G534(P) A model for city-wide implementation of intensive behavioural intervention to improve sleep in vulnerable children

Aim A partnership involving a Children’s Trust, the City Council and a Sleep Charity evaluated a behavioural intervention to provide support to parent/carers and young people to improve sleep patterns. Methods The intervention entailed basic education about sleep, a one-to-one session with a sleep practitioner to create an individual sleep programme and telephone support to empower the parent to carry out the sleep programme at home. Results 39 children completed the intervention and evaluation, median age 8.56 years (range 1.82–15.75 years). 79.5% were male. 75% had a diagnosis of ADHD or were awaiting assessment, the remaining 25% were Looked After or Adopted Children (of whom 10% also had ADHD). Parents’ ratings of their child’s ability to self-settle to sleep improved from 1.13/10 to 6.73/10 after the intervention (MD 5.62, 95% confidence intervals 4.56–6.69, p The primary word used to describe the mood of the child on wakening before the intervention was ‘grumpy’ and after the intervention was ‘happy’. The impact of sleep deprivation on the parents’ wellbeing improved for all measures. The overall WEMWBS score improved significantly following the intervention (MD 8.84, 95% CI 5.32–12.36, p Conclusion The evaluation gave us confidence in the delivery model. ‘Regular telephone calls and support’ and ‘Learning about sleep’ were the main positive factors. Our partnership working brought together the individual strengths, drive and passion that were critical for delivery, planning, and influencing better provision for families. We have established a strategic group to support local implementation and produced a draft delivery model which we believe is replicable for other areas.