The EmCASH interview study is officially open 🥳

It’s a big week for EmCASH - after more than a year of planning, writing, refining, and re-writing (and drinking loads of coffee), the interview study is now open for recruitment!

The study has been through a long, multi-stage ethics process, shaped at every step by the generous input of our two lived experience advisory group. Their insights have helped us think carefully about the questions we ask, the support we offer, and how to make the whole experience feel as safe as possible. I’m incredibly grateful for their time, honesty, and encouragement.

Now, we’re finally ready to start talking to young people and caregivers about their experiences of emergency care after self-harm. Recruitment is taking place across three NHS sites, with support from two wonderful charities (Battle Scars and Barnardo’s), all partnerships that I’m really proud of.

You can see our poster already appearing in waiting rooms, including the CAMHS crisis team where I work. It’s been surreal (in the best way!) to spot it on the wall during a normal working day.

Things have been a bit of a whirlwind recently. Alongside getting everything set up for the interview study, I’ve also been deep in the literature. I’ve now reviewed 33 papers in detail, and my head is spinning with all the useful information I’m finding. It’s exciting to feel the project moving forward in such a real and practical way.

I’m looking forward to sharing more updates as the study gets underway. For now, I’m just thrilled that this next chapter is beginning!

Thank you for following along, more soon…!