Transcript Meeting children`s needs for care and protection

Scottish Child Care and Protection Network
Seminar Series
Supported by the Scottish Universities Insight
Institute
Brigid Daniel
University of Stirling
SCCPN
 The Scottish Child Care and Protection Network
fosters connections, collaboration and the
coordination of activities that will promote access
to and use of evidence in practice.
 http://www.sccpn.stir.ac.uk/about.php
 SCCPN Research Working Group - collaboration of
academics from the Universities of Dundee,
Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Stirling
Seminar series structure
 Seminar 1: March 9/10/11 Data linkage and
mining: vision, possibilities and practicalities
2: April 20/21st Design and
methodology in longitudinal research: scope,
approach and practicalities
 Seminar
 Seminar 3: June 21st Consolidating collaborative
partnerships: sharing and applying knowledge
First seminar (9/10/11 March)
1. 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:
to improve operational decision-making
and planning
 as the basis for longitudinal research
into outcomes for children?

This seminar (20/21 April)
2. What are 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?
Final seminar
st
(21
June)
Presentation, consolidation and
strategic planning.
A few key points from the first
seminar
 The discussion focused around:
 developing a structured data-mapping and linkage
model that will facilitate the maximum use of routinely
collected data on children and families to gauge
outcomes of intervention
 facilitating data-linkage on a national and local basis
that will form the bed rock for strategic planning and to
support research and evaluation
 developing an ethical framework acceptable to all
disciplines, professions and service users.
 A wealth of data is already collected that could be used
far more creatively – it is collected locally in different
ways by different agencies for different purposes.
 Data linkage is possible and there are many examples
of successful linkage projects – often as academic and
operational partnerships.
 In Scotland the Scottish Health Informatics
Programme (SHIP) has developed a model for linking
health datasets that preserves confidentiality.
 The looked after children data in Scotland can now be
linked with education data and potentially with child
protection data returns.
 The GIRFEC pathfinder illustrated ways in which
routine data can be used as direct and proxy
indications of well-being.
 At all levels of the system there needs to be
commitment to, and understanding of the benefit of –
accurate data collection and recording.
 There is a strong argument that it is an ethical
imperative to use data effectively to improve the
effectiveness of our services.
 It would be feasible in Scotland to agree a minimum
data-set and a national strategy for data collection,
linkage and use.
Aims of these two days:
 the distillation of learning from previous longitudinal
studies to create the foundations of a robust design,
 the collation of information about the most
appropriate measures to capture everyday intervention
and child well-being,
 the development of a robust analytical package for a
longitudinal study.
Issues to consider
 Key design and analytic issues;
 data collection and outcomes measures
 practicalities in setting up and sustaining longitudinal
research with vulnerable populations
 methods for capturing the nature and intensity of
routine multi-professional practice.
 Today focusing especially on design e.g. depth versus
breadth, sampling, studying ‘vulnerable’ populations,
ethics, analytical considerations.