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Around a quarter of young people aged 11 to 15 reported that they had a long-term illness or disability lasting at least 6 months in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in England in 2018. [1] Similar figures (27.5%) were reported for 11- to 16-year-olds who said they had a condition that was lasting or was expected to last 12 months or more in the Northern Irish Young Person’s Behaviour and Attitude Survey. [2] Of those who reported having a long-term illness or disability in the HBSC study, 30% said that their condition affected their school attendance and/or participation. Attendance at school is key to children’s health and wellbeing through enabling learning and socialising with peers. [3,4] Children with chronic health conditions are more likely to be absent from school and have poorer attainment. [5,6]. Absence can occur as a direct consequence of ill health, medical appointments, or hospitalisations, however, factors other than absence may contribute to worse educational outcomes for children with chronic conditions. These include: the nature of the condition itself; how well students are supported by school staff both emotionally and in keeping up with school work; students’ ability to self-manage their condition and their wellbeing; social support for students from their friends and classmates; and the quality of communication between teachers, parents and students. [7–13] Chronic health problems are defined in this study as any physical or mental health condition that has required healthcare input for one year or more. Although different chronic health problems may have differential impacts on young people’s ability to attend school, national policies highlight that young people with the same health condition might have diverse needs. [4,14,15]

Adolescence and young adulthood are characterised by extensive physiological, cognitive, emotional, and social development which shape young people’s health behaviours in adult life (Giedd et al. 1999; Blakemore and Mills 2014; Akasaki et al. 2019; Tanner and Arnett 2017). Primary care can be the first and only point of contact with health care services for children and young people. Unmet health care needs in adolescence are common and are an independent predictor of poor adult health (Hargreaves et al. 2015; Ghafari et al. 2022). Poor experiences of primary care for young people are associated with poorer self-reported health outcomes (Yassaee et al. 2017). Barriers to accessing primary care include young people lacking knowledge of health risks and how to access care and being highly sensitivity to confidentiality breaches (Patton et al. 2016). Adolescents and young adults value patient-centred care that is: delivered by professionals who are welcoming and inclusive, considerate and non-judgmental; well explained and available services are publicised; appropriately co-ordinated with other services; where young people are involved in care decisions; their privacy is ensured; and care is provided in a convenient, safe and appealing environment (World Health Organization 2002; Hargreaves 2011). There are marked differences in health within different adolescent groups, with poverty, gender, and social marginalisation important determinants (Patton et al. 2016). For example, young people in care face multiple adversities and have higher levels of health needs than young people living at home (Meltzer et al. 2003; Martin et al. 2014). Higher needs do not equate to greater use of health services; populations differ in their levels of unmet need and ability to access services. For example, young people with chronic health conditions have greater access to health and yet greater unmet needs, including a need for mental health support (Silver and Stein 2001; Farmer et al. 2004). A deeper understanding of the unmet needs of specific groups and their access to primary care will enable more inclusive service planning and development.

This scoping review aims to draw together the available evidence on the views of CYP, parents, and health professionals on the facilitators and barriers to CYP accessing primary care services.

A review of tools/ measures currently being used to measure core outcomes in domestic abuse support for children and families in the UK and internationally.

While the association between domestic abuse and mental health problems in parents and children is acknowledged, we do not know whether or how services work together to address this relationship from a whole family perspective. The aim of this policy scoping review is to summarise the most recent policies and guidelines to understand the policy context for potential or actual collaboration between primary care, adult mental health services, CAMHS and DVA services provision for children exposed to IPV.

This rapid review will synthesise available evidence on the views of children, parents and school staff on the challenges faced by children with chronic health conditions and how schools currently or potentially could address these.

Research question: What core indicators and outcomes should be used to evaluate and monitor programmes and practice to prevent child maltreatment or domestic violence and abuse, and associated adverse effects on long-term health and wellbeing?

This rapid review will summarise the most recent policies and guidelines relating to children with chronic conditions in schools, with a focus on attendance and absence. The findings will provide context for the second scoping review and a point of comparison with school staff, parental and child perspectives on the relationship between absence and learning.

This scoping review aims to describe the current evidence landscape on the utilisation of primary care services by CYP patients, and any associations that may exist between service use and the characteristics of CYP and their families.

Previous work indicates that the focus (parent/carer or child focused response) and comfort of professionals responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) and its associated mental health impacts, can vary greatly. [1–3] Further there is often a lack of co-ordination between health and care services in relation to this group of vulnerable families, resulting in a lack of perceived candidacy for services and access to support. [4] This work will provide the foundation for research seeking to improve the identification of and response to IPV and mental health difficulties in different settings that have contact with affected families.