Can a navigator bridge the gap to child mental health care?
NCT ID NCT05294042
First seen Aug 17, 2026 · Last updated Aug 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether patient navigators—trained community members who help families find and use services—can improve access to mental health care for African American and Latinx children (ages 0-14) in high-poverty urban areas. The navigators work with caregivers to reduce practical and attitudinal barriers, such as transportation issues or stigma. The study compares families who receive navigation to those on a waitlist, tracking whether they start and attend services, and measuring changes in caregiver attitudes, empowerment, and child well-being over 18 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Patient navigation services provided by paraprofessionals with community knowledge
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this model could reduce racial and ethnic disparities in children's mental health care by helping families overcome barriers to starting and staying in treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a relatively small study, and the success of navigation may depend on the specific community and agency setting, so results may not apply broadly. There is also a chance that navigation may not significantly improve service use or outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 154 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2022
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Up to 14 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * African American and Latinx Children between 0 and 14 years of age and their caregiver * New referrals on the waitlist for outpatient mental health services; families interested and engaged in social services from two state supported projects. * Have been screened and deemed appropriate for services at one of two social service participating community mental health agencies; or engaged in services via navigation projects Exclusion Criteria: * N/A
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Illinois at Chicago
RECRUITINGChicago, Illinois, 60608, United States
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