Research in Practice - What's New, March 2009

Top Tips for evidence-informed practice

The latest Growing Digital blog entry is up, covering some top tips for day to day use of evidence-informed practice. Click here to access the blog and feel free to use the comments feature to share your own tips and experiences of EIP.

stories from the network

Two new stories showcasing different initiatives for implementing evidence-informed practice have been published on the website. Find out more here:

The Wakefield-York Knowledge Transfer Partnership Project

Evaluating the Impact of Training in Sandwell

Have you got a good story to tell about how evidence-informed practice has worked for you? Please talk to your Link Officer if you have. We want to share these ideas across the research in practice network.

NI 112 Under-18 conception rate

Recent statistics have shown that the UK has the highest rate of teenage births in Western Europe. This Performance Pointers briefing identifies 31 pointer questions drawn from research around reducing under-18 conception rates and improving sexual health among young people. These are designed to generate discussion within local authorities aiming to improve their results for this indicator. Each briefing in the series focuses on one of the national indicators (NIs) for children’s services (or a cluster of very closely related indicators). They bring together relevant research findings and local practice that have been shown to contribute to improved results.

Thinking Family

This briefing offers key research findings and good practice and policy developments for those working to provide integrated services for vulnerable families. It includes messages from research about whole family approaches and developing families’ social capital and resilience. This series, Champions for Children, offers compact, peer-reviewed research briefings that address the specific interests and needs of elected local and national representatives.

100th edition! Research and Policy Update (RPU) for May Highlights this month include:

• new books – on children and violence, on the costs and consequences of placing children in care, and on adoptive parenting, as well as a unique collection of more than 100 children’s personal accounts of adoption
• a consultation from the Children’s Workforce Development Council on the youth workforce reform programme
• and the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee’s report of its 16-month inquiry into looked after children.

The state of play

Look out for information about our newest Change Project which aims to encourage housing professionals to work more closely with children, young people and professionals across Children’s Services. The aim of the project will be to raise awareness of children and young people’s needs in relation to play and use of outdoor space. Recruitment to the Change Project will be advertised to Link Officers soon. For further details in the mean time please contact Colleen Eccles on c.eccles@sheffield.ac.uk 0114 2226484

The up-coming Analysis Change Project will be recruiting for participants during the summer after the literature review is completed. NIFTY 2010 – evaluation for small scale services, will be recruiting in the autumn and the Engagement and re-engagement in learning at Key Stage 3 Change Project is now in the midst of its piloting stage.

out and about in the regions

research in practice staff have been out and about holding meetings for Link Officers in their regions. They learnt first-hand about work going on in the research in practice network and how it can support their own work, and how we strive, with their help, to keep our approach fresh and focused on contemporary issues for children and families.

website development

Over the summer we are working on developing our website. Look out for the new face of research in practice! We will be consulting with you, our users, and carrying out usability tests as we progress. We will continue to help our Partners access the best research evidence when and where they need it.

may 2009

check our diary for workshops, conferences and other events.