How can we better quantify and measure the benefits of social work assessment, training and development in terms of child outcomes such as wellbeing and educational achievement?

Background

This publication sets out areas where DfE is interested in more research and new evidence2. Given the broad policy agenda of the department it is not practical to provide an exhaustive list of research questions of interest. Instead this is a targeted list of areas which are both key departmental priorities and where we feel the research community is currently well placed to add to our evidence base. In terms of approaches to answer the questions, we are interested in both primary qualitative and quantitative research, secondary data analysis, and literature reviews/synthesis of existing evidence. For all questions we are interested in international perspectives and what has worked, or not, in other countries. For all our questions we are interested in how results differ for relevant sub-groups such as Free School Meal pupils, Pupil Premium pupils, Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) pupils, Black and Minority Ethnic pupils, and gender.

Next steps

Get in touch with ARI.Reply@education.gov.uk

Source

This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:

Df E Areas of research interest

Related UKRI funded projects


  • Looked-after children in Wales: An analysis of the backgrounds of children entering public care

    The doctoral research around which my fellowship is centred explored the differences between local authorities in Wales in the rates at which they place children in out of home care, referred to as being a 'looked after'...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question by providing a quantitative analysis of children in out of home care in Wales, but does not specifically address social work assessment, training, and development.

  • Using knowledge exchange to bring about culture change in children and families social work departments

    Child protection systems across the English-speaking world have been subject to damning critique in recent decades, to the extent that some commentators conclude that they may be doing more harm than good. A recent UK go...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Edinburgh

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question by focusing on culture change in children and families social work departments, but does not specifically address measuring the benefits of social work assessment, training, and development.

  • Making Social Work Count: A National Curriculum Development Programme Pioneered in Three Universities

    Social work is the lead discipline in preparing social workers, managers and future research leaders within the area of social care, a £20 billion industry in the UK. There is a well established lack of understandi...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Bedfordshire

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project partially answers the question by aiming to improve the level of quantitative knowledge and skills within social work graduates, but does not specifically address measuring the benefits of social work assessment, training, and development.

  • Organisations, staff support and the dynamics and quality of social work practice: A qualitative longitudinal study of child protection work

    The frequent disclosures that abused children who were known by professionals to be at serious risk have died and young people have experienced protracted sexual exploitation despite the involvement of social workers and...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Birmingham

  • The application of a cognitive and affective interviewing model in social work supervision

    This project starts from a concern with the quality of social work thinking and assessment. Inquiry reports following high profile child death cases have repeatedly highlighted shortcomings in social workers' analytical ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Bristol

  • Transformative children's social care (Resilience Fund)

    Coronavirus has reduced access to already scarce resources in children's mental health and social care. The most vulnerable children in the UK are more isolated than ever, and foster/residential carers and adoptive paren...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: BERRI LIMITED

  • Transformative children's social care

    Coronavirus has reduced access to already scarce resources in children's mental health and social care. The most vulnerable children in the UK are more isolated than ever, and foster/residential carers and adoptive paren...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: BERRI LIMITED

    Why might this be relevant?

    The project focuses on quantifying and measuring the benefits of social work assessment and training in terms of child outcomes, with expertise in children's mental health and social care.

  • ADR England Community Catalyst: Children at risk of poor outcomes

    National and local organisations produce a wealth of valuable data, which can be used to understand how we can reduce the number of children at risk of poor social, health and educational outcomes. However, at present, t...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: Swansea University

  • Parents of Abused and Neglected Children: Assessing Engagement and Change

    When social workers work with children who have been or are likely to be abused or neglected, their first duty is to try to ensure the safety of the child. In many situations, such children can remain with their parents ...

    Funded by: ESRC

    Lead research organisation: University of Bristol

  • Applying BERRI to support child mental health at the edge of care

    Children are ending up in public care due to unmet mental health needs (Children's Commissioner, January 2020). The numbers of children in care are increasing. Social care needs to work more effectively with families to ...

    Funded by: Innovate UK

    Lead research organisation: BERRI LIMITED