Experiences of young people, parents and delivery staff of the social prescribing intervention ‘Safety Nets’: A qualitative investigation

High numbers of young people in the United Kingdom (UK) experience mental health difficulties. Referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have increased and young people often face lengthy waits before accessing treatment, during which time young people's mental health can deteriorate further. Safety Nets was developed to support young people on CAMHS waiting lists. It is a social prescribing intervention that runs for 2 h a week for 8 weeks at local professional sports clubs. Sessions include 1 h of psychoeducation and 1 h of physical activity co-delivered by a CAMHS clinician and sports club coach. The aim of this qualitative work was to explore the experiences of young people who attended and staff who delivered Safety Nets, to inform future delivery and research. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 participants, including young people who attended Safety Nets (n = 6), their parents/carers (n = 6) and delivery staff (n = 14). Interviews explored the acceptability and suitability of the intervention and recommendations for future delivery. A thematic analysis identified four themes and one sub-theme from the data: (1) Motivations to attend or deliver Safety Nets, (2) Positive experiences of Safety Nets, (3) Perceived positive impact of Safety Nets (sub-theme ‘Staff development opportunity’) and (4) Application of skills learned. Overall, qualitative data indicated the Safety Nets programme was well received and highlighted important aspects of delivery for implementation. Future research, such as large-scale evaluation of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of Safety Nets, is warranted.