Developing a whole-school mental health and wellbeing intervention through pragmatic formative process evaluation: A case-study of innovative local practice within the School Health Research Network

Gobat, Nina, Littlecott, Hannah, Williams, Andy, McEwan, Kirsten, Stanton, Helen, Robling, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1004-036X, Rollnick, Stephen, Murphy, Simon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3589-3681 and Evans, Rhiannon ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0239-6331 2021. Developing a whole-school mental health and wellbeing intervention through pragmatic formative process evaluation: A case-study of innovative local practice within the School Health Research Network. BMC Public Health 21 , 154. 10.1186/s12889-020-10124-6

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Abstract

Background The evidence-base for whole school approaches aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing remains limited. This may be due to a focus on developing and evaluating de-novo, research-led interventions, while neglecting the potential of local, contextually-relevant innovation that has demonstrated acceptability and feasibility. This study reports a novel approach to modelling and refining the programme theory of a whole-school restorative approach, alongside plans to scale up through a national educational infrastructure in order to support robust scientific evaluation. Methods A pragmatic formative process evaluation was conducted of a routinized whole-school restorative approach aimed at improving student mental health and wellbeing in Wales. Results The study reports the six phases of the pragmatic formative process evaluation. These are: 1) identification of innovative local practice; 2) scoping review of evidence-base to identify potential programme theory; outcomes; and contextual characteristics that influence implementation; 3) establishment of a Transdisciplinary Action Research (TDAR) group; 4) co-production and confirmation of an initial programme theory with stakeholders; 5) planning to optimise intervention delivery in local contexts; and 6) planning for feasibility and outcome evaluation. The phases of this model may be iterative and not necessarily sequential. Conclusions Formative, pragmatic process evaluations can support researchers, policy-makers and practitioners in developing robust scientific evidence-bases for acceptable and feasible local innovations that do not already have a clear evidence base. The case of a whole-school restorative approach provides a case example of how such an evaluation may be undertaken.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer) Centre for Trials Research (CNTRR)
Additional Information:	This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher:	BMC
ISSN:	1471-2458
Funders:	Wellcome Trust
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 January 2021
Date of Acceptance:	22 December 2020
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2023 18:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/137652

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