Research methods

Evidence review
Evidence reviews involve synthesising research on the same topic to identity common themes or findings. Evidence reviews provide an accessible overview of the key relevant evidence about a topic that can support policy makers’ and professionals’ decision making.

Qualitative research
Qualitative research involves collecting and analysing data that is not numerical. This includes from interviews, text, film, or making observations of people and events. Qualitative research can be used to gain detailed insights into people’s lives, what matters to them, and their experiences.

Consultation
Consultations seek the views of a range of relevant stakeholders about a specific issue, including professionals, parents, carers and children. Views can be sought via surveys, roundtables and/or other public forums.

National administrative data
Public bodies collect data about the services they provide and the people that interact with them, such as the courts, schools or the NHS. Although it is not collected primarily for research purposes, administrative data can be extremely useful for researchers as it is covers the whole population, is routinely collected and regularly updated. Before it can be accessed by researchers, administrative data is always anonymised, removing identifiable information such as names and addresses.

Case file analysis
Case file analysis involves the in-depth review a select number of case files relating to individuals’ interactions with the family courts or children’s services. This allows researchers to build a detailed understanding of how individuals interact with children’s services or the courts. Before case files are accessed by researchers they are usually anonymised to remove identifiable information.

Case law review
In most instances a case law review will critically evaluate or summarise recent judgements of relevance to a particular area of law. It provides a historical summary of why and how decision making in relation to children and their families has developed over time as a result of judgements and legislation. It may also describe how the legal context may differ in different countries or jurisdictions.

External review
External review involves research being evaluated by people with relevant expertise, but who were not directly involved in the research, ahead of publication. This might include other researchers or frontline practitioners. External review is an important part in the research process to ensure the quality, validity and relevance of research outputs.