Predicting outcomes in care-experienced individuals

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET (PIS)

Name of researcher: Emma Youngs

Contact details of researcher: [email protected]

Name of supervisors: Dr Iris Lavi, Professor Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis

Contact details of supervisors: [email protected], [email protected]

This information sheet forms part of the process of informed consent, and should tell you what the research is about, and what taking part will involve.

Please read this information sheet carefully and email any of the researchers above if you have any questions.

Who I am
I am Emma Youngs ([email protected]), a postgraduate student studying for an MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology at the University of Bath, supervised by Dr Iris Lavi ([email protected]), and Professor Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis ([email protected]).

I am interested in studying how characteristics of care experiences (e.g., residential vs home-based) may (or may not) predict outcomes for in young adults. I'm looking for people aged 18 years plus, who've been in care in the UK to complete a short anonymous survey.

What is the purpose of the research?

This research aims to understand which specific factors from your care experience may be connected to outcomes in young adulthood. In particular, we are looking at how care-related factors (such as age when you first entered care, number of placements, time spent in care, and type of placement) relate to different behavioural outcomes and emotion regulation in young adulthood.

Care-experienced young people face higher risks of certain challenges, but we don't yet know which specific care characteristics are most important in predicting these outcomes. By understanding these relationships better, we hope to contribute to more targeted and effective support for young people in care and leaving care.

Why have I been invited, or who can take part in this research?

You have been invited to participate because you are a care-experienced young adult (aged 18 years or over) who has spent time in local authority care in the UK. Your experiences are valuable in helping us understand these important relationships.

Do I have to take part in this research?

No. Participation is completely voluntary. It is up to you to decide whether to take part. If you do decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw at any time during the survey without giving a reason. Throughout the study, you will regularly be given the chance to a) continue with the study, b) exit the study but allow data to be used, or c) exit and withdraw all data from the study. However, once you have submitted your responses, we will not be able to identify and remove your data as the survey is anonymous.

What would taking part involve?

If you decide to take part, you will complete an online survey that should take approximately 10-15 minutes. The survey includes:

Questions about your background (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity)
Questions about your care history (e.g., age when you entered care, number of placements, types of placement, length of time in care)
Questions about your experiences and behavioural outcomes since leaving care
A questionnaire about how you experience and manage emotions

You can complete the survey at your own pace, on your own device, at a time and place that suits you. You do not have to answer any questions you don't want to.

What are the exclusion criteria, or are there any reasons I couldn’t take part?

You are unable to take part in this study if you are a) under the age of 18 years, b) have not spent time in Local Authority Care within the UK, and/or c) if you cannot complete this survey in English.

What are the potential benefits of taking part in this research?

While there may not be any further direct benefits to you personally, your participation will contribute to important research that may help improve support and services for care-experienced young people in the future. By identifying which care factors are most strongly linked to outcomes, this research can inform more targeted interventions and preventative support.

What are the possible disadvantages or risks of taking part in this?

Some of the questions may touch on sensitive topics related to your care experiences or outcomes in young adulthood. This might bring up difficult feelings or memories. If you find any questions distressing:

You can skip any question you don't want to answer
You can take a break at any time
You can stop the survey at any time without having to give a reason

At the end of the survey, you will be provided with information about support services if you need to talk to someone.

Who will have access to the information that I provide?

The data you provide will be completely anonymous – we will not even collect IP address so it cannot be traced back to you/the place you completed the study.

This research is for academic purposes only and your answers will not be shared with police, courts, or any other authorities. However, answers will have to be passed on to relevant authorities if you were to disclose specific, identifiable details of a serious crime. For example, naming a victim, location, and date of an incident (i.e- “I attacked Joe Bloggs with a knife in London in April 2025”), will need to passed on, but simply answering yes or no to “Have you used a weapon”, does not constitute to information that needs to be passed on.

Only the research team, and the University Governance staff where appropriate, will have access to the information that you provide in this study. All information will be treated confidentially; any additional comments written by a participant may be used as quotes, but only if they are not identifiable. Any quotes that may be identifiable (e.g., you have used a very specific phrase or particular spelling) will be edited to be more general.

What will happen to the data collected and the results of this project?

Storage of data will be done in accordance with current UK data protection legislation.

We will treat all information that you provide as confidential. In the short-term, the data will be held on the researcher’s password-protected laptop, accessible only to them. It will be backed up and held in long-term storage and stored securely on the University of Bath encrypted secure server (X-Drive). This will be stored securely and confidentially in the University archives for 10 years, as required.

As no identifying information is asked, no identifying information can be disclosed in any presentation or publication of the research. After the project has finished, it will be written up for my dissertation, but may also be presented in a paper-publication or conference paper; this will be presenting findings from all the participants’ combined. We will also write a summary of the project results – if you would like to see these, please email the lead researcher.

Once this project is completed, other researchers at the University of Bath may conduct related research projects which would benefit from using the data that you provide (open-source data). Further use of your data will only occur with your additional consent to the use of your data as open-source data, and only as part of projects which are given a favourable opinion by the University of Bath. So, you can choose to take part in this study, but not have your data as part of the open-source dataset. Data will continue to be stored in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. Your name or any other identifying information will not be disclosed in any presentation or publication of the research.

Who has reviewed this project (ethical approval)?

This research has been reviewed and approved by the University of Bath Psychology Research Ethics Committee. [Ethics code: 14785-198671]

How can I withdraw from this project?
You can withdraw from this project at any time without needing to give a reason, and without a penalty.
Throughout the study, you will regularly be given the chance to a) continue with the study, b) exit the study but allow data to be used, or c) exit and withdraw all data from the study. However, it will not be possible to withdraw once you have completed this survey, as no identifiable information will be asked; therefore, identification of your data will not be possible.

Who should I contact for more information?

If you have any questions about the study, please contact:

Researcher: Emma Youngs Email: [email protected] Course: MSc in Applied Forensic Psychology with Placement, University of Bath

Academic Supervisors: Dr Iris Lavi Email: [email protected], Professor Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis Email: [email protected]

If you have concerns about the way this study has been conducted, you may contact the University of Bath Research Governance and Compliance team at: [email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet.

If you would like to take part, please click next.

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