and Care Research Wales. The centre supports efforts aligned with the Welsh Government’s national strategy addressing suicide and self-harm.