{
  "abstract": "Background The transition from primary to secondary school is a major developmental milestone, often associated with identity shifts, complex academic and social demands and navigating larger school environments. For children with medical conditions, these challenges may be compounded by health-related factors affecting attendance, peer relationships, and adjustment. There is limited research on the experiences of young people with medical conditions and how to best support them. This project piloted a primary-secondary school transitions group designed to support young people with medical conditions, and their parents, to explore acceptability and potential benefits.Method A parent-child transitions workshop was co-facilitated by the psychology team at Great Ormond Street Hospital across specialties. The group included separate parent and child sessions, followed by a joint celebration to conclude. Activities included discussion of hopes and fears, sharing coping strategies, and peer support. Pre- and post-group questionnaires assessed children’s confidence, worries and readiness and parent’s awareness of transition challenges, confidence in supporting their child, communication with professionals, and use of strategies. Additional qualitative feedback was collected.Results 11 families were invited, with seven parents and five children attending the workshop. Seven parents completed pre-group measures and five completed post-group, while all children completed pre- and/or post-group measures. Across all domains, mean scores from pre- to post-group increased for parents and children, suggesting improvements in confidence, communication, and use of strategies. Children rated the group as highly helpful (M = 8.6/10) and parents as moderately helpful (M = 6.4/10). Qualitative feedback highlighted the value of peer support, normalising shared worries, and practical strategies to manage health needs.Conclusions Preliminary findings from this pilot project suggest a school transitions group may be a feasible and acceptable intervention for parents and young people with medical conditions. Further evaluation of future groups is recommended to establish effectiveness and longer-term outcomes.Acknowledgements for Funding or Support With thanks to Dr Kristina Soon, Great Ormond Street Hospital.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Jan-Sher Bhatti"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Royal Holloway University of London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sheli Algranati"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Morgan Zolkwer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Gary Burgess"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Suzy Gray"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University College London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Leila Hamza"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of East London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Natalie Richards"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University College London, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Zoe Thomas"
    }
  ],
  "title": "85 Supporting young people with medical conditions during the primary-to-secondary school transition: A pilot group for parents and children",
  "uid": "29200664-de4c-5e7e-a893-a4162b17ec57"
}