Improving young people's health and well-being through a school health research network: Reflections on school–researcher engagement at the national level

Gillian Hewitt,Graham Moore,Joan Roberts,Simon Murphy,Adam Fletcher

doi:10.18546/rfa.02.1.03

Abstract

The School Health Research Network is a policy–practice–research partnership established in Wales in 2013. The network aims to: provide health and well-being data for national, regional and local stakeholders, including schools; co-produce school-based health improvement research for Wales; and build capacity for evidence-informed practice in the school health community. School-focused engagement activities include providing member schools with bespoke Student Health and Well-being Reports, hosting school health webinars, producing schoolfriendly research briefings and holding annual events for schools. The network's model for co-producing research with schools is described and its impacts on schools is explored. These include more efficient recruitment of schools to research projects, school involvement in intervention development, schools beginning to embed evidence-informed practice by using their Health and Well-being Reports and other network resources, and securing funding to evaluate innovative health and well-being practices identified by schools. Drawing on the transdisciplinary action research (TDAR) literature, the article reflects on how TDAR principles have underpinned the progress of the network. The concept of reciprocity in the co-production literature, and its relevance to engagement with schools, is also explored, along with the network's contribution to our understanding of how we can build sustainable co-production at large scale in order to generate nationallevel action and benefit.

Highlights

The potential for schools to positively in uence young people’s health and well-being is well recognized
While England is a notable exception to this trend (Bonell et al, 2014), current curriculum reform in Wales aims to make developing young people as ‘healthy, con dent individuals’ a core purpose of its national curriculum and to establish health and well-being as one of six areas of learning and experience around which the curriculum is organized (Donaldson, 2015)
This paper describes the School Health Research Network in Wales, the rst school network in the UK to bring together health researchers with policymakers and practitioners from health, education and social care

Summary

Introduction

The potential for schools to positively in uence young people’s health and well-being is well recognized. Key messages ● Building in reciprocal bene ts for all policy, practice and research partners supports the development and sustainability of national engagement networks.

Results

Conclusion