The research team would like to thank all the local authority staff and social work team members who helped to screen and maintain contact with the young people, the drug and alcohol practitioners whom delivered the interventions, and the young people and carers who took part in the research.
The research team give thanks to the members of the study management group and the Trial Steering Group for their involvement throughout the research.
The research team would also like to thank Dr Gillian Tober, who was involved in the intervention development phase of the study, the training of the drug and alcohol practitioners and the provision of clinical supervision to practitioners; Professor Janet Shucksmith for her involvement in the development of the formative phase of the study prior to her retirement; Louise Carr for her involvement in the recruitment of children in care within the formative phase of the study; Dr Frauke Becker for her involvement in the design of the economic components of the study; and Professor Luke Vale for his contribution to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group.
Contributions of authors
Hayley Alderson (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4674-561X) (Research Associate and SOLID Project Manager) project managed the study and led the report writing.
Eileen Kaner (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7169-9344) (Professor of Public Health Research) the current chief investigator, took overall responsibility for the study and co-writing the report.
Rebecca Brown (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3424-3679) (Research Associate, Qualitative Research) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, carried out data collection, co-analysed data and co-drafted Chapter 1 of the final report.
Denise Howel (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0033-548X) (Senior Lecturer, Statistics) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, supervised the statistical component of the research, carried out statistical analysis and co-drafted the trial chapters.
Elaine McColl (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8300-3204) (Professor of Health Services Research and previously Director of the Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit, Methodology) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group.
Deborah Smart (https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6354-2382) (Research Assistant) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, and carried out data collection.
Alex Copello (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3788-7197) (Honorary Professor of Addiction Research/Consultant Clinical Psychologist) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, and co-developed the interventions.
Tony Fouweather (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2292-0495) (Statistics) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, contributed to the statistical component of the research, carried out statistical analysis, and co-drafted Chapters 4 and 5.
Ruth McGovern (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4119-4353) (Senior Research Interventionist, Interventionist and Qualitative Researcher) contributed to the design of the study, conduct of the trial and Project Management Group, and co-developed the interventions.
Heather Brown (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0067-991X) (Senior Lecturer) drafted Chapter 7 and contributed to the conduct of the trial and Project Management Group.
Paul McArdle (https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0600-9914) (Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist) contributed to the design of the study, and conduct of the trial and Project Management Group.
Raghu Lingam (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0161-793X) (Professor of Population Child Health) was the original chief investigator on the study, and took overall responsibility for the study and co-writing of the report.
All authors read and agreed the final draft report.
Publications
Alderson H, McGovern R, Brown R, Howel D, Becker F, Carr L, et al. Supporting Looked After Children and Care Leavers In Decreasing Drugs, and alcohol (SOLID): a pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of interventions to decrease risky substance use (drugs and alcohol) and improve mental health of looked after children and care leavers aged 12–20 years (protocol). Pilot Feasibility Stud 2017;3(25).
Alderson H, Brown R, Copello A, Kaner E, Tober G, Lingam R, McGovern R. Supporting Looked After Children and Care Leavers In Decreasing Drugs, and Alcohol (SOLID): the key therapeutic factors needed to deliver behavioural change interventions to decrease risky substance use (drug and alcohol) for looked after children and care leavers: a qualitative exploration with young people, carers and front line workers. BMC Med Res Methodol 2019;19:38.
Brown R, Alderson H, Kaner E, McGovern, Lingam R. ‘There are carers and carers who actually care’; conceptualisations of care among looked after children and care leavers, professionals and carers. Child Abuse Negl 2019;9:219–29.
lderson H, Brown R, Smart D, Lingam R, Dovey-Pearce G. ‘You’ve come to children that are in care and given us the opportunity to get our voices heard’. The journey of looked after children and researchers in developing a Patient and public involvement group. Health Expectat 2019;22:657–65.
Alderson H, Kaner E, McColl E, Howel D, Fouweather T, McGovern R, et al. A pilot feasibility randomised controlled trial of two behaviour change interventions compared to usual care to reduce substance misuse in looked after children and care leavers aged 12–20 years: The SOLID study. PLoS ONE 2020;15:e0238286.
Data-sharing statement
The data sets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Disclaimers
This report presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The views and opinions expressed by authors in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the PHR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care. If there are verbatim quotations included in this publication the views and opinions expressed by the interviewees are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect those of the authors, those of the NHS, the NIHR, NETSCC, the PHR programme or the Department of Health and Social Care.