Dr Clark features in film exploring homophobia in football with Rylan

Dr Clark features in film exploring homophobia in football with Rylan

by | Feb 21, 2024 | News

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Dr Clark features in film exploring homophobia in football with Rylan

Opening in 2025, our Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People will change the story on mental health and transform the lives of children and young people. Based on the South London and Maudsley site, the centre has been developed through a unique partnership between King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maudsley Charity and the Trust led by Consultant Psychiatrist & Clinical Director of CAMHS, Dr Bruce Clark.

a young girl holding a leaf

In the run up to the opening, Dr Clark, has featured in the documentary Rylan: Football, Homophobia and Me hosted by Rylan Clark, This Morning and Radio 2 presenter.

In the film, Rylan, who suffered abuse as a child for being gay, speaks to footballers to explore why homophobia remains such a big problem in the game.

Reflecting on his love of football, Rylan discusses how safe he feels continuing to support the game given the common use of homophobic attitudes in the game such as on the terraces.

He also talks about his mental health struggles and the severe homophobic bullying he experienced including multiple skull fractures.

Speaking to Dr Clark, Rylan said that ‘in a sick way’ he is almost glad the attack happened as it taught him to never treat anyone badly.

Dr Clark, who filmed with Rylan at the Maudsley Hospital, says:

“It was a pleasure to be part of such an important and well-received documentary that shines a light on the mental health of young people who experience marginalisation and homophobic bullying.”

Participation in this documentary, aired during LGBTQ+ History month, sits alongside other initiatives the Trust are undertaking to celebrate the rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ experiences within our community. 

Rylan: Football, Homophobia and Me is available on TNT1 via on-demand platform Discovery +, Sky, Virgin and Amazon Prime. 

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Children’s Mental Health Week 2024

Children’s Mental Health Week 2024

by | Feb 10, 2024 | News

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Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 Blog

Children’s Mental Health Week, ran from 5 February – 11 February. The theme  this year was My Voice Matters. The theme was about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves.

This week we celebrated Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week. Place2Be wants all children and young people, whoever they are, and wherever they are in the world, to be able to say – and believe – “My Voice Matters”.

We used the opportunity to showcase how we as a Partnership encourage young people to use their voices across our services. If you missed any of our content, we’ve summarised it all below.

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Monday 5 February

Our wonderful service user Catherine brillantly expressed their vision for Children’s Mental Health Week through art!

Meet Oak, our amazing service user. Oak explains the importance and benefits of using your voice. Express yourself, be heard – whether through sign language or art.  ‘My Voice Matters’ is about empowering children and young people by providing them with the tools they need to express themselves.

Tuesday 6 February

Breaking the silence with a goal in mind! ⚽

This #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek Anton Ferdinand tackles the stigma around #mentalhealth with the same passion he brought to the pitch. Now, his new dream team includes his little ones, teaching them that their voices can shine as brightly as the stadium lights. ✨

Remember, it’s okay to talk about how you feel—every voice counts in this game!

Wednesday 7 February

Raised in Peckham, Anton Ferdinand is no stranger to the unique challenges faced by young people in London. Discover how our transformative Partnership and the innovative Pears Maudsley Centre have inspired him.

We were pleased to be featured by NHS Providers in their latest insightful blog. The latest blog feature shines a light on how collaborative design and service user-led innovation can lead to transformational changes in healthcare.

Our dedication to pioneering young people’s mental health services has received recognition, and it’s all thanks to the core of our mission: the young individuals, families, and carers who have been integral to the co-creation of the Pears Maudsley Centre. Our commitment to listening to and incorporating their perspectives is not just something we talk about; it has been at the very core of our design process.

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Thursday 7 February

On Thursday, our amazing Inpatient CAMHS Team held a successful ‘CAMHS Fete’ held for our young service users at our Bethlem Royal Hospital.

The event was held to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week and had an amazing turn out. Thank you to all the young people, staff (humans and dogs alike), and various therapy animals who attended – even during the rain. Our young people were encouraged to creatively express the theme of the week #MyVoiceMatters. T-shirts, meaningful messages and artwork on megaphones designed by current inpatients were displayed proudly for all to see.

Meet is Kay*. She took part in the DISCOVER programme, our award-winning schools-based workshop programme supporting 16-18 year olds to manage stress and worry.

This week, she’s used her voice to support others deal with the aftereffects of grief.  Listen to her full story and find out more about the DISCOVER Programme

*Kay is a pseudonym used to protect her anonymity. In the video, her words are spoken by an actor.

In his third video of the week, Anton Ferdinand opens up about his mental health journey through grief after the passing of his mum . His powerful story of seeking support teaches empathy and strength.

Friday 8 February

“Speaking out doesn’t make you weak”

In his final video for the week, Anton Ferdinand reminds us to use our voices and ask for help when we need support with our mental health. 

Saturday 8 February

Art in healthcare spaces goes beyond decoration. It has the power to create a sense of calm and promote wellbeing for all who walk through the Pears Maudsley Centre doors when they open. Participation and engagement from those with lived experience is vital to ensuring our service users benefit from therapeutic artwork.

Discover how Naz helped shape our arts strategy.

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Dr Philip Shaw announced as new Director of King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People

Dr Philip Shaw announced as new Director of King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People

by | Nov 14, 2023 | News

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Dr Philip Shaw announced as new Director of King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People

As Director of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, Dr Shaw will be responsible for driving clinical and research excellence to improve outcomes for children and young people.

a young girl holding a leaf

We are delighted to announce Dr Philip Shaw as the new Director of the King’s Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People, taking up the role from October 2024. Based in South London at the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, the work will benefit local communities with impact and collaborations nationally and globally. Dr Shaw was part of an interview process that included input from a panel of young people.

The issue of children and young people’s mental health is one of the most significant health and societal challenges today. Long waiting lists for mental health services cause long term impacts on children, young people, and their families, so early identification and intervention is key to seeing long term benefits. The ultimate driving force behind our Partnership is a desire to enable future generations of children to enter adulthood leading happier, healthier lives.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Partnership next year and to have the opportunity to lead a centre of such significance and potential.  I look forward immensely to working with research and clinical colleagues and those who receive care at the Pears Maudsley Centre, their families and the local community. As a psychiatrist working with children and families in the clinic as well as having researched ADHD for many years, the chance to investigate, develop and offer new, and potentially life-changing interventions for young people is the driving force behind my work. By bringing together young people, their families, clinicians and researchers, we aim to gain a deeper understanding of challenges to mental health, and to provide innovative, effective new treatments and approaches to care.”

Dr Philip Shaw

Director of the King's Maudsley Partnership

A member of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Philip Shaw is currently a Senior Investigator at the Neurobehavioral Clinical Research Section of the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. His key interest is in the genetic and environmental factors that influence the development of brain and behaviour, focusing on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

He is both a researcher and a clinician who works with families to translate neural and genomic discoveries into tools that can help predict the likely adult outcomes of childhood ADHD. His group is also developing novel treatments, delivered in virtual reality, that respond to a young person’s individual profile of cognitive strengths and challenges.

“Dr Philip Shaw is uniquely placed to draw on and bring to the partnership his experience enabling scientific and clinical communities to collaborate to catalyse breakthroughs and support the study and treatment of children and young people’s mental health and neurological disorders. As a former alumnus of King’s it is heartening that he is returning to undertake such a crucial role in children and young people’s mental health here.”

Professor Shitij Kapur

Vice-Chancellor & President of King’s College London

Dr Shaw trained as a psychiatrist at the Maudsley, has been a lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) and completed a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at the New Childrens’ Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He has degrees in experimental psychology and medicine from Oxford University and received a Ph.D. in psychological medicine from the former Institute of Psychiatry, now IoPPN, King’s College London.

“I am delighted that Dr Philip Shaw is joining the King’s Maudsley Partnership. Through Dr Shaw’s vision and expertise, and with the support from philanthropists and the public we can improve mental health outcomes for young people and their families now and for the future – the Pears Maudsley Centre is the physical embodiment of that vision.”

David Bradley

Chief Executive Officer, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

The King’s Maudsley Partnership is a unique partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, with Maudsley Charity as its charity partner, that will see researchers and clinicians working more closely together to find new ways to predict, prevent and treat mental health disorders for children and young people, and maximise translation of research and evidence into improved services, locally but also nationally and globally.

It will have its home at the new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, a £70m purpose-built centre that will include an in-patient adolescent unit, and a child and family friendly research facility with cutting-edge imaging methods, virtual reality and a digital lab. The centre has been designed with input from young people and their families alongside clinicians and researchers to provide a welcoming and therapeutic environment conducive to clinical research and clinical excellence.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Dr Phillip Shaw. As a psychiatrist with incredible clinical and research experience he is uniquely placed to help realise the vision of the partnership. The work of the partnership, based in the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, will transform knowledge and understanding of young people’s mental health and reduce the time it takes to bring new treatment to patients that can improve their lives.”

Rebecca Gray

Chief Executive of Maudsley Charity

The new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People is set to open in 2024 and will provide world-leading mental health support to young people. This collaboration between the IoPPN, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and Maudsley Charity will transform the treatment and care of children and young people in the UK and across the globe.

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IoPPN researchers celebrate wins at the ACAMH Awards 2023

IoPPN researchers celebrate wins at the ACAMH Awards 2023

by | Nov 10, 2023 | News

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IoPPN researchers celebrate wins at the ACAMH Awards 2023

The ACAMH Awards recognise work of exceptional quality in the discipline of child and adolescent mental health.

a young girl holding a leaf

Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) won awards and commendations at the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) Awards ceremony on 9 November 2023. To be nominated for an ACAMH Award is a prestigious recognition of those who are at the forefront of the advancement of child and adolescent mental health research, and practice.

Digital Innovation Award for Best Digital Intervention

Dr Johnny Downs was announced as winner of the Digital Innovation Award at the ACAMH Awards Ceremony. This award is presented to a clinician who has put evidence base into practice within the information technology and digital fields of child and adolescent mental health.

“I feel incredibly honoured to receive this award from ACAMH, although naming me as individual belies how much of the work is driven by the team I’m a part of. I am so grateful to my wonderful colleagues at the CAMHS Digital Lab, who are driven by a shared mission to enhance the access and engagement of evidence based mental health interventions for children, young people and their families, and crucially, support CAMHS practitioners and make their working lives better.

I do want to say a very special thanks to my colleagues: Dr Alice Wickersham, Craig Colling and Jess Penhallow who are wonderful to work with, and who mischievously submitted this nomination without my knowledge. And finally thank you to ACAMH, who through this award category highlights those who do important interdisciplinary CAMH research and practice using mental health digital interventions. I would urge everyone to look all the nominees for this category, and great work they are doing.”

Dr Johnny Downs

Senior Clinical Lecturer (Honorary Consultant) in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at IoPPN

Dr Johnny Downs is an NIHR Clinician Scientist at the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent lead, Centre for Translational Informatics. His research focuses on the use of digital information for epidemiological studies examining risks factors and outcomes for childhood neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders. Dr Downs is the founding lead of the CAMHS Digital Lab with the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre and is a co-investigator at the NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit.

Research Trainee of the Year Award

The Research Trainee of the Year Award was presented to Dr Genevieve Morneau-Vaillancourt, from the school of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences at the IoPPN. This award is given to a trainee or student who is less than two years post PhD and who has shown initiative or made a significant contribution to child and adolescent mental health.

“I feel very honoured and privileged to receive The Research Trainee of the Year Award from ACAMH! I have the privilege of working with fantastic colleagues from the EDIT lab, TNG lab, and TEDS team at the SGDP Centre. I am lucky to be supported by great mentors, particularly Professor Thalia Eley, who inspires me and has taught me so much about research, making important decisions as an early career researcher, and managing work-life balance in academia. This award is a fabulous recognition of the work I have conducted along with my colleagues on the role of peer relationships in driving risk for mental health problems in children and adolescents and will support me in further examining these questions using different genetic approaches. Huge congratulations to the other nominees!“

Dr Genevieve Morneau-Vaillancourt

Post-doctoral Research Fellow at IoPPN

Dr Genevieve Morneau-Vaillancourt is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow whose research interests include understanding why some children and adolescents suffer from persistent anxiety and depression and which factors exacerbate these internalising problems over time.

