Youth mentoring as a supportive resource for young people involved with CAMHS: An exploratory study
View/ Open
Date
2022Author
Silke, Charlotte
Brady, Bernadine
Metadata
Show full item recordUsage
This item's downloads: 32 (view details)
Recommended Citation
Silke, Charlotte, & Brady, Bernadine. (2022). Youth mentoring as a supportive resource for young people involved with CAMHS: An exploratory study: Foroige and UNESCO Child & Family Research Centre.
Published Version
Abstract
Adolescence is an important developmental stage in which lasting patterns of health and
wellbeing are established (Sawyer et al., 2012). Due to the social, mental and physical
changes that occur during this transitional period, adolescence is regarded as a time of
increased sensitivity and vulnerability, with research suggesting that mental health issues
surge during the adolescent period (Schwarz, 2009; Malla et al., 2018). Epidemiological
evidence from both national and international research suggests that adolescent mental
health and wellbeing has deteriorated significantly over the last two decades (Cosma et
al., 2020; Centre for Disease Control, 2020). There is widespread concern that this
decline in youth wellbeing has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic (Fegert et
al., 2020). Mental health problems can have a severe impact on the social and emotional
development of the young person, are linked to poorer long-term health, and are also a
major risk factor for suicidal behaviour (Collishaw & Sellers, 2020; Patel et al., 2018).
Public health professionals and policy makers have identified the need to respond to this
decline in youth mental health as a public health priority (Collishaw & Sellers, 2020). In
Ireland, youth mental health is widely recognised as an area in need of increased policy
focus, with Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, the National Policy Framework for
Children and Young People 2014–2020, acknowledging the importance of integrated
policy solutions to promote youth mental health and wellbeing.
In recent years, it has been increasingly recognised that while clinical interventions are
important and necessary, young people with mental health needs may also benefit from
community intervention and support (Hart et al., 2021). Young people experiencing
mental health issues may become isolated from their peers and community and may
have few opportunities to interact socially with others or may find these interactions
challenging. It is argued that community and social networks have the potential to enrich
the lives of young people experiencing mental health issues and provide multiple layers
of support to help address problems or difficulties. In the context of youth mental health,
community services have been found to aid recovery and promote wellbeing (De Wit et
al., 2016; Jorm, 2012) and may help to relieve the pressure on primary and secondary
care services (Chatterjee et al., 2017).
Youth mentoring is a community-based intervention which can help extend the reach of
psychological support for young people and is a potentially powerful tool for the
prevention of and intervention in youth mental ill-health (Cavell et al., 2021; DuBois et al.,
2018a; Hart et al., 2021; Munson & Railey, 2016). Youth-mentoring programmes create a
‘match’ or relationship between a young person and a volunteer mentor and they meet
weekly for a year or more. The youth-mentoring model recognises that many young
people benefit from support and friendship from a caring adult outside of their family and
peer group (Dolan and Brady, 2012). Research has indicated that youth who participate
in mentoring programmes, such as Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS), show improved social,
emotional, cognitive and behavioural outcomes (Goldner & Ben-Eliyahu, 2021). The
national youth organisation Foróige has been operating the BBBS youth-mentoring
programme in Ireland since 2002. A Randomised Control Trial (RCT) evaluation of the
programme in Ireland found evidence of enhanced emotional wellbeing and perceived
support among young people participating in the programme (Dolan et al., 2011).
In Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Service (CAMHS) is responsible for the provision of youth mental health services. In
2018, CAMHS entered a partnership with Foróige’s Big Brother Big Sister programme with
the aim of facilitating access to youth-mentoring relationships as an additional support
for young people attending or exiting CAMHS. It was envisaged that the mentoring
relationships would help young people to build and develop protective factors, such as
emotional resilience, self-esteem, positive social networks and community engagement,
while also building capacity to address risk factors, such as bullying (Foróige, 2018). The
partnership arose in the context of the HSE National Service Plan (2018), which aimed to
improve access for young people to appropriate locally based early intervention and
prevention services. The purpose of this study is to examine the working partnership between CAMHS
and the Foróige BBBS mentoring programme and explore the value of youth
mentoring from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, including youth, parents/
guardians, BBBS mentors, BBBS staff and CAMHS staff. As part of the study, 40
participants (10 mentors, 10 youth, 10 parents/guardians, 10 staff) took part in semi structured qualitative interviews exploring their experiences and opinions of the
BBBS mentoring programme.
Results indicated that young people typically developed trusting, empathic
friendships with their mentors, with participants identifying several factors which they
believed influenced the strength of the mentoring bond which developed.
Participants typically regarded the BBBS programme as a beneficial resource for
young people and their families, with programme participation frequently linked to
positive social–emotional, identity and cognitive development. While certain
programme features, such as the provision of support from a non-familial adult, were
frequently commended by participants, participants also made recommendations for
how the BBBS programme and/or its relationship with CAMHS could be enhanced.
Overall, the findings from this report provide unique insights into the utility of youth
mentoring as an additional supportive resource for young people involved with mental
health services, and have notable implications for research and practice.