Children and young people are two of the most vulnerable groups in society, and forming a more complete understanding of their lives and of how early experiences affect later life is vital. Investing in research and policy around children and young people will allow us to not only safeguard and support the next generation, but enrich their lives and allow each child and young person the opportunity to excel.
Children and Young People is one of ADR UK’s flagship research themes. It is aimed at enabling a more comprehensive assessment of the experience of childhood in the UK to in turn develop a better understanding of what does and doesn’t work in public sector services for children and young people. This includes assessing trends in vulnerability, wellbeing and welfare in early life and their impact upon later life experiences.
There are several ambitious new data linkage projects – as well as research projects using existing linked data – being undertaken across the partnership within this theme. These include, for example, linking together 2011 Census data with attainment data from the Department for Education (DfE) to create an anonymised longitudinal dataset on children in England: the ‘Growing Up in England’ dataset.
ADR Scotland is leading on the ‘Understanding Children’s Outcomes’ project, which is linking pupil census data for Scotland with Scottish Government data on looked-after children, children’s health, births and deaths, and the 2001/2011 national census.
ADR Northern Ireland (ADR NI) and ADR Wales are conducting important work examining the lives of looked-after children. In Northern Ireland, 30 years’ worth of individual-level social services data from Social Services Care Administrative and Records Environment are being linked to prescribed medication data, hospital data, the registry of self-harm and death records and the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study (NILS), creating the UK’s first historical, population-wide cohort of those known to social services as children.
You can find out more about these projects and others underway within this theme by exploring the links below and visiting the ‘Projects’ page.
ADR England Children & Young People Representative Panel
To ensure the needs and interests of children and young people are properly considered in research using their data, the ADR England Children & Young People Representative Panel enables researchers to engage with those who work directly with or for children and young people in England. There are currently 15 members of the Panel from a variety of third sector organisations, voluntary and community groups and professional practices – all working directly with or on behalf of children and young people.
Panel members have the first-hand knowledge and expertise to be able to represent the interests of children and young people in discussions around their data and its research uses. Their input and advice helps ensure research is as impactful as possible by enabling researchers to frame their work around the most pressing issues faced by children and young people, as well as by helping to facilitate direct engagement with children and young people. See the full Terms of Reference for the Panel.
To find out more about other community and public engagement activities underway across the ADR UK partnership, see the Working with the public page.
Children & young people projects
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ADR UK Research Fellows: Ministry of Justice & Department for Education linked dataset
31 January 2025
ADR UK is funding five Research Fellows to conduct research and analysis using the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) & Department for Education (DfE) linked dataset. They will uncover insights into how educational factors contribute to young peoples’ interactions with the criminal justice system. The projects are the result of ADR UK Fellowship opportunities which invited applications to conduct research using eligible ADR England flagship datasets.
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ADR UK Research Fellows: Education and Child Health Outcomes from Linked Data
29 January 2025
ADR UK is funding seven Research Fellows to analyse the Education and Child Health Outcomes from Linked Data (ECHILD) dataset. These projects are exploring the relationship between children’s health and education, generating insights that could inform policy decisions to improve support for children. The projects are a result of ADR UK Research Fellowship opportunities which invited applications to carry out research using eligible ADR England flagship datasets.
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ADR UK Research Fellows: Longitudinal Education Outcomes
5 November 2024
ADR UK is funding six Research Fellowships to analyse the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset. These projects will generate novel insights around people’s pathways through education and work, with the potential to inform policy decision-making and improve public outcomes. The projects are a result of ADR UK Fellowship opportunities which invited applications to carry out research using eligible ADR England flagship datasets.
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Children & young people news
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Getting started with LEO: studying the post-16 activities of young people
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Funding opportunity from NIHR: Research programme for children’s social care
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Where are we now? The use of administrative data to inform children’s social care research
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Alternative provision and offending: Are there any connections?
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Pollution, green spaces, and housing: How our environment affects our health
Publications
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A young person's guide to data communication
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Policy brief: Understanding the impact of students' health on educational attainment: New evidence from linked administrative data in Northern Ireland
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Data Insight: From school absences to crime involvement
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Data Insight: Experience of poverty and other risk factors among young people who offend in Scotland
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Data Insight: Disengagement from school among pupils experiencing homelessness in Wales
