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Partnerships

The study team represents a fifteen year multidisciplinary partnership between Investigators from four UK Universities, led by Liverpool and Reading who all have a strong drive to understand and develop successful treatments for child mental health problems:

  • University of Reading
  • University of Liverpool
  • King’s College London
  • Manchester Metropolitan University

The Investigator team have additional scientific collaborators who have been involved at different stages of the study and have supported us with their scientific expertise:

Prof Vivette Glover (Imperial College London); Prof Lynne Murray (University of Reading); Prof Dale Hay (Cardiff University); Prof Megan Gunnar (University of Minnesota); Prof Michael Meaney (Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, Canada); Professor Claire Hughes (University of Cambridge); Prof Adrian Angold (Duke University, USA); Prof Adnad Costovic (Imperial College London); Prof Stephanie Van Goozen (Cardiff University); Dr Anita Thapar (Cardiff University).

The success of the Wirral Child Health and Development study has only been possible through our supportive local community partnerships with the following organisations:

  • Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • Wirral Community NHS Foundation Trust
  • Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (during recruitment in the pregnancy and perinatal follow-up period)
  • Health Visitors through the preschool years and now School Nurses (Wirral 0-19 Health and Wellbeing Service, Wirral Community NHs Foundation Trust)
  • Wirral Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
  • Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group
  • Children and Young People’s Department leadership, Wirral Local Authority – School Commissioning
  • Head Teachers and Class Teachers across all Wirral Primary schools
  • Head Teachers and class-teachers in schools outside of Wirral when children move out of area.

We have shared the results of our work with Wirral Local Authority Early Years leaders and with the Children and Young People’s Department at their study days for Head Teachers of Primary schools. We have also run training for Health Visitors across the region on perinatal mental health, mother-infant interaction and child development.

Multi-agency Advisory Group

Our Multi-agency advisory group has changed in complexion over the years as the children in the study have grown up. We have had representation on this Advisory group from statutory and non-statutory leads in Midwifery, Domestic Violence, Family Law, Community Paediatrics, CAMHS, Health Visiting, Social Care. At different phases of the study the advisory group were on hand to help the study team work out how best to operationalize the study and link with existing services where required.

Venue

From 2006 to 2019 the study was based in the heart of the Wirral Community, creating a child development centre in central Birkenhead. This ensured the families who were taking part in the study could access us easily. When the study began this was a community centre and a hub for families to access support services. We now are based in the University of Liverpool.

International Partnerships

  • Bangalore Child Health and Development Study (BCHADS) see BCHADS page for more information
  • National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS)