Annie Hedges, Fellow, The Office for Public Management
Annie currently leads research on mental health and disability in OPM’s research team. She takes a particular interest in child and adolescent mental health, wellbeing in young people and communities and involving children and young people in organisations and decision making processes.

Recently, Annie completed in-depth research in a local authority with young adults with autism and their families about their experiences of services, views on transitions between child and adult services and their aspirations for independent living. The research also combined examples of good practice in other local authority areas to inform the authority’s commissioning strategy.

During the National CAMHS Review, Annie led the involvement of children and adolescents with mental health problems in the Review through focus groups, a web forum and a steering group of young people. Annie is particularly interested in how young people can be supported to carry out peer research to inform commissioning and service improvement.

Annie joined OPM from the Witness Service, a national charity, where she set up and managed a pilot project providing support to vulnerable witnesses attending court in East Sussex. During this time, she gained an MSc in Voluntary Sector Organisation at the London School of Economics exploring the role and nature of the voluntary sector in the UK. Annie is currently studying part time for an MA in Child Psychotherapy at the Institute for Arts and Therapy in Education in North London.