The Parent Carer Research Network (PCRN) was born from a collaboration between Charlie Waller and Mental Health in Development. In February 2026, teams from both organisations met together to build connections and plan for the future of the network.

The team includes our co-facilitators Nikki Chapman (Parent Carer Lived Experience Lead for the Charlie Waller Trust) and Shanta Raj (Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement Facilitator for MHID), communications and project management colleagues from Charlie Waller and the University of Oxford, and a senior researcher. The team work really closely with a steering group of 7 parents and carers with lived experience of supporting a child with mental health difficulties, and discussions from the day reflect their priorities.

We were also seeking to celebrate the achievements from the first year of the network. We were delighted that the PCRN has been included in the funding for the Centre for Emerging Minds Research. This gives the network another five years of funding and a real potential to to make an impact in research. This gives us a real reason to evaluate and consider our long-term plans to make the most of this opportunity.

Parent Engagement

We identified a key priority around reaching out to a wider audience of parents and carers. We discussed how to connect with under-represented groups, something which had different meanings to everyone at the table. We considered how to expand the geographic and ethnic diversity of our membership, as well as how to involve Dads and male carers, and also how to connect with groups such as adoptive parents. We also noted that the majority of our network members are parents of teenagers and it would be good to connect with parents of younger children.

We also admitted some of our limitations. In order to engage with groups such as adoptive parents or those with younger children, we would need to include material in our newsletter that they would find relevant. We also noted that certain regions of the United Kingdom such as Northern Ireland have specific mental health challenges which our network may not be currently equipped to address.

It was noted that due to the sensitivities around parenting a child with mental health difficulties, methods of engagement have to be considered carefully. It is likely that parents or carers will need to be approached directly rather than they will naturally come to us. Meeting them in the community is important.

This is visible in how the main clusters of our network members are situated around the South East and the North West, both of which are areas where we have been able to build personal relationships. We discussed how to connect with people who can offer us community connections. We also talked about the possibility of having a possible roadshow to reach out to other regions. In the immediate future, we made plans to reach out to more organisations such as sports groups,

Including Researchers

Another important focus for future plans was the meaningful integration of researchers. We mentioned the conflict which can come from the network members’ natural desire to have their time and contributions recognised through pay and the difficulties that some researches may have in finding the budget for recompense. It also means that the network is more likely to be contacted about qualitative rather than quantitative research if all participants require payment.

We also talked about how we can share experiences with researchers to help them engage with our network members. This was particularly pertinent for early career researchers. While we have our information booklet, it is important reiterate regularly about the importance of trigger warnings around certain topics. Network members also have the option of asking not to be contacted regarding research about certain areas. We should also emphasise to researchers that it is crucial to offer flexibility and a variety of times, particularly considering how parents and carers may need to return to work after discussing difficult topics.

Resources: Myth-busting and A-Z

We discussed the importance of breaking down preconceptions that parents might have about what it means to be involved with research. We are thinking particularly about how we can do this from our website since this may be a first point of call for those who have heard of the network and are considering whether or not they would like to get involved. Suggested strategies included video interviews with existing steering group and network members sharing their experiences. We also discussed creating resources such as a glossary which may also help overcome certain barriers parents or carers may feel about participation.

Overall conclusions

The over-arching verdict of the day was on the importance of connections. We want to build meaningful relationships with parents and carers of children and young people who experience mental health problems. We know we need to meet people where they are and in ways which are comfortable and convenient for them. We also want to engage with researchers to improve their understanding of how to work both sensitively and effectively with parents and carers who have lived experience. We also hope to share what we have learned so far on a wider platform using our new website. We will continue to work closely with our lived experience steering group and researchers to meet these aims.