Dr. Sadhbh Byrne
Visiting Research Fellow, Public Health & Primary Care

Projects

• Title
  • REFUGE-ED: Effective practices in education, mental health and psychosocial support for the integration of refugee children
• Summary
  • REFUGE-ED brings together a consortium of nine partners (ranging from other research institutions to NGOs) from seven European countries to develop a platform which will host and promote effective practices for the inclusion of migrant and refugee children in schools and more broadly in society. REFUGE-ED will first identify existing evidence-based practices in education and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that have demonstrated effectiveness in increasing academic performance, wellbeing, and/or sense of belonging for children who are asylum seekers or refugees. This review will result in a 'menu' of effective practices and interventions. 'Pilot settings' will be identified across Europe, which could include: hotspots/reception identification centres, inclusive school environments, non-formal and informal social and learning environments, and institutional care across Europe. A co-creation process will be implemented with stakeholders at each pilot setting (i.e., children, families, teachers, practitioners working on the ground, policy-makers and other relevant stakeholders). The goal of this process will be to identify stakeholders' needs and priorities, jointlyselect an intervention from the 'menu' that best meets these needs, and adapt this intervention such that it is better suited to each pilot setting's context and culture. The selected interventions (or 'pilot actions') will then be implemented at each site. There will be at least 46 pilot actions taking place across six countries (Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria.) Monitoring and evaluation results will be fed back to children and other stakeholders in a user-friendly, inclusive, and accessible manner. Their feedback will then be used to identify further modifications that could be made to the selected intervention to better address the needs identified for their setting. A community of practice and learning will be established to foster communication and knowledge-sharing across all 46 pilot settings. Drawing together the knowledge generated through each pilot site, REFUGE-ED will create a novel, community-based platform, which will provide evidence-based, high-quality resources and tools tailored to the needs of specific groups involved in the inclusion of refugee children in education. Among other resources, the final co-created platform will provide freely-available tools, solutions and recommendations, including guidelines and criteria on capacity building training, solution adaptation and community engagement. This easy-to-use off-line platform will support the implementation, reuse, and scalability of the piloted actions, and of other practices identified as successful. REFUGE-ED prioritises the use of participatory approaches, whereby children and their stakeholders (parents, teachers, caretakers, social workers) are continuously involved in the project, as opposed to having any intervention conducted unto them.
• Funding Agency
  • European Commission
• Date From
  • 2021

• Title
  • Development and evaluation of a novel Continuing Medical Education (CME) tool designed to equip GPs in Ireland to manage adolescent mental health presentations.
• Summary
  • The first My World Survey concluded that "the number one health issue for [Irish] young people is their mental health". Worryingly, the follow-up study, My World Survey 2, has highlighted that there has since been a notable increase in anxiety and depression among young people in Ireland. In addition, there is great concern that the social control measures introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to have ongoing mental health impacts on our adolescent population, resulting in long lasting effects even post pandemic. Adolescent mental health is therefore a critical public health concern. Given that GPs are often the first point of contact for adolescent mental health presentations, they are a critical point in the care pathway, playing a key role in diagnosis, support, and management for these patients. However, many GPs do not feel equipped to deal effectively and confidently with adolescents presenting with mental health issues. Previous work has shown that GP satisfaction rates are low in Ireland with regards to postgraduate training received in child and adolescent mental health. Training that focuses on mental health and in working with adolescent populations would be beneficial for GPs and patients. In line with best practice in patient and public involvement (PPI), the development of this training should include consultations with young people themselves. Young people have the right to exert their competence and express their views on matters that affect them. As empowerment and user involvement are important tenets of contemporary health care, young people's experiences and perspectives must play a central role in shaping best practice. It is also important to include parents' perspectives in developing any education for GPs, as the presentation of an adolescent to a GP for mental health concerns is typically facilitated by a parent. Parents are also well-placed to monitor risk, encourage alternative coping strategies, provide emotional support, and facilitate engagement with mental health services. Parents thus bear significant influence on a young person's illness trajectory, and are an integral part of a young person's wider system of care. For this reason, it is critical that parents are engaged in any efforts to improve care for adolescents' mental health. Taken together, this evidence highlights the need to develop suitable training for GPs to facilitate them to effectively manage adolescents presenting with mental health concerns. The evidence further suggests that young people and parents should directly contribute to the development of this training.
• Funding Agency
  • Irish Council of General Practice
• Date From
  • 01/10/2021