Can linking different data sources help us better understand the lives of children in social care?
A new review, published in the International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS), suggests that linking long-term research studies with routinely collected social care records could transform our understanding of the lives of children receiving support from social care services. Despite the UK's investment in world-leading longitudinal studies, only a handful have so far been linked to children's social care records. Researchers reviewed UK studies that combine longitudinal population research, which follows people over many years, with administrative records from children’s social care services. They found that the limited number of linked studies already provides valuable insights into the experiences of children involved with social care, while also highlighting important gaps in our knowledge.
The evidence consistently shows that children receiving social care are more likely to face multiple disadvantages, including poorer educational outcomes, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and greater involvement with the criminal justice system later in life. However, the review found little evidence on children’s physical health, whether interventions improve long-term outcomes, or how the experiences of fathers, siblings and wider families influence children’s lives.
By bringing together information collected through long-term research studies with routinely collected data from social care, health, justice and education services, researchers can build a much richer understanding of children’s journeys. This could help identify which types of support are most effective, who benefits most, and when interventions are likely to have the greatest impact.
The authors say that the landscape is beginning to change. UK data-linkage initiatives, including the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration (UK LLC), alongside new longitudinal population studies such as Generation New Era, which is embedding administrative data linkage from the outset, are creating new opportunities to follow children’s experiences across different services throughout their lives. Together, these developments could provide stronger evidence about what support works, for whom, and at what stage in a child’s life.
Lead author Dr Grace Bailey from Swansea University said "Children involved with social care often experience challenges across many aspects of their lives, but our evidence remains fragmented. Linking across different sources of data help us connect the dots, providing stronger evidence to improve policy and services. Ultimately, that means giving children and families the support they need, when they need it most."
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Dr Grace Bailey, Population Data Science, Swansea University, Wales, UK