Research Portfolio
The Children’s Trust research programme includes 23 projects. Fifteen of these include an external national or international collaboration.
Response to COVID-19
During the first COVID-19 lockdown (March 2020) the research team consulted with the clinical and educational staff, asking for experiences and issues related to COVID-19 that they felt the research team could investigate. Firstly, the staff reported changes in professional roles and two members of the research team are carrying out a qualitative research study entitled “Role boundaries and team working during COVID-19 pandemic”. The outputs will include an internal report of learning for the organisation and a manuscript for publication.
The second piece of work was a blog which captured momentum from World Health Organisation and international academics who highlighted the rights of the child during the restrictions of the pandemic. The blog particularly celebrated the creativity within The Children’s Trust School team who had considered a Rights-Based Approach for children with neurodisability, including the right to play, education and access to family. Read more here
The third piece of work reviewed rehabilitation outcome data for children and young people who were admitted during the pandemic. Data was analysed from the 6 weeks before, during and after the lockdown. An internal report was produced that shared positive results of children continuing to meet rehabilitation outcomes during the lockdown.
Key research projects
MuSICCA is an international, multicentre project (validation of assessment for children and youth with Disorders of Consciousness) which now has USA funding and will be able to start more systematic data collection across centres.
AmBIt is a long term follow up study of children and young people from our residential rehabilitation service. This project has ethical approval and has started data collection. The first participants have been recruited and the steering committee had a first meeting. Further funding applications are ongoing.
Role boundaries and team working in a global pandemic was an internally initiated project. The Research nurse and Research speech & language therapist response has been to carry out a robust qualitative research study which will have generalisable messages for the wider clinical community.
The Returning to Physical Activity following an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) project is complete and a manuscript is prepared for publication.
Patient involvement in research project has continued this year with some of the objectives and timelines altered to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. Some of the connection work with families has been able to be accelerated whilst the planning of in-person events will be moved to later in the project. Having started with the residential rehabilitation families, the team will now reach out to families who access The Children’s Trust School. There will be a cohort of parents with a range of skills including scientific knowledge, writing and blogging. A Brain Injury Hub blog was produced in direct response to one of these parent phonecalls.
Dr Rob Forsyth, honorary researcher at The Children’s Trust has continued to support the team with research methodology and data analysis. He has also continued to analyse rehabilitation input and outcome data including the PRISM, GMFM and PEDI-CAT and has co-authored manuscripts and conference presentations.
The Children’s Trust Research Governance Committee Progress Report 2021
