Working on Worries Project Supports 189 Families to Reduce the Impact of Anxiety on Children

In 2019, a research team from Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust led by Tim Clarke, Brioney Gee, Jon Wilson and Bonnie Teague was awarded seed corn funding from UEA Health and Social Care Partners (UEAHSCP), alongside an NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England (ARC) implementation fellowship, to develop engaging training resources and sessions to upskill school staff to deliver a programme for parents and carers to support their child’s mental health. 

The core objective of the WoW study was to pilot the implementation of Parent-Delivered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention for child anxiety through training primary school pastoral staff to deliver it.

Working on Worries is a collaborative, sustainable, early intervention to support children's mental health. Using the Parent-Delivered CBT approach, trained school pastoral staff work with parents to guide them through adopting strategies, working with their child to manage behaviours and regulate emotions and to change their way of thinking about anxiety.

Over the course of the project, 216 staff have been trained in 125 primary schools to help 189 children manage anxiety problems, with feedback on the survey reporting an "overwhelmingly positive impact overall".

Outcomes from the project were presented at the Mental Health Innovation Network's National Dissemination Event in March 2024, with further funding granted by the MIHN team.

Working on Worries will use the additional funding to support the delivery of parent-led CBT in primary schools by both school support staff and mental health support in other regions.