Listing of research projects and reports

• read more about We Can Talk About Domestic Abuse: A Pilot Evaluation
  Project

  We Can Talk About Domestic Abuse: A Pilot Evaluation

  The Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU) at Manchester Metropolitan University are conducting a pilot evaluation of Wirral Council's 'We Can Talk About Domestic Abuse' programme
• read more about Springboard: Widening Participation in Higher and Further Education for Young People in Care
  Project

  Springboard: Widening Participation in Higher and Further Education for Young People in Care

  Project Springboard aims to to help young people with care experience see their social identity as compatible with college or university, and to help them feel more supported and informed in their decision-making about college or university.
• read more about Supervision for Designated Safeguarding Leads Scale-up
  Project

  Supervision for Designated Safeguarding Leads Scale-up

  This trial aims to establish the impact of providing a designated social worker to supervise Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) in secondary schools in Greater Manchester.
• read more about Evaluation of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC)
  Project

  Evaluation of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC)

  An impact evaluation of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC), led by NatCen Social Research.
• read more about Happier, Healthier Professionals: Small scale interventions to improve social worker well-being
  Report

  Happier, Healthier Professionals: Small scale interventions to improve social worker well-being

  The Happier, Healthier Professionals (HHP) research programme aims to build evidence around what works for social worker well-being. Three trials were developed in consultation with 35 local authorities across England, with trials launching between April and October 2019.
• read more about A systematic review on safeguarding young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation (CSE) during transitions to adult services
  Project

  A systematic review on safeguarding young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation (CSE) during transitions to adult services

  Authors at Nottingham Trent University aim to identify the difficulties that children and young people, who have been vulnerable to/have experienced child sexual abuse, experience in transitioning from child to adult services.
• read more about A Systematic Review on safeguarding disabled children and young people
  Project

  A Systematic Review on safeguarding disabled children and young people

  A consortium from the universities of Portsmouth, Nottingham Trent, Ann Croft Trust and the University of East Anglia will undertake a review to understand why children with a disability are significantly more at risk of abuse than their peers, and to understand why they are not adequately identified by child care services. The review seeks to understand what factors can improve the outcomes for children with a disability, and if any innovative models of social care are directly applicable to improving the outcomes of children with a disability.
• read more about Systematic Review on Matching in Foster Care
  Project

  Systematic Review on Matching in Foster Care

  The Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) are conducting a systematic review examining the lived experience of connecting children with a foster family, the aspects of this process deemed most important by young people, foster carers and children's social care practitioners, and the evidence on the effectiveness of matching practices.
• read more about Pilot Evaluation of Our Skills
  Project

  Pilot Evaluation of Our Skills

  Our Skills is a family literacy programme which aims to increase the educational attainment and life chances of children in Reception or Year 1 who have a social worker or who have had one in the last six years.
• read more about Flexitime for Social Workers
  Project

  Flexitime for Social Workers

  This pilot project aims to understand how a flexible working model of compressed hours could be effectively implemented for Local Authorities, and to generate evidence of promise that it might be effective in improving social workers’ work-life balance, autonomy and productivity.
• read more about Creative Mentoring Trial Evaluation
  Project

  Creative Mentoring Trial Evaluation

  This project aims to evaluate the impact of 1:1 Creative Mentoring sessions for young people aged 15-18.
• read more about Placing an advisory teacher in Children’s Social Care Pilot
  Project

  Placing an advisory teacher in Children’s Social Care Pilot

  This study is evaluating the Placing an advisory teacher in Children’s Social Care intervention, delivered by Bath and North East Somerset (BANES) Virtual School.
• read more about Evaluation of Creative Life Story Work
  Project

  Evaluation of Creative Life Story Work

  A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of the Blue Cabin model of Creative Life Story Work, which will be implemented in Darlington, Gateshead and South Tyneside from January 2021.
• read more about Transition Support Pilot
  Project

  Transition Support Pilot

  This study is evaluating the Transition Support Programme, developed and delivered by Hartlepool Borough Council.
• read more about Behaviour Outreach Support Service Pilot
  Project

  Behaviour Outreach Support Service Pilot

  The study is evaluating the Behaviour Outreach Support Service (BOSS), delivered by Family Action.
• read more about Supervision of Designated Safeguarding Leads in Primary Schools in Bolton
  Report

  Supervision of Designated Safeguarding Leads in Primary Schools in Bolton

  This study explores the impact of providing regular, individual supervision to Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) in primary schools in Bolton.
• read more about Evaluation of Worcestershire Back to School
  Project

