INcreasing Adolescent Social and Community SupporT - Full Trial

Summary

Background: Social Prescribing is a mechanism of connecting patients with non-medical forms of support within the community and has been shown to improve loneliness. Yet update from young people has been lower than for adults. This is thought to be due to accessibility issues as young people are less likely to draw on primary care, where social prescribing is based, for wellbeing support. The INACT pilot sought to test the feasibility and acceptability of a Social Prescribing pathway via schools to support young people who are lonely through a randomised controlled trial. Findings suggested that study procedures, including the measures were appropriate and that Social Prescribing was deemed by young people, social prescribers and school staff as feasible, acceptable and suitable and there was evidence of impact in the social prescribing arm when compared to signposting. Given the positive pilot findings, the aim of the INACT full trial is to build upon the pilot work and conduct a clinical and cost effectiveness trial into the impact of Social Prescribing in schools for loneliness and low community connection, compared to signposting.

Methods: A minimum of 215 pupils reporting loneliness will be recruited across 30 mainstream schools in England and be randomly allocated to signposting or Social Prescribing. Pupils in the control group will receive signposting to sources of support from school staff. The co-produced social prescribing intervention includes up to 6 sessions with a Link Worker who will work with individuals to understand 'what matters to them' and connect them with local sources of support. The clinical and cost effectiveness of Social Prescribing for young people with loneliness will be assessed using measures of loneliness, mental health, wellbeing, quality of life, and service use. Data will be collected at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months later. Qualitative interviews will also be conducted to explore barriers, facilitators, mechanisms of change and impact.

Discussion: INACT will provide evidence of the clinical and cost effectiveness of Social Prescribing in schools for supporting young people experiencing loneliness. It will also establish what types of community and social activities young people engage in and what factors affect participation.

Conditions

• Loneliness

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Social Prescribing

SP is a person-centred approach to wellbeing involving the co-development of a non-clinical prescription, between an individual (i.e. young person) and Link Workers (LWs), based on the perceived difficulties for the referral and the YPs values, needs and preferences. LWs have a good knowledge of their local areas, via community asset mapping and networking, allowing them to connect individuals with different types of available support and activities. Typically, SP ranges from 6-12 sessions (average 8 sessions: unpublished data from sites) with a LW over an 8-week period. Sessions may take place online, via phone call, or in person. As part of this process, LWs draw on psychological skills such as motivational interviewing and behavioural activation as well as employ problem solving and goal setting. Following the identification of issues and preferences, the LW will discuss with the YP what the available local activities and support structures are that best match their preferences.

BEHAVIORAL

Signposting

Those in the control group will receive signposting to activities and local sources of support in their communities. This will consist of school pastoral staff meeting with YP identified as lonely and providing them with a leaflet detailing the same local sources of support identified by the LW from asset mapping.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Manchester

  collaborator OTHER

• National Academy for Social Prescribing

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• We Do Wellbeing

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University College, London

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

9 Years

Max Age

14 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-09-15

Primary Completion

2027-01-31

Completion

2027-06-30