Queen's University Belfast

Academic Institute

Dr Lisa Bunting

E067

Despite recent advances made in our understanding of the factors driving referrals to child and family social work, subsequent child welfare interventions and associations with deprivation, there are still significant limitations to the current evidence base. Much of the current research has involved only the English child protection system and there is a lack of longitudinal analyses examining historical trends in the association between child welfare interventions and deprivation, as well repeated periods of service use over time. This project will address these gaps by linking child welfare data (SOSCARE data, years 2010-2021) with area level deprivation indicators of poverty (through the family of origin postcode). This will allow for the identification of historical trends in child welfare interventions, and their association with deprivation, which can then be linked to NI policy and practice developments. Importantly, it will also expand on the current evidence base by tracking cases within the system to identify patterns of repeat referrals, investigations, registrations and admissions to care, and how these are related to deprivation and other child, family and case characteristics. We know that the proportion of repeated referrals to children’s social care is substantial and has significant resource implications, but it remains unknown the extent to which this pattern is mirrored within repeat assessment, re-registration rates or repeat admissions to care, or what the driving forces behind this might be or the role deprivation plays. Such information can potentially inform future work force planning as well as helping to target service provision toward the key groups which utilize child and family social work services most frequently.

Since the creation of the SOSCARE database in the 1980’s it has been the primary system for recording and tracking contact between children and child and family social work. Previously, the PI has been involved in research which has used data linkage between SOSCARE and area level indicators of deprivation to identify and quantify the relationship between child contact with child and family social work and poverty. DoH (NI), together with a range of other cross sectoral professional disciplines, were key stakeholders and involved in this project’s advisory board from its inception. The research led directly to the development of the ‘Anti-Poverty Practice Framework For Social Work In Northern Ireland’ (DoHNI, 2018). DoH(NI) remains committed to developing this area of practice and strengthening the role and contribution of social work to the public health agenda of addressing inequalities and reducing their impact on social wellbeing is a key priority of the NI Strategy for Social Work in Northern Ireland (DoHNI, 2012). This project will inform our understanding of progress made in relation to anti-poverty practice more recently, as well as identifying historical trends which can be linked to policy and practice developments within the field of social work specifically, and the public more broadly.

08/07/2021

TRE