  Evaluation of Worcestershire Back to School

  This implementation and process evaluation and cost study aims to understand the delivery and mechanisms of an intervention providing tailored assessment and support to families to improve school attendance.
• read more about Signs of Potential: Words for All
  Project

  Signs of Potential: Words for All

  An evaluation of the Words for All (WfA) intervention, delivered by Whole Education. WfA trains teachers to deliver vocabulary-focused educational enrichment programmes to improve the attainment of pupils who have or have had a social worker.
• read more about Impact of Signs of Safety on Outcomes for Children
  Report

  Impact of Signs of Safety on Outcomes for Children

  An analysis of the impact of Signs of Safety on outcomes for children and families in 9 local authorities that implemented Signs of Safety as part of the Department for Education’s Innovation Programme.
• read more about Searching for research studies in children’s social care: Some techniques and tools
  Report

  Searching for research studies in children’s social care: Some techniques and tools

  This report looks at five techniques that may help with a search for research studies in children’s social care.
• read more about Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Service Engagement Evaluation
  Project

  Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Service Engagement Evaluation

  A Randomised Controlled Trial of an intervention designed to improve parental engagement with the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) services and process.
• read more about Affordable Maths Tuition
  Project

  Affordable Maths Tuition

  Evaluating the impact of Affordable Maths Tuition on children who have had a social worker on Key Stage 2 maths attainment
• read more about Social Worker Decision-Making
  Project

  Social Worker Decision-Making

  Social workers make decisions that are potentially life-changing for children and families every day, many of which involve making complex judgements about likely future outcomes. However, people generally tend not to be very good at predicting the future: human susceptibility to cognitive bias means that this is a very difficult process and can result in […]
• read more about Unlocking the Facts: Young people referred to Secure Children’s Homes
  Report

  Unlocking the Facts: Young people referred to Secure Children’s Homes

  The report provides a picture of young people in England referred to secure accommodation for welfare reasons - their pathways; their placement in either a secure children's home or alternative accommodation; and their outcomes following referral.
• read more about Social Workers in School Scale-up
  Project

  Social Workers in School Scale-up

  An evaluation which explores the impact of placing social workers in schools on children's social care outcomes and educational outcomes
• read more about Happier Healthier Professionals: Social Workers Inspiring Next Generation
  Project

  Happier Healthier Professionals: Social Workers Inspiring Next Generation

  This project aims to emphasise the shared experiences, challenges and rewarding nature of social work, promoting a sense of professional identity among student and newly qualified social workers.
• read more about Machine Learning in Children’s Services: Does it work?
  Report

  Machine Learning in Children’s Services: Does it work?

  Summary Children’s Services departments have substantial amounts of data available to them. This, combined with advances in computing power and algorithms, opens up the possibility of using machine learning to identify children at risk – allowing social workers to use their time to work directly with families. However, to date it has been unclear just […]
• read more about Systematic review on the effectiveness of policies, programmes or interventions to improve health and psychosocial outcomes for young people leaving the out of home care system
  Project

  Systematic review on the effectiveness of policies, programmes or interventions to improve health and psychosocial outcomes for young people leaving the out of home care system

  A consortium from the Centre for Evidence and Implementation (CEI), Monash University, the Fostering Network and the University of Bristol will be conducting a systematic review on policies, programmes and interventions to improve outcomes for young people leaving the care system. The review aims to synthesise the available learning about what has been shown to work in different contexts for this group, and how policy and practice can be strengthened.
• read more about Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Post-Proceedings Support Pilot
  Project

  Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Post-Proceedings Support Pilot

  A pilot evaluation of the post-proceedings support offered as part of Gloucestershire's Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC).
• read more about Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Parent Mentoring Pilot
  Project

  Family Drug and Alcohol Court – Parent Mentoring Pilot

  A pilot implementation evaluation of the parent mentoring component of the Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDAC).
• read more about Promoting the Retention, Mental Health, and Wellbeing of Child and Family Social Workers: A Systematic Review of Workforce Interventions
  Report

  Promoting the Retention, Mental Health, and Wellbeing of Child and Family Social Workers: A Systematic Review of Workforce Interventions

  A systematic review of interventions designed to improve the retention, mental health and wellbeing of child and family social workers.
• read more about Social Work Health Check
  Project

  Social Work Health Check

  The Social Work Health Check is a survey of social workers across England to understand the practice conditions and working environment of the social work workforce. The survey is based on the Local Government Association (LGA)’s employer standards, a model of workplace wellbeing developed by What Works for Wellbeing, and input from principal social workers (PSWs).
• read more about Social Workers in Schools: An evaluation of a pilot in three local authorities in England
  Report

