research and evaluation

Part of the Glasgow School of Social Work Research series, Professor David Donnison from the University of Glasgow, speaks about advocacy services in Scotland.

In April 2004 the Office of Health Economics and the Mental Health Foundation held a seminar focusing on the economics of childhood and adolescent mental health as part of their commitment to improving mental health provision for children and young people in the UK. This report is an attempt to draw together the themes from the discussions, along with general conclusions from the day.

This report presents findings from a qualitative research project carried out as part of a wider evaluation of Jobcentre Plus Pathways to Work. The study was conducted in 2007 and 2008 to explore referral practices and liaison amongst Jobcentre Plus staff and service providers involved in helping incapacity benefits recipients move towards, and into, paid employment. The study was led by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York in collaboration with the Policy Studies Institute and the National Centre for Social Research.

This episode of Radio 4's Thinking Allowed series includes a segment on shyness. Susie Scott, Research Associate in the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, spent three years collecting personal stories and accounts of people who see themselves as shy, exploring the social context in which this feeling arises, how it affects our interaction with others, and the way that cultural norms and values shape our perceptions of 'shy' behaviour.

This report on the consultation "Safe and secure homes for our most vulnerable children" accompanies Insight 30 and provides a robust analysis of all responses using both quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches.

This is one of a series of four ‘Sustaining Practice Learning’ reports commissioned by the Learning Resource Network on behalf of Skills for Care and the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC). This research revisited fourteen projects that were first studied in 2006 as examples of innovative approaches to practice learning.

This is the outcome of an extensive review of evidence about the effectiveness of interventions designed to tackle children and young people's involvement in gun and knife crime. It discusses predicting who is most likely to be involved in violent crime, the impact of where children and young people live on their involvement, how young people's relationships, perceptions and choices affect involvement, anti-gun and anti-knife interventions, and youth offending and youth violence research, ending with conclusions.

This is one of a series of four 'Sustaining Practice Learning' reports commissioned by the Learning Resource Network on behalf of Skills for Care and the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC). This research provides a picture of the current situation for practice learning in 18 local authorities.

This report presents findings of a qualitative research project commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to investigate the relationship between mental health and employment. The research was conducted during 2007 by the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York and the Institute for Employment Studies.

In the Borders there are an estimated 1,306 children and young people affected by substance misuse within the family. The Borders Drug & Alcohol Action Team (DAAT) has, over recent years, become increasingly aware of concerns around the impact of parental drug and alcohol misuse on children and young people. Assessing this problem has been a very complex process, and due to the varying levels of awareness and activity between agencies, has been impossible to determine exact numbers of children and families affected in this way.