I am a researcher on the Advance Choice Document Implementation (ACDI) project, run jointly by King’s College London and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (SLaM). I am reaching out to ask if NAUWU is able to share an opportunity for parents/caregivers to have their say in the project.

If you are not familiar, Advance Choice Documents (ACDs) allow mental health service users to make their treatment preferences clear. The ACDI project is evaluating the impact of their use in routine clinical practice, including its impact on the rates of detentions under the Mental Health Act (MHA). As the MHA 2025 places duties on NHS bodies to help people make ACDs, the project’s findings have nationwide relevance.

To explore how to apply ACDs in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, before evaluating their impact, the ACDI project team are running focus groups and interviews with people who have experience using CAMHS, their parents/caregivers/supporters, and CAMHS staff. This is to understand the barriers and facilitators for ACD implementation in CAMHS, and to learn what adaptations are needed to the current ACD resources and procedures.

Are you able to support sharing this opportunity with parents/caregivers/supporters? The details of the focus groups and interviews, including who we are looking for, are below, and I’ve also attached a flyer that can be shared if you are able. We also have social media posts that could be shared.

We are looking for UK-based:

• Parents/Caregivers/supporters of young people aged 16-25 years old who have been detained under the MHA within CAMHS

(supporters can be anyone of significance to the young person’s support network, including friends, partners, housemates, etc.)

Focus group duration: 1hr–1hr 30mins. Interview duration: 30mins-1hr. Participants can attend remotely (via Microsoft Teams) or in-person.

Payment: £20 voucher and travel costs reimbursed. Refreshments provided for those attending in-person.

Questions and interests can be sent to: ACDI@kcl.ac.uk  deadline has been extended to the end of June 2026