Project title: Learning from children and young people with complex needs about their experiences of trauma informed care: What works and why?
Primary supervisor: Dr Sue Bond-Taylor (University of Lincoln)
Second supervisor: Dr Kyla Pennington (University of Lincoln)
University: University of Lincoln
SENSS Theme: Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Collaborative partner: Lincolnshire Children and Young People’s (CYP) Complex Needs Service (CNS)
Collaborative partner supervisor: Dr Nicola Silvester
Degree structure: The structure of the studentship offered will depend on your personal training needs. However, the minimum duration of a SENSS-funded studentship will be 3.5 years: this covers a PhD and a mandatory placement of approximately 3 months. The maximum duration of a studentship will be 4.5 years: this covers a Masters degree followed by a PhD, as well as the mandatory 3-month placement.
Project background
Since December 2023 the University of Lincoln have worked closely with Lincolnshire’s Children and Young People’s Complex Needs Service (CYPCNS) establishing strong links through a multi-phase evaluation project informing local policies and practice with potential for broader policy impacts.
The CYPCNS is one of 42 integrated care systems in England, established to promote collaboration between health, social care, criminal justice services, and wider voluntary service partner organisations in the support of the wellbeing of children and young people with complex needs. It consists of a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals that work closely with a wide range of professionals from other stakeholder services including youth justice services, youth homelessness, and children’s social care. The intention of the CYPCNS is to support and strengthen existing community services, enabling collaboration within and across those agencies, with the vision to facilitate an integrated trauma-informed and responsive system that enables children and young people with complex needs to thrive.
The University of Lincoln are now excited to offer a fully funded PhD studentship as part of this ongoing collaborative work to develop understanding of the experiences of young people with complex needs regarding the support they receive, their journey to recovery and the impact of trauma and its relationship with neurodevelopmental processes and links to behaviour.
The research is an interdisciplinary project led by a supervisory team in the School of Social & Political Sciences, the School of Psychology, Sport Science and Wellbeing, and the School of Medicine. The methods will reflect this interdisciplinarity, including both quantitative data analysis, and qualitative co-production research with children and young people.
We are looking for a dynamic and committed PhD student to undertake this research to support the aims of the collaborative partner around immediate service improvement and expansion, so as to change the lives of the children within the CYPCNS.
The three month placement would take place within the CYPCNS and wider Lincolnshire County Council Future4Me team, and would offer the student insights and practice experience to understand the muti-agency dynamics within the integrated care system, as well as the complexity and characteristics of the children and young people in the service. This could for example include:
Dedicated time with the collaborative partner to access the CYPCNS database for analysis and mapping of cohort interventions and outcomes.
Shadowing the CYPCNS clinical psychology team during their formulation clinics which support Future4Me staff to develop trauma-informed responses to complex and challenging behaviours.
Sitting on the Future4Me Joint Diversionary Panel – a multi-agency decision-making panel which supports the diversion or young people from court and offers non-criminalising interventions to support desistance.
Supporting the delivery of groupwork sessions with young people in the service or visits to The Happening, Lincolnshire’s new immersive, educational experience that aims to prevent young people from carrying a knife and being involved in serious violence.
Attending and/or contributing to training events and workshops that are scheduled during this period, as appropriate.
Project aims and objectives
This research aims to develop substantive new knowledge and impact in three ways:
1. To capture the experiences of justice-experienced children and young people with complex needs within a trauma-informed integrated care system, so as to learn what ‘trauma-informed care’ and the journey to recovery looks like to them.
2. To further understand the relationship between trauma experience and neurodevelopmental processes including cognitive capacity in relation to decision making, goal setting, planning and links to self-control.
3. To deliver methodological insights into mechanisms and processes for engaging with this cohort of young people, both within social and health care research, and as an embedded participatory approach to service delivery, evaluation and continuous improvement.
