Editorial perspective: Facilitating access to mental health research participation for children in care: Lessons from...

Children in care have historically been under-represented in mental health research, despite high levels of need. Consequently, there is a lack of high-quality empirical evidence to drive advocacy, practise, and policy, and the direct voice of children in care is often absent. In this Editorial Perspective, we outline three key areas of consideration, that must be understood and addressed to maximise the success of primary mental health research with this group of children. Specifically, we focus on: capacity issues in children's social care and partnership working; consent and assent procedures; and supporting children in care through mental health research. The paper is informed by the ReThink Project, a longitudinal mixed-methods study involving 450 care-experienced young people across 13 local authorities in England and Wales. The issues and solutions we discuss have implications for future study design, including timelines and funding.