COVID-19 Study parent/carer focus group
Are you a parent of a child/young person returning to school primary/secondary or sixth form school in September? We would like to hear your thoughts and concerns in a focus group about a research study looking at the potential transmission of COVID-19 in schools.
Background information:
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (CRN) is helping to develop a possible study looking at the transmission of COVID-19 in school children. We are undertaking some preparatory work to inform the design of such a study should it be deemed necessary. A writing group has been established to determine what questions need to be addressed, and what steps need to be taken to answer them. It is proposed that a study involving regular testing of school children for the presence of the virus would be necessary to provide information on how transmission occurs in children within the school environment.
As such a study would require the participation of children, families and schools, we wish to consult with all of these groups to see how feasible such a study would be to undertake, to explore whether children, families and schools would find the requirements of the study acceptable, and to find out if they would be likely to participate in such a study should it go ahead. It is also important to explore the logistics of involving schools and families in a study that would require collection and storage of saliva samples, so views on the practicalities of the proposed study would also need to be gathered.
The views on a series of questions will be gathered, and the discussions will be transcribed, or maybe recorded, to allow all comments to be captured. A summary of the views expressed will be collated into a report but no names or identifying details will be included and comments will not be attributed to individuals.
Focus group:
A one-hour focus group will take place on the 26th August at 4.00-5.00pm via zoom.
Participants will be provided with a short summary of the proposed study in advance by way of background information. A small honorarium (£50) will be provided to each participant and payment will be arranged by completion of a claim form which will require details of the participant’s name, home address and bank details so that payment can be made directly into the individual’s bank account. The University of Liverpool has been commissioned by the NIHR to undertake the focus groups and therefore payments will be processed via the University of Liverpool’s finance systems.
If you are interested please contact Jennifer.preston@liverpool.ac.uk as soon as possible.