  Social Workers in Schools: An evaluation of a pilot in three local authorities in England

  Summary This evaluation looked at three pilot projects which embedded social workers in schools. It explored how working in this way might help reduce referrals, support schools, and reduce the need for children to enter care. Schools play a key part in keeping children safe, and tend to be a source of many referrals to […]
• read more about Care-Experienced Young People and Higher Education
  Report

  Care-Experienced Young People and Higher Education

  Summary Care-experienced young people in the United Kingdom are less likely to attend university than peers who have not been in care.  This study set out to find out more about this situation, particularly the expectations care experienced young people held towards university attendance during the years leading up to university application and how these […]
• read more about Devolved Budgets: An Evaluation of Pilots in Three Local Authorities in England
  Report

  Devolved Budgets: An Evaluation of Pilots in Three Local Authorities in England

  The findings of a pilot project evaluating the use of Devolved Budgets to safely reduce the need for children and young people to enter care in three Local Authorities in England
• read more about Family Valued Model – Trial Evaluation
  Project

  Family Valued Model – Trial Evaluation

  Evaluation of the Family Valued Model as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
• read more about Family Safeguarding Model – Trial Evaluation
  Project

  Family Safeguarding Model – Trial Evaluation

  Evaluation of the Family Safeguarding Model as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
• read more about No Wrong Door Model – Trial Evaluation
  Project

  No Wrong Door Model – Trial Evaluation

  Evaluation of the No Wrong Door Model as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
• read more about Outcomes-Focused Supervision: A Pilot and Feasibility Study
  Report

  Outcomes-Focused Supervision: A Pilot and Feasibility Study

  A pilot feasibility study exploring whether and how giving training to supervisors might work to make a positive difference for families, and to test the kinds of research design and outcome measures that would be useful in a larger-scale trial.
• read more about Evaluation of Family Group Conferences at pre-proceedings stage
  Project

  Evaluation of Family Group Conferences at pre-proceedings stage

  Evaluation of Family Group Conferences at pre-proceedings stage, as part of the Department for Education's Supporting Families: Investing in Practice programme
• read more about Evaluation of the Mockingbird programme
  Project

  Evaluation of the Mockingbird programme

  Evaluation of The Fostering Network’s Mockingbird programme, as part of the Department for Education's Supporting Families: Investing in Practice programme
• read more about What Works in Education for Children who have had Social Workers
  Report

  What Works in Education for Children who have had Social Workers

  A re-analysis of data from 63 randomised controlled trials, funded by the EEF, to look at the impacts of educational interventions on the attainment of young people who have had a social worker.
• read more about Impact Of Shared Decision-making Family Meetings On Children’s Out-of-home Care, Family Empowerment and Satisfaction
  Report

  Impact Of Shared Decision-making Family Meetings On Children’s Out-of-home Care, Family Empowerment and Satisfaction

  A review of the international evidence on the outcomes of shared decision-making family meetings.
• read more about Ethics Review of Machine Learning in Children’s Social Care
  Report

  Ethics Review of Machine Learning in Children’s Social Care

  SummaryThis report: Reviews the ethical criteria that would make the use of machine learning (ML) in children’s social care (CSC) justifiable and examines the problematic contexts in which such criteria may not be met; Identifies requirements and best practice for the responsible use of ML in CSC; Presents recommendations for a way forward.  Objectives The […]
• read more about Mapping the evidence about what works to safely reduce the entry of children and young people into statutory care: A systematic scoping review
  Report

  Mapping the evidence about what works to safely reduce the entry of children and young people into statutory care: A systematic scoping review

  Summary The increasing number of children and young people entering statutory care in the UK is a significant social, health and educational priority. Development of effective approaches to safely reduce this number remains a complex but critical issue. Despite an increase in interventions, evidence summaries are limited. This study is a scoping review; using systematic […]
• read more about Safely reducing the need for children to enter care
  Report

  Safely reducing the need for children to enter care

  Summary The number of children entering care has increased substantially over the last 20 years. In 1997 in England there were 50,900 children in care and this had risen to 72,670 in 2017, an increase of 43 per cent. This has led to considerable public expression of concern, including the publication of the recent Care […]
• read more about Signs of Safety: Findings from a mixed-methods systematic review focused on reducing the need for children to be in care
  Report

  Signs of Safety: Findings from a mixed-methods systematic review focused on reducing the need for children to be in care

  Summary Signs of Safety (SoS) is a framework for child protection practice. SoS aims to stabilise and strengthen families through working in collaboration to identify and harness their strengths and resources. This places relationships between social workers and parents at the centre of child protection. Signs of Safety: Findings from a mixed-methods systematic review focussed […]
• read more about Shared Decision-Making: What is good practice in delivering meetings?
  Report

  Shared Decision-Making: What is good practice in delivering meetings?

