GOSH families at the heart of major £6m project to improve support for children with complex needs

Children, young people and families will help shape a major new research programme designed to improve how health, education and social care services support children with complex health needs during some of life's most challenging transitions.

The five-year SPROCKET Innovation Hub (Systems and Process Redesign and Optimisation at Key Events and Transitions) has secured £6.2 million in funding by a UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) partnership. Led by Professors Christina Pagel, Monica Lakhanpaul, Jenny Shand and Sonya Crowe at UCL and delivered in partnership with researchers from the Centre for Outcomes and Experience Research in Children’s Health, Illness and Disability (ORCHID) at GOSH, the project will focus on improving two key transition points: moving between schools and the journey from hospital to community care.

What sets SPROCKET apart is its commitment to co-production. Up to 650 children and young people, parents, carers, professionals and charity partners will work alongside researchers throughout the programme, helping to identify problems, design solutions and evaluate innovations.

The project has already been shaped by extensive involvement from families during its development phase. Parents, young people and community partners helped identify the priorities for the research and informed the design of the programme's inclusive participation approach.

Dr Kate Oulton, Principal Investigator at GOSH, said:

"Families have been equal partners in SPROCKET from the very beginning. They helped us identify the transitions that matter most, highlighted the barriers they face, and challenged us to think differently about solutions. Co-production is the foundation on which everything else is built on for SPROCKET, it’s not an optional extra or add-on”

Through dedicated parent, youth and charity panels, participants will continue to play a central role throughout the programme. The research team will use creative and accessible methods including workshops, photography, storytelling, diaries and arts-based activities to ensure children and families can share their experiences in ways that work for them.

The ultimate aim is to create practical, scalable improvements that make it easier for children with complex health needs and their families to navigate services, reducing stress and improving outcomes at critical moments in their lives.

Sign up to the newsletter here where you can follow the SPROCKET journey and look out for paid opportunities to participate in workshops and interviews.