The 18-month Collage project will examine barriers and resources for 13–25-year-olds seeking mental health support. Co-produced with young people “as partners in shaping the research” as well as participants, the study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Programme for Social Care.

It will focus on the experiences of those who are LGBTQ+, racially minoritised, neurodivergent, or disabled. With only one in three young people with diagnosable mental health conditions accessing services—hindered by instability, disrupted relationships, and gaps in care, academics say the research will address a “critical gap” in understanding.

Dr Willem Stander, leading the study at the University of Birmingham, said: “Care-experienced young people have some of the highest mental health needs in the UK, yet many struggle to get the support they need. Despite this, there is still a critical lack of evidence about how they seek or access help, and even less that centres their views and lived perspectives.”