research and evaluation

Substance use during pregnancy: time for policy to catch up with research

The purpose of this review is to summarize policy research findings in the area of maternal prenatal substance abuse to (1) inform and advance this field, (2) identify future research needs, (3) inform policy making and (4) identify implications for policy. As a review, this is a systematic analysis of existing data (findings) on maternal drug use during pregnancy for determining the best policy among the alternatives for dealing with drug using mothers and their children.

Older people’s attitudes to automatic awards of Pension Credit

This research looks at older people’s attitudes to the principle of automating parts of the Pension Credit awards process. Three key advantages to automation are highlighted: its capacity to raise awareness of entitlement, its ability to reduce perceptions of stigma, and its convenience. Although the study also reveals concerns about automation, such as privacy, these were rarely felt to be insurmountable and the advantages were generally thought to outweigh them.

International perspectives on parenting support: non-English language sources

This reports on a project to understand "what works" in parenting support, beyond the English language international evidence. English language literature was reviewed in 'What works in Parenting Support, (Moran, Ghate and van der Merwe 2004). This project focused on Denmark, France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands and aimed to: consider what works in parenting support; describe processes, models of delivery and underlying philosophies of provision; identify key messages to inform policy and practice in England.

Parenting and the different ways it can affect children's lives: research evidence

Policy-makers and commentators often blame ‘bad parenting’ for children and young people’s troublesome behaviour. What can research tell us about the influence of parenting, especially the parent-child relationships in millions of ‘ordinary’ families? This report includes research based on the perspectives of mothers, fathers and children themselves. They were commissioned by the JRF to inform its own Parenting Research and Development programme.

Drug and Alcohol Misuse

This resource provides information, statistics and research on drugs misuse in Scotland. Target users are policy makers, professionals, researchers, employers and the wider community. This website supports the implementation of the Scottish Drug Misuse Information Strategy.

OU on the BBC: A Picture of Health

A Picture of Health is a sixty minute documentary on a day in the life of the National Health Service. On Wednesday November 13th 2002, nine NHS workers were followed for the day by nine film crews. The film starts in the morning and ends very late at night, cutting between different stories. The aim is to see what our NHS is really like – by seeing it through the eyes of those working for it. This resource is part of Open2.net which is the online learning portal from the Open University and the BBC.

Making the economic case for the promotion of mental well-being and the prevention of mental Health problems

This report begins by asking why there should be investment in promotion and prevention. It then summarises what is known and gives examples of study findings on wellbeing, early intervention,, depression, suicide and workplace health promotion. Ongoing and future evaluations are noted and the need for more European assessments emphasised.

Evaluating Participation Work: The Toolkit and The Guide

This is a practical guide to evaluating participation work in children's services. It covers evaluation planning; involving children and young people; ethics; methods; analysis; presenting findings; dissemination. There is an extensive list of further resources that cover the topics discussed in more depth, as well as details of several participation-related evaluation tools.