Invitation to Tender for the development of a bespoke Youth Mental Health Intervention

Context: Nova is CDI’s youth mental health programme, which focuses on examining and developing a multi-tiered approach to working with school avoidance, particularly where young people have challenges attending school due to negative feelings (such as anxiety). Nova was piloted from 2022-2025 with nine primary and post primary schools across Dublin 24. The programme offers a three-tiered continuum of support: a universal intervention (School Avoidance Toolkit), a targeted intervention (FRIENDS programmes), and a direct intervention (Meitheal model). Additional supports include the development of Communities of Practice in schools and oversight structures to ensure a diverse range of school and agency stakeholders informed the design and delivery of the Nova Programme. Nova’s overall programme objectives during the pilot phase were:  Improved student wellbeing and school engagement  Children show improved school engagement following engagement in the Meitheal process  Improved systems for early intervention to manage school avoidance  Effective interagency practice model developed to respond to school avoidance  Decreased parental stress in relation to child school engagement and wellbeing. As part of a pilot review of the Nova Programme, the need was identified to develop a new Tier-2 intervention for children and young people in secondary school. While the FRIENDS programmes were effective and acceptable in primary school settings, there is a gap in the literature and practice for an evidence-informed and effective youth mental health intervention for secondary schools. Therefore, the current tender seeks an applicant to fully develop and pilot a Tier-2 Youth Mental Health intervention for students in Irish secondary schools, and non-formal settings such as Youthreach. The Task: The current tender seeks an applicant to lead the development and piloting of an evidence informed youth mental health intervention for Irish secondary school aged young people. The intervention should be 8-10 weeks in duration (length to be determined in conjunction with the project working group), and be delivered by teachers and/or educators within the secondary school (or other) context. The successful applicant will:  Undertake a literature review which will identify the underpinning approaches which are best suited to targeting young peoples’ (age 12-16) mental health, with a particular focus on improving resilience and decreasing anxiety  Develop a targeted intervention, which may be delivered at whole class or small group level (delivery model to be agreed with the project advisory group)  Develop all accompanying materials, which may include a Train the Trainers Manual, teacher’s Handbook, student Workbook, Parents’ Information Pack, or other supplemental materials. Innovative approaches to materials, such as online resources or tools are welcome  Develop a training and ongoing reflective practice package for teachers wishing to facilitate the intervention in their classrooms  Prepare and submit for ethical approval to pilot the programme with 4 secondary schools in Tallaght, including development of relevant data collection tools and processes (e.g., consent forms, information sheets, online surveys)  Collect and analyse data from the pilot phase, amend materials to reflect this learning and submit a report with recommendations for next steps. The above processes should be underpinned by a commitment to the meaningful engagement of young people, parents and professionals, and a collaborative co-production approach.