King's College London

Early, Brief Interventions to Reduce Daily Stress (EarlyBIRDS) is a collaboration between academics at King's College London, community organisers at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, and four community youth organisations in Croydon and Lambeth (CHIPS, I AM IN ME, Juvenis and Reaching Higher). The project is supported by the Maudsley Charity's "Building Brighter Futures" Fund for 2.5 years from March 2026.

The project aims to co-design, implement and evaluate a suite of Single-Session Interventions (SSIs) for 16-19-year-olds showing emerging signs of depression and/or anxiety. These interventions will provide rapid, evidence-based psychological help in a brief online format, with guidance from trained youth workers.

The project builds on a growing international evidence base suggesting that SSIs are a scalable approach to addressing youth mental health difficulties before they escalate. SSIs offer immediate, targeted help without requiring follow-up appointments or repeat use. While SSIs have shown promising outcomes in other countries, they have been relatively under-utilised in UK contexts.

SSIs may be particularly valuable in the current landscape, given that one in five young people now live with a probable mental health condition. Specialist clinical pathways are under significant pressure, leaving many young people facing lengthy waits before they can access mental health care. At the same time, existing early-help provision may not always be readily available, accessible or acceptable to young people.

By combining an efficient digital delivery platform with trusted relationships, EarlyBIRDS has the potential to reduce barriers to accessing timely mental health support, particularly for those living in challenging circumstances who might not otherwise receive an appropriate early intervention.

What is the project goal?

EarlyBIRDS will develop three complementary SSIs incorporating distinct psychological ingredients for managing low mood, anxiety and contextually relevant stressors.

The SSIs will be promoted through youth workers, who will also assist young people in applying newly learned psychological concepts and coping skills in everyday life. This approach will equip youth workers with practical, evidence-based tools while extending structured psychological support into community settings.

External partners

• Neil Balmer, Co-investigator, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
• Karlys Thompson, Site Lead, Reaching Higher
• Alex Cameron, Site Co-Lead, CHIPS
• Marcellina Priadi, Site Co-Lead, CHIPS
• Sasha Gay Smith, Site Lead, I AM IN ME
• Ebinehita Lyere, Site Co-Lead, Juvenis/Milk Honey Bees
• Winston Goode, Site Co-Lead, Juvenis

Partners

• CAMHS Digital Lab
• Christian International Peace Service (CHIPS)
• I AM IN ME
• Juvenis
• Milk Honey Bees
• Reaching Higher
• South London Listens (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust)

Young People's Advisory Group

EarlyBIRDS benefits from a Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) comprising eight young people (aged 16–19 years) from the four partner community organisations. The group meets regularly and provides feedback on the project’s plans and deliverables, ensuring that activities are feasible, appropriate and aligned with young people’s priorities and preferences.

As of August 2026, the YPAG has contributed feedback on potential SSI templates and the planning of co-design workshops. In addition, some YPAG members have taken on Youth Researcher roles to co-facilitate the workshops. The Youth Researchers help to foster a safe and supportive environment, encouraging participants to share their views and experiences openly.

Preparatory work leading to this project

A series of community engagement events were organised in 2025 to explore the feasibility and acceptability of SSIs. A “Talking Circle” event brought together representatives from youth-focused community organisations and health and social care stakeholders in South London. The image below is a visual representation of the event.

The event included relationship-building activities, a demonstration of SSIs, group feedback, and collaborative discussions about how SSIs could achieve positive outcomes for young people in community settings. This process led directly to the formation of a collaborative consortium of academics, NHS staff and community partners, which subsequently secured funding for EarlyBIRDS.

The EarlyBIRDS proposal was also shaped through consultation meetings with young people across Croydon and Lambeth. These sessions used activities and guided discussions to explore young people’s views on the potential strengths and limitations of SSIs, as well as their preferences for content and delivery. The image below is a visual representation of the young people's focus group.

Young people expressed a strong preference for a blended delivery model combining digital materials with brief relational support. They also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the digital SSI platform was creative, engaging and accessible.