The evaluation of everyday multi-professional intervention to safeguard and promote the well-being of vulnerable children is limited and restricts both operational planning and professional intervention. The core aim of this programme are to contribute to the development of a platform that will support better understanding of the routes from intervention to outcomes for vulnerable children through utilising administrative datasets and longitudinal research.

A series of seminars will bring together international experts in longitudinal studies, policy-makers, software providers, analytical services and representatives of key professional disciplines to discuss a mechanism for establishing the infrastructure for more effective routine data collection about child well-being in Scotland.

The key question is: What needs to be in place to ensure that data that is routinely collected about children and families on a national and local basis can be collated, cross-referenced and used as an indicator of the impact of intervention? We will draw on participants’ experience and expertise in mapping and making effective use of existing data-sets relating to child well-being in a range of disciplines, to explore practical and technical issues involved in cross-referencing data on a population-wide basis and the ethical and legal challenges.

The seminars will also explore the contribution of well-designed longitudinal research. The intention is to identify the core constituents of a robust longitudinal design that would be fit for the evaluation of the efficacy of everyday professional intervention aimed at improving the lives of vulnerable children. The intention is also to explore the type and range of data that is required to capture fundamental aspects of everyday multi-professional intervention and child well-being. On the basis of this we can identify the most appropriate measures to capture intervention and child well-being and develop a robust analytical package for capturing outcomes over the short, medium and longer term.

Programme Team

Janice McGhee, University of Edinburgh
Prof. Brigid Daniel, University of Stirling
Ms Fiona Mitchell, University of Stirling
Paul Rigby, Glasgow City Council
Rod Harrison, Scottish Government
Prof. Julie Taylor, NSPCC
Dr Ian Barron (University of Dundee)

Final Report

Outputs

There are no outputs listed for this programme.