research in practice

Our mission is to build the capacity for evidence-informed practice in children’s services.  We support our network of Partners to move forward together, fostering a lasting culture shift in using evidence-informed practice to improve the lives of children, young people and families. Our work is about bringing together practitioner expertise with formal research evidence – creating new knowledge, new skills and a new energy to improve outcomes for children, young people and their families. We support your people, your priorities and your performance.

We are guided by our Partners in all we do. Our topics and work themes are identified by them. Our Partnership board steers our work. And our independence from government means we can respond quickly to our Partners’ changing priorities and always remain relevant and attuned to their needs.Our Partner network is a central feature.

We support Partners in working with each other, sustaining the innovation and creativity of the sector and multiplying the power of our 110+ Partners.

We provide 360˚ support. We are the ‘team around the agency’, bringing a range of experts and resources to each Partner, working with staff at all levels on each Partners’ individual priorities. And we connect our Partners with national policy and research agendas through key strategic collaborations.

What do we provide?

• A wide range of publications and products - accessible, engaging and designed for different practice audiences
• This website, supporting resources and information for evidence-informed practice
• A distinctive Learning Programme – an innovative series of conferences, case study, research support, and transitions workshops
• Regional, tailored support for Partner Agencies – individual or regional
• A unique Change Project Programme – an innovative group model for practice development, collaborative learning and embedding research in practice
• Knowledge exchange networks – events, personal support and online
• Monthly Research and Policy Updates
• Annual residential events for our network  

We are a registered charity, established in 1996 - a department within the Social Justice programme of the Dartington Hall Trust and are a unique collaboration with the University of Sheffield and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.