Here are some common questions about the iCATS project. Please do contact us if you have any further questions or would like to know more.
Please see the background information on iCATS here.
We will ask children, teachers and parents to complete some questionnaires. After completing the questionnaires, children will have a lesson when they learn about everyday fears and worries and how to manage them. We will offer parents free online and telephone support. A few months later, we will ask all children, teachers and parents to complete some questionnaires again.
We will also ask some parents, children and teachers to take part in separate interviews or discussion groups. Parents can find out more here. Schools can find out more here.
We are a team of researchers from the University of Oxford. The project is led by Professor Cathy Creswell.
The project is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR).
Yes. All information we collect will be kept secure and in confidence.
For more information about how we keep your information safe, please see our Privacy Notice.
Children will complete a questionnaire which includes questions about the child’s experiences of fears, worries or anxiety, as well as some questions about other feelings, behaviours and their health. The questionnaires will take about 30 minutes.
After completing the questionnaires, children will have a lesson where they learn about everyday fears and worries and how to manage them. We will ask children to complete similar questionnaires again later in the project.
Parents will be asked to complete some questionnaires, which includes questions about how much their child experiences anxiety, information about their family and some additional questions about their child’s health, feelings, behaviour and use of services, and their health. We will also ask for their contact details so we can get in touch.
We may also arrange to talk to the parent on the telephone and will offer them a free online intervention. We will ask parents to complete some questionnaires again later in the project.
We will also ask some parents and children to take part in separate interviews or discussion groups. Parents can find out more here.
Teachers will be asked to complete some short questionnaires about each child in their class who is taking part. Questionnaires will take a few minutes per child.
We will also ask teachers to provide some background information about themselves.
We will ask teachers to complete some questionnaires again later in the project. Schools can find out more here.
All children in a Year 4 class that is taking part in the project are eligible. All children will be invited to take part unless their parent/carer decides to opt-out.
Yes! We would like as many children as possible to be involved – we want children who do and don’t struggle with anxiety to take part.
Let your child’s school know. Parents receive an information leaflet about the project from the school, together with instructions on how to opt-out.
That’s fine – you can stop taking part at any point and you can let the team know.