Sharing knowledge of what works

Research, evaluation and sharing outcomes are vitally important when it comes learning which services best support people.

This is especially true of safeguarding and child protection where it is imperative that rigorous research is conducted into what works and what doesn't.

That's why the NSPCC launched its Impact and Evidence Hub two years ago in a bid to make all of its research and findings publicly available.

The Hub is an online space that provides information and resources based on research and evaluation work from across the sector. It contains descriptions of a range of services and programmes run by the NSPCC, as well as evaluation reports and weekly blogs.

It also provides a place where researchers and others can share experiences and provide mutual support and guidance.

The NSPCC is committed to promoting and sharing what works. One example of this is our Graded Care Profile - an assessment tool developed with professionals which is designed to help practitioners spot when a child is at risk of neglect and get the right help to families earlier.

We are also currently carrying out more than 25 separate evaluations to find out whether the services it runs make a difference to children and families.

Some of these evaluations are large and complex, involving randomised controlled trials. Others are smaller, using qualitative research.

The charity's ambition for the Hub is to create a genuinely dynamic and interactive resource that tackles the big questions facing child protection and social care today, drawing not just on the learning of the NSPCC but on the thousands of voices who have contributed to developing evidence-based practice in the sector.

Subjects covered by the Hub are wide ranging and include neglect,
sexual abuse, looked-after children, early years and families facing adversity.

Des Mannion is head of service, NSPCC Cymru