Using health and well-being data to support improvements in mental health in schools 

Welcome to the SHINE September 2026 Newsletter

• SHINE/ABSAIL presentation: International School Attendance Network Conference, Alicante.
• SHINE presentation: SHARE network (NIHR MH Research Incubator fund University of Oxford)
• SHINE events in 2026 - 27
  • SHINE webinar series: Optimizing future thinking to achieve positive goals: a new resource for school communities. Today 30th September at 16.00pm
  • It Takes a Village launch - register now for the Hospital to Community International Conference in Glasgow on 10th November 2026
• New research opportunities for 2026/27
  • Safer tech - survey to better understand the impact of tech on mental health and wellbeing (for young people aged 16+ years)
• HBSC 2026 - data collection now finished. Thank you to participants. National report coming in 2027

Dr Judith Brown, SHINE & ABSAIL Project Manager, will present findings from the ABSAIL (Addressing Barriers to School  Attendance to Improve Long-term outcomes) project at the International Network for School Attendance (INSA) 2026 Conference this week in Alicante, Spain. The theme of the conference is "On course for attendance!"

The International Network for School Attendance (INSA) promotes school attendance and responds to school attendance problems. The network compiles, generates, evaluates, and disseminates information, assessment, and intervention strategies. Judith Brown and Dawn Haughton from SHINE have recently taken on the role of country hosts representing Scotland in the international network.

Judith's presentation  "Exploring effective school-based approaches to support young people experiencing emotionally-based school non-attendance" will showcase the work of the ABSAIL project and associated results in the School Responses and Professional Practice session. The packed  program will bring together academics and practitioners from around the world over three days to share practice around understanding and supporting attendance. ABSAIL was funded by the Chief Scientist Office.

With presentations from the Welsh SHRN network based at the University of Cardiff and the WISDOM network based at the University of Oxford alongside SHINE from the University of Glasgow, it was both interesting and reassuring to hear one key message running through all three presentations: successful school-based health research has to have a mutual benefit for the participating school in addressing a shared health agenda priority.

We are extremely proud of and grateful for the relationships we have built up with Scottish schools and Local Authorities over the last 8 years and would like to take the opportunity to thank all network members for their continued, invaluable support to health research in Scotland. Over the course of this year, we will be making research briefings, training resources, reports and new lesson plans available via our website - none of this could happen without the collaboration, insights and engagement from our wonderful network. Thank you!

Research events for 2026-27

The 13th SHINE webinar will introduce and launch a new free resource for school communities, which has been co-developed by health researchers from the University of Glasgow Mental Health and Wellbeing Unit in tandem with staff and young people from schools in East Ayrshire Council.

This is a wellbeing resource that teachers can use to facilitate psychoeducation around helpful ways of thinking to manage emotions, support engagement with positive goal pursuit, and maintain positive wellbeing. It is meant to support pupils in practicing helpful thinking about future events, supporting pupils in setting intentions, planning, and approaching situations that can help them achieve positive goals.

In the webinar, Dr Jala Rizeq, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology, and Dawn Haughton, SHINE Network Manager, will showcase the new resource, explaining the research rationale underpinning it, the guidelines for use and how the activities, power points and worksheets can be used either with a class at universal level or in a small group or individual setting for a more personalised approach. We are delighted to be joined by Catrina O'Neill, Health and Wellbeing Coordinator for East Ayrshire Council, who will share insights from the perspective of the schools which participated in the research

There will be an initial presentation of the resource, followed by an opportunity for Q&A, feedback and discussion with attendees. We hope that you will join us!

Join us in Glasgow on Tuesday 10^th November 2026 for the launch conference of It Takes a Village, our innovative new research programme aiming to involve the community in scaling up child and adolescent mental health services.

Come and hear from some of the leading voices in child mental health and community mental health interventions including:

• Professor Vikram Patel. Professor and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School
• Professor Prathiba Chitsabesan (FRCPsych). National Clinical Director for Children and Young People’s Mental Health (NHS England).
• Professor Rory O’Connor, Head of Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Group at the University of Glasgow

Register here to secure our early bird rate of just £85 (£65 for students).

New Research opportunities for 2026-27

HBSC study

Data collection for the 2026 HBSC Scotland study has now finished. Many thanks to the all the school staff and pupils for being part of the 2026 HBSC study. All participating schools have been sent their HBSC health and wellbeing data report to support health and wellbeing planning and activities within their school.

Findings and trends over time by gender, age and socioeconomic status from the 2026 HBSC survey in Scotland will be available in a National report in 2027. This report and the International report will be available on our website (www.gla.ac.uk/hbscscotland). The data gathered from young people in Scotland and 50 other countries participating in the HBSC study are used by national governments and international agencies such as the World Health Organisation to support policy and programme development.

All the best,

The SHINE Team

Dawn Haughton
Schools Health and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE) Manager

E-mail:  Dawn.Haughton@glasgow.ac.uk
Web:      www.gla.ac.uk/shine
LinkedIN: Schools Heath and Wellbeing Improvement Research Network (SHINE)