Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes
We are building a community of researchers and analysts focused on children supported by early intervention services or children’s social care in the UK, sometimes referred to as children at risk of poor outcomes.
This community aims to serve as a vital point of connection, information sharing, and coaching, and provide national strategic leadership for administrative data and research in this field.
We are raising awareness about evidence gaps in the field of children at risk of poor outcomes to enable researchers to address them using de-identified administrative data.
We offer a platform for existing and prospective researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and voluntary and community sector organisations to learn, collaborate and innovate.
We welcome all individuals and organisations with an interest in children at risk of poor outcomes to join our diverse and growing community. This includes free access to our research, training, online resources, conferences, and forums.
Together, we can drive transformative insights around what works to support children at risk and help drive policy and practice to improve their outcomes.
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Research
From undertaking a full scoping review and a stakeholder consultation, we have identified the most pressing gaps in the evidence in the area of children’s social care, particularly focused on children at risk of poor outcomes.
This includes:
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Mapping existing research evidence using administrative datasets (the full scoping review and accompanying summary report)
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Conducting a large stakeholder consultation with senior experts in the children’s social care sector (the stakeholders priorities report)
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Coordinating and co-designing a research agenda with key stakeholders (the research agenda).
Scoping review - full report
This comprehensive scoping review has been produced to inform and encourage greater use of administrative data for children’s social care research. It aims to identify strengths and gaps in the published literature to provide the research community with a clearer understanding of research priorities.
We have focused on children’s statutory social care services, in respect of children in need, children subject to child protection plans, and children looked after.
Scoping review - summary
This summary report is a condensed version of the scoping review. It discusses the administrative datasets used by researchers to examine children who have been involved with children’s statutory social services, key and consistent findings, and the evidence gaps highlighted in the scoping review.
Stakeholder priorities report
This stakeholder consultation report summarises findings from our wide-ranging consultation with key stakeholders across the UK, spanning children’s social care practice, policy, and academia.
The report describes and discusses a number of priority topics in relation to children and young people at risk of poor outcomes, as identified by stakeholders. It also summarises perspectives on access and use of administrative datasets relevant to children and young people, briefly exploring how these align with current legislation and policy.
Relevant ADR UK flagship datasets
We are working alongside ADR UK not only to raise awareness of the following datasets, but also to increase their use for research on children’s social care - particularly around children at risk of poor outcomes:
Supporting documentation
Each flagship dataset page (linked to above) contains information around documentation specific to a dataset, such as user guides, data dictionaries, data visualisations, and Data Explained documents.
You can also explore some specific Data Explained documents below. These summarise data linkages and research potential, as well as experiences, learnings, and outcomes from working with administrative datasets relevant to children's social care.
Read Data Explained documents
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Published research using these datasets
Our scoping review showcases published research which has used relevant ADR UK flagship datasets (see Appendix 2 and 3), including:
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Post-16 education and employment outcomes of children in need
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Post-16 education and labour market outcomes for looked after children
ADR UK researchers have also published Data Insights: bite-sized snapshots of the findings of ongoing and completed research using linked administrative data. Explore a few of them below.
Read Data Insights
England
Northern Ireland
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Young person’s Data Insight: Childhood contact with social services and self-harm in young adulthood
Scotland
Learning resources
The ADR UK Learning Hub and Datacise Open Learning contain a range of resources and training to support individuals to build confidence in accessing and using administrative data.
The Children’s Social Care Data User Group is a cross-sector knowledge network of almost 200 experts from local authorities, government departments, charities, and academia - all using administrative data from children’s social care in England to improve services, outcomes, and lives.
We have also developed knowledge sharing resources aimed at those who are interested in learning how to use administrative data for research relevant to children's social care:
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New insights to shape research for children at risk of poor outcomes
15 January 2025
The ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes project has today published four new reports aimed at transforming children's social care research. These analyse existing research in the field and compile stakeholder views, revealing gaps in evidence and setting an agenda for future research.
Read more
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Understanding healthcare patterns among children in social care
24 February 2025
As part of the ADR England Research Community Catalyst for Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes, a new research project aims to uncover novel insights into how children in social care use healthcare services.
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Where are we now? The use of administrative data to inform children’s social care research
6 August 2025
This blog, written by the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at risk of poor outcomes team, outlines key insights from recent research into how administrative data can be better used to support children’s social care (CSC). Drawing on three new reports launched in January, the authors highlight current evidence gaps, emerging priorities, and opportunities to strengthen the research infrastructure that informs policy and practice for children and families.
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Moments that matter: How children's social care referrals can change health trajectories
24 October 2025
In this blog, Dr Eliazar Luna explores how linked administrative data reveals critical patterns in children's healthcare around the moment of social care referral. Drawing on research using the ECHILD dataset, this study demonstrates how secure data linkage can help us better understand healthcare trajectories, offering vital evidence to inform prevention-focused policy and earlier intervention for families in need. Eliazar is part of the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at risk of poor outcomes.
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Insights into dual-system involvement: Children’s social care and criminal justice
28/07/2025
Join the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at risk of poor outcomes team for this online event exploring how linked administrative data can be used to better understand the intersection between children’s social care and the criminal justice system.
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Spotlight on early intervention: Evidencing impact and progressing understandings of preventative support for children using administrative data
23/06/2025
Explore how administrative data is being used to evidence impact and deepen understanding of preventative support for children and families across the UK. This webinar, organised by the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes project, will showcase cutting-edge research, practical insights, and methodological advances in early intervention using linked datasets, including local authority data.
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Advancing methods for understanding household level hardship
07/04/2025
The ADR England Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes team invites you to a webinar on using administrative data to better understand household deprivation and its impact on children and families.
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Research design workshop (Research Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes)
19/02/2025
Join the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes team for an in-person writing workshop. This is designed for researchers working on grant proposals that use administrative data in the field of children’s social care. This free event offers an opportunity to refine your research ideas, develop impactful proposals, and to network with peers and experts in the field.
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Data-driven insights: Exploring the lives of care experienced children and young people
13/02/2025
ADR UK and the National Centre for Social Research are delighted to invite you for an online event to launch a notable report about the lives of care experienced children across the UK.
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A research agenda for children's social care
27/01/2025
This interactive event from the ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at Risk of Poor Outcomes - the first in a series - aims to showcase the project's research agenda.
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