disadvantaged communities.

Here, you can find out about research on mental skills training (MST) with disadvantaged communities, and how we can support care leavers and parents of young people.

NON-ACADEMIC DISSEMINATION

PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Find out about our recent public engagement activities below.

As part of the public exhibition 'A Place to Call Home' at The Exchange in Birmingham we shared our MST4Life work with St Basils. We conducted a number of public engagement events. These included a public lecture by Dr Mary Quinton, an emotion awareness family workshop led by Dr Grace Tidmarsh and Dr Mary Quinton, and a poetry workshop led by Dr Grace Tidmarsh in collaboration with BDT Poetry Workshops.

Tap on the video icons to watch YouTube videos from the events!

Video

Emotion Awareness Family workshop

Through the poetry workshop held at The Exchange as part of World Homelessness Day 2023, we created a poetry collection which aims to challenge stigma associated with homelessness by giving a voice to a range of perspectives.

The collection is organised into 3 themes 'Danger & Difficulties', 'Appreciation & Yearning' and 'Help & Understanding', and covers topics related to homelessness such as drug and alcohol use, domestic abuse, violence and mental illness.

Tap on the PDF icon to download the'What Makes Home?' eBook for free!

ESRC Festival of Social Sciences

Watch

Here is another example of how our research has been disseminated to the public, at the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences.

Click on the link for more information.

INFORMING POLICY & GUIDANCE

Find out about how our work has informed policy and guidance.

St Basils Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) Symposium 2018

Click on the link to learn about how our research with St Basils has informed guidance for working with young people experiencing homelessness.

Below are some more examples of our research being evaluated, and cited in policy and guidance briefs.

Click the images to find out more

SERVICE DELIVERY & IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION

A report showcasing a service delivery and implementation evaluation of St Basil's Transition Hub, which supports young people experiencing homelessness.

STRENGTHS-BASED POLICY BRIEF

A policy brief describing a strengths-based approach to challenging harmful stereotypes around homelessness.

Mental skills training toolkit policy brief

A policy briefing describing the Mental Skills Training Toolkit trilogy and how these resources may help in the context of COVID-19.

MST4Life COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS

This evaluation was conducted by Birmingham Business School, which examined the extent to which the MST4Life (and BOOST) programme has changed the trajectories of homeless young people who were NEET, and the cost benefit of these programmes.

MST4Life policy briefing

A policy briefing describing the background and impact of the MST4Life programme

TRANSFORMING PATHWAYS OUT
OF CARE FOR 16/17 YEAR OLDs:
AN EVALUATION REPORT FOR THE LGA CHILDREN’S EFFICIENCY
PROJECT

This report represents the findings of the evaluation for the Transforming Pathways out of Care pilot project.

TRANSITIONS OUT OF CARE FOR LOOKED
AFTER CHILDREN WITH MULTIPLE AND
COMPLEX NEEDS: A LITERATURE REVIEW

This literature review aims to provide
context for the pilot evaluation of a
supported housing pathway for care leavers
with multiple and complex needs.

Hospital staff
experiences of working with and parenting young people

This report describes findings and recommendations from an employee survey into job-related well-being and the Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals Trust Parenting Young People (PYP) programme workshops designed to support employees with parenting responsibilities or
who work with young adults.

housing LIN MST4Life case study

An overview of the novel approach taken by the MST4Life is provided in this case study published by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network

THE YOUTH JUSTICE ACCOMMODATION PATHWAY

St Basils, a youth homelessness charity, published this guidance to help organisations better support young people who have had involvement with the criminal justice system, including reference to delivery of MST4Life as part of their transformational services

Closing the employment gap for young people

The MST4Life is featured in this toolkit as an example of best practice in helping young people, particularly those experiencing common mental health problems, to gain and stay in work.

Youth Homelessness in the UK: A Review for the OVO Foundation

An influential review of homelessness research that mentions the MST4Life programme

ACADEMIC DISSEMINATION

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Papers

Cumming, J., Quinton, M. L., Tidmarsh, G., & Reynard, S. (2024). Mental Skills Training for Youth Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202407.2554.v1

Quinton, M. L., Tidmarsh, G., Parry, B. J., & Cumming, J. (2022). A Kirkpatrick model process evaluation of reactions and learning from my strengths training for life™. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(18), 11320. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811320

Tidmarsh, G., Whiting, R., Thompson, J. L., & Cumming, J. (2022). Assessing the fidelity of delivery style of a mental skills training programme for young people experiencing homelessness. Evaluation and Program Planning, 94, 102150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2022.102150

Tidmarsh, G., Thompson, J. L., Quinton, M. L., & Cumming, J. (2022). Process evaluations of positive youth development programmes for disadvantaged young people: A systematic review. Journal of Youth Development, 17(2), 106-140. https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2022.1156

Tidmarsh, G., Kinnafick, F. E., & Johnston, J. P. (2022). The role of the motivational climate in female engagement in secondary school physical education: a dual study investigation. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 14(1), 68-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1862290

Tidmarsh, G., Thompson, J. L., Quinton, M. L., Parry, B. J., Cooley, S. J., & Cumming, J. (2022). A platform for youth voice in MST4Life: A vital component of process evaluations. Sport Exerc. Psychol. Rev, 17, 73-86.

