research and policy updates

On this page you will find answers to the following questions:

what are Research and Policy Updates (RPUs)?

who is the RPU for?

how do you receive the RPU?

who writes and edits the RPU?

what is in the RPU?

how is material selected for the Research Update?

how is material selected for the Policy Update?

how do you find what you want in the Research and Policy Updates?

how do you obtain research and policy material mentioned in the RPU?

are there any other sections of this website that can provide related information (eg how to find and evaluate research)?

what are Research and Policy Updates (RPUs)?

Research and Policy Updates are intended to help agencies keep up to date with national research and policy developments. They provide monthly signposts to useful material that you might otherwise miss.

who is the RPU for?

The RPU will be useful for anyone working in children and family service agencies and Children’s Trusts in local authorities and voluntary organizations. It is likely to be of particular interest to people with lead operational and policy responsibility for children and family services and those with a special interest in Evidence Informed Practice.

how do you receive the RPU?

who writes and edits the RPU?

The Research Update is written by John Randall, formerly of Dartington Social Research Unit and previously Head of Child Care Policy for Devon Social Services.

The Policy Update is written by Steve Flood, Associate of research in practice .

Steve Flood is editor.

what is in the RPU?

The content of the RPU will depend on the month in which it is written.

• Most monthly issues will review newly-published research articles available in print or on the web

• each monthly issue will record new parliamentary business, new consultation documents and reports, and new government structures/initiatives

• a section on newly published research books will also be provided in the May, August and November issues

• a section on new or recently commissioned research studies will be provided in the March and September issues

• the December issue will include a summary of key research and policy topics over the preceding year.

A range of journals and websites is scanned each month. Relevant websites are trawled for the recently commissioned research section, which appears in March and September each year. Recently published books are identified from library catalogues and databases for the section on new books, which appears in the May, August and November issues.

Criteria for inclusion in the Research Update are quite stringent because we want to present material that is explicit about its evidence base.

This means that there is a strong bias towards empirical research, that is, research conducted 'in the field', where data are gathered first hand, rather than reviews or discussion papers.

We are also keen to include evaluations of projects.

Finally, we include articles which discuss the task of reading and understanding research, as this is central to the evidence-informed practice (EIP) agenda.

click here for more information on the journals and websites scanned for the research content of the RPU.

how is material selected for the Policy Update?

Material for the Policy Update is identified from a wide range of sources:

• The National Children’s Bureau’s cpinfo:(new window) which is updated daily and offers free access to the latest child policy information from Westminster and Whitehall, and the policy site of Children in Wales: (new window) which provides up-to-date information on consultations, documents and legislation affecting children in Wales  

• Daily national newspapers and main news and politics websites  

• Government websites - in particular, Every Child Matters: (new window), Policy Hub: (new window), DfES: (new window), the DoH: (new window), Home Office: (new window), Communities and Local Government: (new window), the Cabinet Office: (new window), DWP: (new window)  (Department of Work and Pensions), DCMS: (new window)  (Department for Culture, Media and Sport), and some of  the larger Non-Departmental Public Bodies (National Family and Parenting Institute: (new window), Ofsted: (new window), Youth Justice Board: (new window), and SCIE’s Social Care Online: (new window)

• Parliamentary sites including the Weekly Information Bulletin: (new window), both the Commons and Lords Hansard: (new window) sites, and the National Assembly for Wales: (new window)

• Magazines and journals, including Children Now: (new window), 0-19: (new window) Community Care: (new  window), Health Service Journal: (new window) , Nursery World: (new  window),  Times Educational Supplement:(new window), and Young People Now: (new window)

Material for the policy update is selected on the basis of its interest to professionals working with children and young people in England and Wales, particularly in the fields of social care, education and health. Its principal aim is to draw attention to new policy developments so that individuals and agencies can plan ahead as well as lobby MPs and participate in relevant consultations if they so wish.

how do you obtain research or policy material mentioned in the RPU?

Wherever possible we have provided a hyperlink to any related material (click on the red text within any edition of the RPU). However, if you wish to obtain a physical copy of an article, book or report then you can try the following sources:

• NSPCC Inform - you can obtain photocopied articles through the NSPCC Inform Enquiry Service: (new window) for £3.00 an article (price correct as of November 2006).

• Information regarding access to various library and informations services can be found on the SCIE website: (new window)

• You can order books from any good bookshop or it may be possible to borrow them from a local library . Inter-library loan schemes mean that most books can be obtained locally, for a small fee.

• University libraries - it may be possible to negotiate personal or corporate membership from a local university library. This may give you borrowing rights, as well as access to a wide range of bibliographic databases. For more information type any university library into http://www.google.co.uk/: (new window) and click on 'admissions' or 'membership' or any reference to 'business and community', etc.

• The British Library provides a comprehensive service but it is expensive. To order an article go to https://www.bl.uk/services/document/lexformn.html: (new window) The cost of an article is approximately £7.75 (price correct as of November 2006).

are there any other sections of this website that can provide related information?

If you wish to narrow down your search you can focus on a particular section of the website. The most useful sections for 'finding' relevant research include:

• our publications - these can be accessed via the main menu

• the Register of Researchers - this is a database that holds details of lead childcare researchers, together with a list of their research topics and research methods, their current research projects and their key publications

• the EvidenceBank - this provides access to reviews of research on a wide range of topics

• workshop reports and symposium reports contain summaries of the research messages presented and discussed at our Learning Events

If you wish to broaden your search beyond the research in practice website then helpful links can be found via research links and national policy links.

• The aim here is to provide a selective rather than a comprehensive set of links, thereby guiding you through the often bewilderingly wide range of on-line resources. The former links to various research organisations, eg the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), as well as bibliographic databases, eg CareData. The latter links to current national policy initiatives and key policy documents (eg Every Child Matters).

• In addition to general guidance, this new section provides a glossary of key research terms, a list of key journals, a list of the evaluated research reviews currently in the EvidenceBank, and hyperlinks to helpful learning and development websites.

If there is anything else that you would like included in this new section of the research in practice website then please email sal@rip.org.uk stating the name of your agency and the nature of your request.