Dive into one of our most ambitious research projects exploring how children’s services can be transformed by changing what data is gathered and how it is used.
It’s one of the most ambitious pieces of research that the Foundation has funded. The Children’s Information project aims to improve how local authorities gather and use information about children and young people involved with their services, so their voices and wider needs are considered alongside the data collected about them.
Children’s Information is led by Professor Leon Feinstein at the Department of Education, University of Oxford. He believes that going beyond purely administrative facts and figures held on young people could improve the support and services they need, and ultimately lead to better outcomes.
The Foundation commissioned journalist Alexa Phillips to explore the aims, motivations and approach behind this project, bringing together perspectives from our Trustee, John Pullinger, and the project team.
You can also learn about how Dr. Caitlin Shaughnessy used creative workshops like wreath-making to engage care leavers and gather their insights on data collection.
Supported by our Strategic Fund, the £2.8m five-year project is broad in reach and scale, and far-reaching in its aim to better represent the reality of the lives of children in contact with children’s services. Part of that includes developing ways to collect, process and use their data in more ethical and effective ways.
In addition to the University of Oxford, the project team includes Dr Lisa Holmes and Professor Elaine Sharland at the University of Sussex, Dez Holmes at Research in Practice and Dr Polly Vizard at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Academics from The Manchester Metropolitan University and UCL are also involved.
The local authority partners are Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Oldham Council, Rochdale Borough Council, North Yorkshire Council, and Hampshire County Council.
Collectively they work closely with practitioners, and children and families in contact with social services.
A Strategic Fund grant supports this project. These grants aim to tackle systemic issues, and encourage multi-disciplinary research that re-frames the social policy agenda and improves people’s lives
Read about the Children’s Information project and how it aims to “drive through a fundamental strategic shift in how children’s information is understood and used long into the future.”
The grant is managed by our Justice Director Robert Street.
