research report

Progress report: moving towards a child centred system - the Munro Review of Child Protection

Report that considers how well implementation of the recommendations of the review has progressed in the year since the review’s publication, and how the child protection landscape as a whole is changing. The overall conclusion of the report is that progress is moving in the right direction but that it needs to move faster. There are promising signs that some reforms are encouraging new ways of thinking and working and so improving services for children.

Ageing across Europe

Many European countries, including the UK, are now facing the dual challenge of responding to the demographic changes brought by population ageing, while also implementing tough austerity measures following the 2008 financial and economic crisis.

With increasing pressure on public budgets, this is an important moment to consider what it is that makes a country a good place to grow old, and where possible to learn lessons from our European neighbours on the policies and services that are most effective in giving older people a good quality of life.

The experiences of fostering and adoption processes - the views of children and young people: literature review and gap analysis

Literature review that aims to identify the existing evidence in relation to children and young people’s views of the processes, and to identify any gaps. At the time of publication, the Government has released the Adoption Action Plan (DfE, 2012) with measures designed to reduce delays in the adoption process.

The views and experiences of children already in the care system will be vital in helping to ensure that changes to current systems meet their individual needs and improve their life chances.

The state of social work 2012: what social workers think about the state of their profession in 2012

Survey undertaken by BASW between 14-30 March 2012, in partnership with its trade union arm, the SocialWorkers Union. Promoted via the Association’s e-bulletins to members, the survey elicited exactly 1,100 responses before it closed.

The findings indicate grave challenges facing the social work profession in all four UK countries. There are variations between countries, but they are matters of degree rather than anything more substantial. Social workers throughout the UK are dealing with similar difficulties.

Qualitative study of children, young people and 'sexting'

Small scale qualitative research to respond to and enhance understandings of the complex nature of sexting and the role of mobile technologies within peer teen networks. It was designed as a pilot study – to investigate a phenomenon whose nature, scale and dimensions were unknown.

Thus the research itself also was small in scale and exploratory in nature and also culturally and geographically specific.

Against all odds: mind the gap - creating services and welfare to tackle perinatal depression

Research shows that poor maternal mental health and low income during babyhood affect children's outcomes negatively and are factors in the creation of future generations of "Troubled Families". Early intervention services to improve children's life chances must therefore mean intervening before at-risk babies are born, and in the first year of life; providing both services which support vulnerable mothers emotionally and with parenting; and providing adequate welfare support.

SCIE research briefing 41: factors that promote and hinder joint and integrated working between health and social care services

This briefing updates a previous systematic review by Cameron and Lart that reported on the factors that promote and hinder joint working between health and social care services. Given their prominence in terms of policy debates about joint and integrated working, the briefing focuses on jointly-organised services for older people and people with mental health problems in the UK only. Briefing published by Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in May 2012. Review date is May 2015.

Evaluation of national citizen service pilots: interim report

Report that presents the findings of the independent evaluation of the pilot of NCS in 2011. The evaluation involved: a series of case studies assessing what worked in the delivery and implementation of the programme; before and after surveys with NCS participants and a comparable group of non-participating 16 year olds to measure the impact of the programme; and economic analysis of the costs and benefits of the programme.