Meeting of minds: imagining the future of child and youth mental health research from an early career perspective

Child and youth mental health is an international public health and research priority. We are an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral network of UK-based early career researchers (ECRs) with an interest in child and youth mental health research. In this paper, we reflect on ongoing challenges and areas for growth, offering recommendations for key stakeholders in our field including researchers, institutions, and funders. We present a vision from an ECR perspective of what child and youth mental health research could look like moving forward and we explore how the research infrastructure can support ECRs and the wider research field in making this vision a reality. We focus specifically on a) embracing complexity; b) centering diverse voices; and c) facilitating sustainable research environments and funding systems. We present recommendations for all key partners to consider alongside their local contexts and communities to actively and collaboratively drive progress and transformative change.