The Community Catalyst has held and collaborated on a number of webinars with the aim of sharing both best practice and research insights.
By highlighting what research has been undertaken, as well as what was learned from managing the research project and the data itself, we are supporting our community to increase their use of administrative data.
Past events are listed in chronological order.
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- ECHILD webinar: Using linked social care and education data in ECHILD to explore outcomes for vulnerable children and young people
- A research agenda for children's social care
- Data-driven insights: Exploring the lives of care experienced children and young people
- Advancing methods for understanding household level hardship
- Spotlight on early intervention: Evidencing impact and progressing understandings of preventative support for children using administrative data
- Insights into dual-system involvement: Children’s social care and criminal justice
ECHILD webinar: Using linked social care and education data in ECHILD to explore outcomes for vulnerable children and young people
The team presented findings from three studies using the ECHILD dataset for all children in England. The aim was to understand the health and education trajectories of secondary school pupils whose records indicate special educational needs (SEN) provision, social care intervention, or both.
The research areas were:
- Examine planned and unplanned hospital admissions as we follow adolescents into their early twenties
- Compare rates of death from year 10 until the age of 23 for these different groups, and compared with peers without SEN or social care intervention.
- Examine rates of non-enrolment and formal exclusion from secondary school.
Speakers: Dr Matthew Jay, Dr Ania Zylbersztejn & Dr Ruth Blackburn
A research agenda for children's social care
In this interactive webinar the Community Catalyst team presented the research they had undertaken and keys findings from:
- Full scoping review: Use of administrative data to understand children’s involvement with children’s statutory social care services.
- Full stakeholder consultation: Speaking to stakeholders about research priorities.
This in-depth research has been the solid foundation which has formed a new research agenda spotlighted in the webinar.
Speakers: ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Children at risk of poor outcomes project team
Data-driven insights: Exploring the lives of care experienced children and young people
A joint webinar between ADR UK and the National Centre for Social Research for the launch of a notable report about the lives of care experienced children across the UK.
The webinar provided an opportunity for researchers, policymakers and practitioners to gain valuable insights about the life chances of care experienced children based on their administrative data, and hear first-hand from care experienced young people and former Children’s Commissioners.
About the report
The report has showcased valuable long-term data analysis across inequalities, regional variation, evolving care practices and long-term impact. This has helped identify critical themes for policymakers, demonstrating the value and utility of administrative data to help gain insights about the lives of those who experience social care.
A key strength of administrative data is the ability to produce data-driven insights to identify where more support is needed and pinpoint examples of success. Many care experienced children lead happy and fulfilled lives. Embedding administrative data into research and policy development will have real-world implications for care-experienced children to ensure they all can thrive.
“By linking data from different parts of government, and opening up secure access to the de-identified, population-level linked datasets, ADR UK is creating unprecedented opportunities for researchers to advance our knowledge. For the first time, we can look across systems and services using datasets where every child is counted.
The studies included in this report published today, provide robust empirical evidence of pathways into care, care experience, and life beyond care. As a society, we must ensure we have the conditions in place for every child to have the opportunity to flourish, including those in the care of the State.”
- Professor Karen Broadhurst of Lancaster University
Advancing methods for understanding household level hardship
With growing concerns about household hardship, this webinar explored how linked administrative data—including local authority records, Census data, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Registration and Population Interaction Database (RAPID) - has enhance evidence-based approaches to poverty and children's social care.
The presentation areas were:
- Improving evidence on socio-economic disadvantage at the household level: strengths and limitations of linked population census-administrative data. This research explored the potential of the new generation of linked population census-administrative data linkages. This has also included the strengths and limitations of household level deprivation indicators, as well as reflecting on experiences from previous and ongoing analysis using the Growing Up in England dataset. It also examines rates of non-enrolment and formal exclusion from secondary school.
- Studying the impact of financial hardship on child welfare provision by linking local authority data on families with children. This outlined research currently being carried out with five English local authorities, who have agreed to provide administrative data on households claiming means-tested benefits, and on referrals to children's social care services, during the period 2019-22.
- An introduction to RAPID. This looked at what RAPID is, how it is created, what is included, what is excluded, and what this data will enable – with a focus on families with children.
To protect the integrity of ongoing research, the presentation by Rick Hood has been omitted from this recording.
Speakers: Dr Polly Vizard, Professor Rick Hood, Andrew Needham & Mike Daly.
Spotlight on early intervention: Evidencing impact and progressing understandings of preventative support for children using administrative data
This webinar explored how administrative data is being used to evidence impact and deepen understanding of preventative support for children and families across the UK. This webinar showcased cutting-edge research, practical insights, and methodological advances in early intervention using linked datasets, including local authority data.
The presentation areas were:
- Using linked administrative data to evaluate the Family Nurse Partnership
- Investigating in Prevention & Support: Spending on family support, children’s centres, young peoples’ services, and other forms of help and child welfare interventions in England, 2009-10 to 2021-22
- Hospital contacts of children involved with children’s social care services in England: a data linkage study using ECHILD
Speakers: Professor Katie Harron, Dr Calum Webb & Dr Eliazar Luna
Insights into dual-system involvement: Children’s social care and criminal justice
Dual system involvement refers to a child impacted by both the criminal justice system and the child welfare system. This intersection is often complex, yet underexplored. However, with the emergence of linked administrative data, researchers now have an unprecedented opportunity to capture a more holistic view of child and family involvement across government services. This webinar has showcased both national and international research by bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the implications of dual system involvement and the opportunities that linked data presents for improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
The presentation areas were:
- Criminal justice involvement of children in the care system: Insights into using NPD-PNC linkage and communicating the research findings
- Looked after children in the youth justice system: The data – where is it from? Why was I given access to it? What do I have? Key findings and reflection
- Understanding the circumstances of children involved in breach proceedings: Plans and opportunities
Speakers: Dr Anna Leyland & Dr Helen Hodges
Youth Transitions online data tool
The ADR England Research Community Catalyst: Youth Transitions team has created an online tool to enable easy navigation through the administrative data landscape.
Please note: This tool was created with a focus on youth transitions, so may not fully capture topics around children’s early interventions and involvement with children’s social services.
