Digital Dialogues
Delivered by Dr Lucy Biddle, Dr Zoë Haime, Dr Myles-Jay Linton, Dr Helen Bould (University of Bristol)
In partnership with Samaritans, Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), The Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership (AWP) NHS Trust
Funding: Research England
Overview
Digital Dialogues is an ongoing, nationally relevant programme led by researchers at the University of Bristol, designed to support workforce development across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The initiative addresses a critical gap in statutory training for practitioners, equipping them with the skills, language, and confidence to explore online behaviour safely and collaboratively with young people. By embedding lived experience and creative methods into training, Digital Dialogues aims to transform how mental health professionals (MHPs) understand and support young people’s digital lives, ultimately strengthening the workforce’s ability to provide empathetic, evidence-informed care.
Digital Dialogues is a scalable, evidence-informed model for workforce development in child and adolescent mental health. By centring lived experience, creativity, and digital innovation, the programme equips practitioners to support young people’s online wellbeing with empathy and confidence, contributing to a more responsive and effective mental health system.
Approaches & Methodology
Digital Dialogues employs a creative, participatory, and co-produced methodology. The programme’s first phase (DDI) used arts-based methods—poetry, drawing, storytelling—to engage young people in reflecting on the impact of the online world on their mental health. Together, young people and researchers co-designed practical resources for MHPs, including posters, a scripted video, and flashcards, translating lived experience into tangible tools for clinical practice. The second phase (DDII) refined these resources and developed a digital training toolkit, co-produced with MHPs, and delivered an interactive webinar attended by over 100 professionals. The current phase (DDIII) is diversifying training delivery formats and developing a digital journalling intervention (DIARY Study) to further support young people’s skill-building and mental health.
Aims & Objectives
The programme aims to:
- Equip mental health professionals with practical strategies and confidence to discuss online use with young people.
- Embed lived experience and creative, participatory approaches in training design.
- Develop scalable, co-produced resources and interventions that improve practitioner–young person communication about digital risk and wellbeing.
- Support young people in building skills for safer, healthier online experiences.
Outcomes & Measured Impact
Digital Dialogues has produced a suite of creative resources, including posters, videos, flashcards, and a digital toolkit, all co-designed with young people and practitioners. The interactive webinar reached over 100 MHPs, who reported increased confidence and practical strategies for addressing online behaviour. The programme’s participatory approach has led to improved practitioner confidence, more sensitive and effective conversations about digital risk, and the development of new, accessible training formats. The DIARY Study is extending impact by supporting young people directly through digital journalling and creative reflection.
Key Enablers
- Strong partnerships with organisations such as Samaritans, ACAMH, RCPsych, and AWP NHS Mental Health Trust.
- Funding from Research England.
- Co-design and lived experience leadership, ensuring resources are relevant and impactful.
- Creative, participatory arts methods that engage both young people and professionals.
- Responsive, iterative development based on feedback from all stakeholders.
Key Challenges/ Barriers
- Addressing the lack of statutory training and national guidance for discussing online behaviour in mental health settings.
- Ensuring scalability and accessibility of training across diverse services and regions.
- Maintaining meaningful co-production and lived experience involvement as the programme grows.
Demographics, Settings & Referral Routes
Demographics: Digital Dialogues targets young adults (18–25) and children and young people’s mental health, with a focus on primary care, community care, secondary care, allied health professionals, occupational therapy, nursing, digital health, and urgent/emergency care.
Settings: The programme is delivered in mental health hospitals, primary care settings, allied health clinics, and through digital platforms.
Referral Routes: Participants are recruited through self-referral, local authority pathways (public health, adult social care, family hubs, youth offending), and social media or local radio campaigns. Collaboration with schools and mental health charities also supports recruitment.
Evaluation Methods
Evaluation is participatory and co-produced, involving young people and MHPs in designing and leading the process. Routine monitoring data (participant numbers, demographics, attendance, surveys) is collected, and feedback is used to refine resources and training. The programme prioritises ethical engagement, consent, and safeguarding, especially when working with young people and sensitive topics.
Participant & Stakeholder Feedback
Feedback from MHPs and young people has been highly positive. Practitioners report increased confidence and practical skills, while young people value the opportunity to shape resources and see their experiences reflected in training. The co-created theatre performance and live-scribed events have been particularly impactful in bridging understanding between young people and professionals.
Alignment with National Strategy & System Learning
Digital Dialogues aligns with the NHS 10-Year Plan’s emphasis on personalised, digitally enabled, and thoughtful care. The programme supports workforce development, digital technology adoption, and evidence-based practice, contributing to national learning on how to address digital risk and wellbeing in young people.
Further information: www.digitaldialogues.co.uk
This Case Study was submitted as part of a call out for Createch Case Studies, and demonstrates good practice in digital innovation within creative health.
Innovation & Digital Transformation
Digital Dialogues exemplifies innovation by embedding creative, participatory arts and lived experience into digital workforce training. The programme’s digital toolkit, interactive webinars, and journalling intervention demonstrate how technology can be harnessed to improve mental health support and practitioner–young person communication.