Cumming, J., Whiting, R., Parry, B. J., Clarke, F. J., Holland, M. J., Cooley, S. J., & Quinton, M. L. (2022). The My Strengths Training for Life™ program: Rationale, logic model, and description of a strengths-based intervention for young people experiencing homelessness. Evaluation and Program Planning, 91, 102045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.102045

Cumming, J., Clarke, F. J., Holland, M. J., Parry, B. J., Quinton, M. L., & Cooley, S. J. (2022). A feasibility study of the My Strengths Training for Life™(MST4Life™) program for young people experiencing homelessness. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3320. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063320

Quinton, M.L., Clarke, F.J., Parry, B.J., & Cumming, J. (2021). An evaluation of My Strengths Training for LifeTM for improving resilience and well-being of young people experiencing homelessness. Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22517

Heinze, K., Cumming, J., Dosanjh, A., Palin, S., Poulton, S., Bagshaw, A. P., & Broome, M. R. (2021). Neurobiological evidence of longer-term physical activity interventions on mental health outcomes and cognition in young people: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 120, 431-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.10.014

Parry, B. J., Thompson, J. L., Holland, M. J., & Cumming, J. (2021). Promoting personal growth in young people experiencing homelessness through an outdoors-based program. Journal of Youth Development, 16(5), 157-192. https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2021.1061

Parry, B. J., Quinton, M. L., Holland, M. J., Thompson, J. L., & Cumming, J. (2021). Improving outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness with My Strengths Training for Life™(MST4Life™): A qualitative realist evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105793

Parry, B.J., Thompson, J.T., Holland, M.J.G., Quinton, M.L., & Cumming, J. (2020). Improving outcomes in young people experiencing homelessness with My Strengths Training for LifeTM (MST4LifeTM): A qualitative realist evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review, 121, 105793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105793

Cooley, S.J., Quinton, M.L., Holland, M.J.G., Parry, B.J., & Cumming, J. (2019). The experiences of homeless youth when using strengths profiling to identify their character strengths. Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02036

Cooley, S. J., Eves, F. E., Cumming, J., & Burns, V.E. (2018). “Hitting the ground running”: preparing groups for outdoor learning using a theoretically-based video. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2018.1558081

Book chapters

Cumming, J., Skeate, A., & Templeton, J. (2018). Psychologically informed environment: enhancing St Basils’ homeless services for young people. In J. Stewart & Z. Lynch (Eds), Environment Health and Housing: Issues for Public Health (pp. 31-32). Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.

Cumming, J., & Cooley, S. (2018). Mental health and the homeless: summary of MST4Life. In J. Stewart & Z. Lynch (Eds), Environment Health and Housing: Issues for Public Health (pp. 32-33). Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.

Holland, M. J. G., Cooley, S. J., & Cumming, J. (2017). Identifying, measuring, and facilitating psychological skill development. In C. Knight, C. Harwood, & D. Gould (Eds.), Sport Psychology for Young Athletes. Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge.

Reports

Quinton, M., Tidmarsh, G., Bird, G. A., Reynard, S., & Cumming, J. (2023). Extending knowledge translation of the mental skills toolkit beyond homeless services: Co-creating the matchFit app. Birmingham, UK: Authors.

Clarke, F.J., Quinton, M., Parry, B., Fenton, S.-J., & Cumming, J. (2020). Closing the knowledge to practice gap: Advancing strengths-based practice in youth homeless services through co-created knowledge translation. Birmingham, UK: Authors.

Whiting, R. J. Quinton, M. L., & Cumming, J. (2019). Transitions out of care for looked after children with multiple and complex needs: A literature review. A report published by the University of Birmingham, UK: Authors.

Whiting, R. J., Cooley, S. J., Thomas, S., Quinton, M. L., & Cumming, J. (2019). Transforming pathways out of care for 16/17 year olds: An evaluation report for the LGA children’s efficiency project. A report published by the University of Birmingham, UK: Authors.

Cooley, S. J., Ridyard, S., Skeate, A., & Cumming, J. (2018). Parenting young people: A scoping review of existing parenting interventions. A report published by the University of Birmingham, UK: Authors.

Cumming, J., Quinton, M. L., Cooley, S. J., Parry, B. J., Whiting, R., & Holland, M. J. G. (2018). St Basils transformational model of youth services: Process evaluation. A report published by the University of Birmingham, UK: Authors.

See project lead Prof Jenn Cumming's website for a more extensive list of academic publications

The SPRINT Project