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White-line illustration of a person holding a child on their back

Child & family welfare

Globally, families are becoming more diverse and family policies are drawn more to the centre of economic policies as labour markets and economies change. The challenges are manifold, and include ensuring the well-being and welfare of children, managing demographic changes and transitions, reconciling work and family life, and achieving gender balance and other forms of equity within and among families. Other challenges include managing the redistribution of resources and opportunities between generations, offering care services especially for older people, and providing support for individual family members, as well as families as a whole.

Most nations now recognise the importance of protecting and promoting the welfare of children and families. DSPI researchers are making a significant contribution to the development of a range of policies and practices aimed at promoting child and family well-being in both the Global North and South.

Find out more:

abetterstart

A Better Start - National Evaluation

Two parents holding and playing with their young baby.

A mixed-methods study of the feasibility and acceptability of using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) within universal health visiting practice in England

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Accelerate Hub

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Becoming Protagonists: Effectiveness of a digital intervention to promote youth participation for mental health in Brazil

Father putting a protective face mask on his son.

Child Policy during COVID-19 Database

universalcreditprojectDSPI

Couples balancing work, money and care: exploring the shifting landscape under Universal Credit

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e-Parenting for Lifelong Health (ePLH) Pilot study

wellbeingprojectDSPI

Evidence mapping review of intergenerational interventions

A young hand placed on top of an older hand resting on a walking stick.

Evidencing the outsourcing of social care provision in England

Three adolescent girls in colourful outfits. The girl in the middle has her arms around the shoulders of her friends either side. Credit: stock.adobe.com / Riccardo Niels Mayer

Furaha Adolescent Implementation Research (FAIR) Study

Face of a maltreated child

Generating a research resource and public health surveillance tool for monitoring child maltreatment in the UK

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Global Parenting Initiative

heybabyprojectDSPI

HEY BABY: Helping Empower Youth Brought up in Adversity with their Babies and Young children

Father and daughter enjoying a walk in the park

How far could widespread dissemination of parenting programmes improve child antisocial behaviour and reduce social inequalities

familyformationprojectDSPI

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Family Formation Policies

A young girl interacting with a healthcare worker, who is smiling and holding a stethoscope

National Evaluation of Innovative Early Years Skill-Mix Working.

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ParentApp for Teens in Tanzania

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Parenting for Lifelong Health SUPER (Scale-Up of Parenting Evaluation Research) Study

parenttextprojectDSPI

ParentText Optimisation and Evaluation in South Africa

parentingthailandprojectDSPI

Preventing Violence Against Children in Thailand

plhphilippinesprojectDSPI

Preventing Violence Against Children in the Philippines

Parent looking at a baby smiling

Promoting Safer Sleep in Babies

A doctor pressing a stethoscope to a baby's chest

Qualitative Process Evaluation of a Practice Elements Approach on Responsive Caregiving to Infants in Early Years Skill Mix Workforce Development

A father A holding a baby boy, with a river in the background.

rEUsilience: Risks, Resources and Inequalities: Increasing Resilience in European Families

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RISE: Prevention of Child Mental Health Problems in Southeastern Europe

White-line illustration of a person holding a child on their back

Start for Life National Evaluation

A young boy sits cross-legged on a chair, looking up at an adult woman sat next him.

Supporting Early Minds Research Network (Oxford Health NIHR Biomedical Research Centre)

Three babies playing on a colourful floor matt. Photo credit: stock.adobe.com / Krakenimages.com

The Developing Child UK Priority Setting Partnership (James Lind Alliance)

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The Global Reference Group for Children Affected by Crisis

A counsellor supporting a teenager

Which models of health visiting (HV) in England are most promising for mitigating the harms of ACES