Key objectives for this doctoral studentship therefore include:
1. To conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature on the behavioural and neurodevelopmental impact of trauma on children and young people, and the role of trauma informed practice in supporting positive outcomes for this group.
2. In collaboration with the Lincolnshire Complex Needs Service, to coordinate a Coproduction Working Group to inform the study.
3. Using participatory and co-production methods, to undertake research with children and young people with complex needs to explore their experiences of trauma informed practice within support services, and after they have left the service.
4. Through access to the referrals database, to further explore the relationships between trauma experience on outcomes relevant to the children and young people in terms of improved mental health and wellbeing. If possible map a subset of services users from referral point to discharge and document evidence of service impact in this group.
5. Based on the findings, to produce good practice recommendations to inform both health care interventions and voice and participation strategies for young people with complex needs, and future research priorities in this area.
6. To contribute to the dissemination of findings through academic publications, presentations, and practice briefings.
Training opportunities
A comprehensive package of training will be agreed in consultation with the supervisors. Elements of training will be provided by the supervisors, Dr Sue Bond-Taylor (University of Lincoln), Dr Kyla Pennington (University of Lincoln) and Dr Nicola Silvester (CYPCNS), and by other providers.
The academic supervisory team will provide relevant research methods training as required by the student, e.g. in analysing and visualising service data, and in child-friendly, participatory and co-production research methods.
The collaborative partner supervisor will provide training opportunities around developing skills in working with children and young people with complex needs, as well as in understanding the models underpinning the works of the service including: Attachment Trauma, Trauma-Informed Care and the Trauma-Recovery Model.
Essential and/or desirable attributes/skills
Essential:
Evidence of independent research skills,
Ability to communicate social research and engage critically with existing scholarship,
Ability to work with external partners and other stakeholders
Ability to work in collaboration with children and young people
Ability to develop an understanding of complex problems and apply in-depth knowledge,
Ability to communicate complex information effectively, both verbally and in writing,
Capable of sustaining research at the doctoral level and within the required length of candidature.
Desirable:
Experience of qualitative co-production/participatory research methodologies
Experience of working with and analysing datasets
Experience of working with or undertaking research with children and young people
A Masters degree or equivalent qualification/experience with a social research methods component
How to apply for this studentship
To be considered for this funding, you must first apply to SENSS for this collaborative studentship. Please read the SENSS Collaborative Studentship Application Guidance Notes before completing our online application form. The Guidance Notes are available here.
If your application is accepted by SENSS, you will need to make a separate application for a place to study at the University of Lincoln as your host University. You will be provided with a link with information on how to make your application to Lincoln once the SENSS proposal has been accepted.
Deadline:
The deadline for submitting your application for SENSS funding on HEIApply is 12:00 GMT on Monday 24 February 2025. No extensions to this deadline will be permitted.
Enquiries:
For enquiries about this research project, please email Dr Sue Bond-Taylor at sbtaylor@lincoln.ac.uk.
For enquiries related to your eligibility for this studentship, and/or the application process, please email SENSS Operational Lead: Lauren Blackwell (lblackwell@lincoln.ac.uk).
The likely interview date for this studentship will be Tuesday 18 March 2025 (am).
Studentship details
This studentship is between +3.5 and +4.5-year (1+3.5, 2+2.5, +4.5) awards. The standard length of an ESRC-funded studentship is +3.5. This includes the standard +3 PhD, plus an +0.25 term for the integrated placement which the collaborative partner is expected to offer the DR, and a further additional +0.25 to enable the student to undertake training relevant to their research project (including career progression). All studentships are offered on either a full-time or part-time basis.
The studentship award covers your university fees and provides you with a stipend of £19,237 per year (for 2024-2025 academic year). You will also be able to apply for additional funding via the SENSS Research Training Support Grant to support your training needs.
Residential eligibility
All applicants, whether Home or International, are eligible for a full award, that is, they will receive a stipend (salary) and they will not have to pay any university tuition fees during their studentship award.