David Cottrell ‘Education of CAMH Professionals’ Award

Dr Mark Kennedy was highly commended in the category of Education of CAMH Professionals Award, an award which focuses on professionals having a significant impact upon the education or training of those working in child and adolescent mental health care.

“Firstly I’d like to say a big thank you to those who contributed to the course and to all the students on it. Also, I would like to say a huge congratulations to the winners and other nominees for their inspiring work.”

Dr Mark Kennedy

Lecturer in Mental Health Education at IoPPN

Dr Mark Kennedy is a Senior Teaching Fellow as part of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department at the IoPPN in the School of Academic Psychiatry. He was also a researcher on the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study at King’s College London. His work has focused on the developmental outcomes of extreme early adversity, including ADHD/neurodevelopmental disorders, attachment and mental health.

Further IoPPN researchers were shortlisted for awards: Ms Alice Stephens for Digital Innovation Award for Best Research on Digital Impact, Miss Emelia Pasternak-Albert for Clinical Trainee of the Year Award and the SPARK Research Team for Innovative Research, Training or Practice in Low and Middle Income Countries.

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Children and Families Policy Research Unit awarded £5.5m by NIHR

Children and Families Policy Research Unit awarded £5.5m by NIHR

by | Aug 3, 2023 | News

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Children and Families Policy Research Unit awarded £5.5m by NIHR

The Children and Families Policy Research Unit (CPRU) has been awarded funding worth an estimated £5.5M by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), to continue its operations for the next five years, starting from January 2024. Dr Johnny Downs, an NIHR Clinician Scientist at the IoPPN, King’s College London, has been named a co-investigator of the CPRU.

The CPRU is a collaboration between UCL and the universities of Bristol, Oxford, Manchester, Newcastle, King’s College London, Bradford Institute for Health Research, Anna Freud Centre, and Institute of Fiscal Studies. The aim of the CPRU is to conduct high-quality research which enables policymakers and practitioners to make informed decisions which affect the nation’s health and wellbeing. The announcement builds on the work done by the CPRU over a decade, and further strengthens its commitment to support evidence based policy-making at a local and national level.

Under the co-directorship of Professor Ruth Gilbert, GOS Institute of Child Health, Institute of Education, and Dr Jenny Woodman, Institute of Education (IOE), Social Research Institute, and Thomas Coram Research Institute, the CPRU has worked to deliver groundbreaking research programmes into addressing health inequalities, supporting vulnerable children and families, and improving health outcomes for children with disabilities and long-term conditions. The CPRU works closely with children and families to put their experiences at the heart of research and ensure that they can inform and influence policy decisions.

Dr Jenny Woodman said: “With this important funding, we will be able to work with analysts and policy colleagues at the Department of Health and Social Care and other government departments to generate and present high quality evidence at the right time to support their decisions. We research what makes children healthier, taking into account the environments in which they live, the places they spend time, the health of their parents and carers and siblings and the health, education and other services they and their families use.”

 

It is a great privilege to join the NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit at UCL which has such a wonderful track history in creating data resources, developing research methods and delivering high quality evidence that impacts policy and practice for children and families. Between 2024-2029, the policy research programme will be examining how public, primary and specialist physical and mental health interventions can best deliver effective health and social care for vulnerable children and families and reduce health disparities. The Unit has put together a great interdisciplinary team and I am delighted that its work has such a strong emphasis on engaging young people, their families, mental health clinicians and researchers. I’m really looking forward to getting started.
Dr Johnny Downs

NIHR Clinician Scientist at the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at King's IoPPN and co-investigator on the NIHR Children and Families Policy Research Unit

The funding will enable a further five years of research on priority policy areas for child and family health for the Department of Health and Social Care, such as health inequalities, early years support for children and parents, support from health, education and social care for children and young people affected by chronic physical or mental health conditions, and services to address family violence.

The award is part of a package of funding for Policy Research Units across England & Wales announced by NIHR worth an estimated £100M.