  Involving families meaningfully in decision-making to keep children safely at home Summary Shared decision-making is a feature of a number of service-delivery models, such as Family Group Conferencing, Family Group Decision-Making and Family Unity Meetings. Underpinning all these models is a commitment to ensuring that children and families are involved in decision-making about their own […]
• read more about How family budget change interventions affect children being in care
  Report

  How family budget change interventions affect children being in care

  Understanding how changes to family budgets can affect the likelihood of children being in care Summary This rapid evidence assessment aims to summarise the research evidence on how changing a family budget can affect the likelihood of children being in care. The evidence included two very different approaches – (1) interventions to increase the money […]
• read more about Overview of administrative data on children’s social care in England
  Report

  Overview of administrative data on children’s social care in England

  Providing an overview of the administrative data on children's social care that exists, how the data is currently used, and suggesting ways it could be used for future research
• read more about No Wrong Door Pilot
  Project

  No Wrong Door Pilot

  Pilot Evaluation of No Wrong Door in Middlesbrough as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme
• read more about Signs of Safety
  Project

  Signs of Safety

  Signs of Safety (SofS) is an approach to child protection that was developed in Australia in the 1990s. It draws on Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and encourages the social worker to work collaboratively with parents / carers, and assess risks and strengths in the family.
• read more about Family Valued Model Pilot
  Project

  Family Valued Model Pilot

  Pilot Evaluation of the Family Valued Model in Darlington as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
• read more about Predictive Analytics
  Project

  Predictive Analytics

  Using case notes to predict outcomes for children involved in social care
• read more about Supporting Good Judgement in Social Work
  Project

  Supporting Good Judgement in Social Work

  Testing online interventions designed to improve social workers' accuracy in forecasting the outcomes from case summaries.
• read more about Family Safeguarding Model Pilot
  Project

  Family Safeguarding Model Pilot

  Pilot Evaluation of the Family Safeguarding Model in Cambridgeshire as part of the Department for Education’s Strengthening Families, Protecting Children (SFPC) programme.
• read more about Happier, Healthier Professionals: Symbolic Awards
  Project

  Happier, Healthier Professionals: Symbolic Awards

  Supporting social care professionals, by studying the impact of letters of gratitude on subjective wellbeing
• read more about Happier, Healthier Professionals: Social Worker Recognition – Coffee
  Project

  Happier, Healthier Professionals: Social Worker Recognition – Coffee

  Supporting social worker professionals by providing free, high-quality tea and coffee in their offices, as a symbol of recognition and appreciation.
• read more about Happier, Healthier Professionals: Goal-setting and Wellbeing Programme
  Project

  Happier, Healthier Professionals: Goal-setting and Wellbeing Programme

  Supporting social care professionals, by trialling a goal-setting and reflection programme to improve wellbeing.
• read more about Devolving budgets to social workers in Darlington
  Project

  Devolving budgets to social workers in Darlington

  Giving social workers in Darlington the freedom to use budgets in creative ways to help children safely remain at home
• read more about Re-analysis of education trials for children’s social care
  Project

  Re-analysis of education trials for children’s social care

  Re-analysing 83 trials from the Education Endowment Foundation with a focus on what works for children in contact with children's social care
• read more about Schwartz Rounds
  Project

  Schwartz Rounds

  Testing the use of a structured forum for discussing the emotional and social aspects of children's social work to improve workforce well-being
• read more about Devolving budgets to social workers in Wigan
  Project

  Devolving budgets to social workers in Wigan

  Giving social workers in Wigan the freedom to use budgets in creative ways to help children safely remain at home and to reduce the number of children with Care Orders at home
• read more about Devolving budgets to social workers in Hillingdon
  Project

  Devolving budgets to social workers in Hillingdon

  Giving social workers in Hillingdon the freedom to use budgets in creative ways to help children safely remain at home
• read more about Social workers based in Stockport schools
  Project

  Social workers based in Stockport schools

  Placing social workers in Stockport schools to reduce the need for statutory social work intervention
• read more about Social workers based in Southampton schools
  Project

  Social workers based in Southampton schools

  Placing social workers in Southampton schools to reduce the need for statutory social work intervention
• read more about Social workers based in Lambeth schools
  Project

  Social workers based in Lambeth schools

  Placing social workers in Lambeth schools to reduce the need for statutory social work intervention