New report evaluates the impact of an online mental health and wellbeing service for young people.

A new report led by researchers from the National Institute for Research and Care (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM) and The University of Manchester suggests that an online wellbeing service has a positive impact on the mental health and emotional well-being of young people.

42nd Street is an innovative Greater Manchester young people’s mental health charity with 40 years’ experience of providing free and confidential services to those experiencing difficulties with their mental health or emotional wellbeing.

42nd Street co-develop their services with young people, with a focus on inclusion. They seek to overcome conventional service access barriers affecting marginalised groups and communities.

The University of Manchester research team conducted a mixed methods evaluation relying on usage and outcome data from 2,718 referrals to 42nd Street’s services, with 23.6% (641) using the online platform. 27 interviews were undertaken, 14 of these were young people accessing the service and 13 members of the staff from 42nd Street.

The evaluation found that:

• There were no significant differences in the ethnicity of the people using the online platform and those using face-to-face services.
• The online platform appeared to exhibit a wider reach than face-to-face services in terms of diversity, physical and geographical boundaries and took into consideration a range of circumstances for young people.
• Over 70% of participants reported improvements in their mental well-being after receiving support, with many attributing their progress to the empathic and accessible nature of the organisation's programme.
• Early intervention and preventative measures were key. By targeting mental health issues at an early stage, 42nd Street has made a significant difference in the lives of young people, preventing further escalation.

The report also provides a number of recommendations for 42nd Street, which include:

• Improving the visual appeal of the online platform by making it clearer and more accessible.
• Use an online data collection tool to ensure consistency when measuring impact of the online programme on service users.
• Embedding 42nd Street into local services, which could make it more widely available for young people.

Read the report in full here.

Find out more about the project here.

Published 05/06/23