Recovery Characterisation and Testing (RECOLLECT): Results of a global cross-sectional study

Daniel HAYES³, Holly HUNTER-BROWN¹, Elizabeth CAMACHO⁴, Clara DE RUYSSCHER², Claire HENDERSON¹, Mike SLADE⁵

¹King's College London, London, United Kingdom
²Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
³University College London, London, United Kingdom
⁴University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
⁵University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Background – Recovery colleges aim to support the personal recovery journeys of persons with mental health problems through coproduced adult education. Since their initial development in England in 2009, recovery colleges have been set up in several countries worldwide. Nevertheless, international research on recovery colleges remains scant. The overarching objective of the global RECOLLECT study was to build understanding of organizational and student characteristics, fidelity and costs within the context of recovery colleges globally.

Methods – This study applied a cross-sectional design. All countries in which recovery colleges exist were identified. Recovery college managers completed the survey, including questions regarding organizational and student characteristics, fidelity to the RECOLLECT Fidelity Measure, funding models and unit costs. Regression models were used to explore continental differences in fidelity, using England as reference group.

Results – 221 recovery colleges were identified across 28 countries, of which 174 (79%) participated in the study. Most recovery colleges scored highly on fidelity. Overall scores for fidelity, coproduction and being tailored to the student were lower for recovery colleges in Asia compared to England. Annual budgets varied considerably within and between continents, ranging from €0 to €2.550.000. Based on the included data, reported annual budgets added up to €30 million, providing 19864 courses for 55161 students.

Discussion – Recovery colleges exist in many countries. There is an emerging global consensus on key operating principles, especially equality and commitment to recovery, and on the fact that recovery colleges facilitate the development of recovery-oriented systems of support. Most recovery colleges achieve moderate to high fidelity to the original model, regardless of the economic status of their country. When evaluating coproduction and tailoring support approaches, it is essential to take into account cultural differences.