 

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King’s College London receives £11m Research England grant to transform research into children and young people’s mental health

King’s College London receives £11m Research England grant to transform research into children and young people’s mental health

by | Jul 6, 2023 | News

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King’s College London receives £11m Research England grant to transform research into children and young people’s mental health
Over £11m of funding from UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) for King’s College London from Research England will fund cutting-edge brain imaging equipment and a pioneering mental health research collaboration hub at the Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People, which will open in South London in 2024.

The new clinical research Centre will be the only facility in Europe whose primary focus is on mental disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions affecting children and young people.

This equipment will provide a significant upgrade to the Centre’s research capabilities, transforming understanding of the interplay between young brains, behaviour and cognition, by providing cutting-edge clinical research equipment alongside a dedicated research collaboration hub, and facilitating collaboration with all sectors across the UK. Researchers will be able to work alongside the young patients and families who are being supported by clinical services in the Pears Maudsley Centre to improve their understanding of why children develop these conditions and how treatments work and deliver more effective prevention strategies.

The Pears Maudsley Centre is home to the King’s Maudsley Partnership – comprising King’s College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the Maudsley Charity.

Children’s brains, thinking styles and experience of the world are not the same as adults. This exciting news means that we can get the necessary equipment to undertake the cutting-edge research required to improve children and young people’s mental health. This new funding means we can better understand the specific disorder mechanisms underpinning mental health problems and identify and test opportunities for effective intervention.
Professor Emily Simonoff

Interim Director of the King's Maudsley Partnership

Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair at Research England, said: “I am delighted that we are able to support The Pears Maudsley Centre with £11m from the UKRPIF fund. The investment will enable King’s College London to develop an invaluable collaborative research environment in which to drive the creation of personalised mental health prevention and treatment strategies for children and young people.

“We hope this funding will help enable new insights into the causes and progression of these disorders which affect one in six young people and provide a transformative leap forward in research in this area by leveraging King’s College London’s unrivalled expertise in the field.”

The state-of-the-art equipment will give new insights and transform understanding of why some children develop mental health problems, allowing researchers to develop effective ways to prevent and treat mental illness both in the UK and around the world. To date, many studies have been carried out with equipment designed for adults or those without neurodevelopmental conditions.

The new equipment is specifically designed for use with babies, children and young people to enable the study of their brain structure and function, cognition and emotions.

It includes:

  • OPM-Magnetoencephalography (MEG) which is worn like a helmet and adapts to any head size, including babies, allowing participants to move freely, play or interact with family during a scan. The MEG cap tracks brain networks in real time and can be an early indicator of conditions such as autism or ADHD.
  • 3T MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) a high-quality portable MRI which is well-suited to children.
  • Child friendly suites for near infra-red (NIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) and eye-tracking which are more robust for younger children and those who find it difficult to sit still.
  • Immersive assessment facility (to understand social and cognitive function in real world settings) and VR for both experiences and therapy.

Despite the urgency and scale of the challenge, mental health research lags far behind the focus and discoveries resulting from successful investment in physical health care research. As of 2018, only 6.1% of the UK’s health research budget was spent on mental health and funding has remained largely unchanged for a decade1. As a result, improvements in prevention and care are progressing too slowly to meet the increasing need.
This investment from Research England will support a step-change in mental health research for young people.

The ambitions of the Pears Maudsley Centre are to ensure that all young people enter adult life with their best mental health by generating new scientific insights, reducing the time taken to translate new discoveries into effective prevention and treatment effective programmes.

The Pears Maudsley Centre is set to be a game-changer in children and young people’s mental health. This UKRPIF and philanthropic funding will enable us to deliver a major upgrade in research capabilities, by providing cutting-edge clinical research equipment alongside a dedicated research collaboration hub, facilitating collaboration between our world leading academics and clinicians. It will give us a crucial understanding of brain mechanisms and more accurate, personalised measures of treatment in a specialist clinical research facility designed specifically for children and young people.

Professor Shitij Kapur

President & Principal of King’s College London

The funding from Research England is double match-funded (£22m) by private and philanthropic sources, including Maudsley Charity, Pears Foundation, The Rayne Foundation, The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, The Wolfson Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, and The Prudence Trust.

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