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Background: A growing body of research has identified family interventions to be effective in treating young people’s substance use problems. However, despite this evidence, take-up of family-based approaches in the UK has been low. Key factors for this appear to include the resource-intensive nature of most family interventions which challenges implementation and delivery in many service settings and the cultural adaptation of approaches developed in the USA to a UK setting. This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting young people to a specifically developed family- and wider social network-based intervention by testing an adapted version of adult social behaviour and network therapy (SBNT).\ud \ud \ud Methods: A pragmatic, randomised controlled, open feasibility trial delivered in two services for young people in the UK. Potential participants are aged 12–18 years referred for drug or alcohol problems to either service. The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting young people to a specifically developed family and social network-based intervention. The feasibility and acceptability of this intervention will be measured by recruitment rates, treatment retention, follow-up rates and qualitative interviews. The feasibility of training staff from existing services to deliver this intervention will be explored. Using this opportunity to compare the effectiveness of the intervention against treatment as usual, Timeline Follow-Back interviews will document the proportion of days on which the main problem substance was used in the preceding 90-day period at each assessment point. The economic component will examine the feasibility of conducting a full incremental cost-effectiveness analysis of the two treatments. The study will also explore and develop models of patient and public involvement which support the involvement of young people in a study of this nature.\ud \ud \ud Discussion: An earlier phase of work adapted social behaviour and network therapy (adult approach) to produce a purpose-designed youth version supported by a therapy manual and associated resources. This was achieved by consultation with young people with experience of services and professionals working in services for young people. This feasibility trial alongside ongoing consultations with young people will offer a meaningful understanding of processes of delivery and implementation.\ud \ud \ud Trial registration: ISRCTN93446265; Date ISRCTN assigned 31/05/2013.

BackgroundA growing body of research has identified family interventions to be effective in treating young people’s substance use problems. However, despite this evidence, take-up of family-based approaches in the UK has been low. Key factors for this appear to include the resource-intensive nature of most family interventions which challenges implementation and delivery in many service settings and the cultural adaptation of approaches developed in the USA to a UK setting. This study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting young people to a specifically developed family- and wider social network-based intervention by testing an adapted version of adult social behaviour and network therapy (SBNT).MethodsA pragmatic, randomised controlled, open feasibility trial delivered in two services for young people in the UK. Potential participants are aged 12–18 years referred for drug or alcohol problems to either service. The main purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of recruiting young people to a specifically developed family and social network-based intervention. The feasibility and acceptability of this intervention will be measured by recruitment rates, treatment retention, follow-up rates and qualitative interviews. The feasibility of training staff from existing services to deliver this intervention will be explored. Using this opportunity to compare the effectiveness of the intervention against treatment as usual, Timeline Follow-Back interviews will document the proportion of days on which the main problem substance was used in the preceding 90-day period at each assessment point. The economic component will examine the feasibility of conducting a full incremental cost-effectiveness analysis of the two treatments. The study will also explore and develop models of patient and public involvement which support the involvement of young people in a study of this nature.DiscussionAn earlier phase of work adapted social behaviour and network therapy (adult approach) to produce a purpose-designed youth version supported by a therapy manual and associated resources. This was achieved by consultation with young people with experience of services and professionals working in services for young people. This feasibility trial alongside ongoing consultations with young people will offer a meaningful understanding of processes of delivery and implementation.Trial registrationISRCTN93446265; Date ISRCTN assigned 31/05/2013.KeywordsFeasibility study Young people Alcohol Drugs Acceptability Social behaviour and network therapy Randomised controlled trial Patient and public involvement PPI

A report on Generation R, a national Young Person’s Advisory Group (YPAG) (GenerationR, 2014), identified\ud the need “to develop a systematic way to measure the impact of [young people’s] involvement activities”\ud (Recommendation 10, GenerationR, 2014). Following previous unsuccessful attempts to address this issue,\ud the James Lind Initiative commissioned this project to investigate the feasibility of measuring young people’s\ud involvement in National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) studies.\ud The project sought to identify data currently collected on the nature and impact of young people’s\ud involvement by the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Children (CRN Children), and consider the scope for\ud future data collection across NIHR.\ud Stage 1 of this work assessed the availability, quality and reliability of existing data in the CRN Children\ud portfolio through analysis of data available through the CRN Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS),\ud the CRN Closed Study Evaluation Survey and the GenerationR YPAGs. A significant finding is that there is\ud currently no way of identifying through existing CRN data collections or via GenerationR YPAGs which\ud studies have involved young people, or indeed whether studies have involved young people in addition to\ud parents, let alone assessing what form that involvement may have taken, who was involved or any impacts\ud of involvement.\ud Stage 2 involved a qualitative exploration of the issues and questions which had emerged from Stage 1\ud through conversations with key stakeholders from across NIHR. This work identified a need to better collate,\ud understand and disseminate data on the nature and impact of young people's involvement in research using\ud both existing systems and processes and the possible development of new metrics and measures. We found\ud that NIHR data collection systems currently provide little scope to do more than identify whether or not\ud there has been any public involvement. But there is potential within existing systems and processes to\ud collect comparable data across studies on the nature, impact and influence of public involvement. This\ud includes the suggested addition of a demographic measure on public involvement in the CPMS and the\ud Integrated Research Application System which informs it, and in monitoring information including\ud ResearchFish. NIHR funding applications, monitoring and reports also offer potential for secondary\ud qualitative analysis of ‘free text’ information on the nature and impact of public involvement. A study\ud recording form developed as part of an evaluation of the GenerationR YPAGs could be used to collect\ud comparable information on the nature and impact of researchers’ work with YPAGs. Further research could\ud address many of the issues raised and have wider applicability across NIHR public involvement, as well as\ud generating specific learning on the nature, extent and impact of young people’s involvement in research.