Measuring indicators, outcomes and costs to inform family interventions

Dates

April 2019 – March 2021

Principal Investigators

Professor Gene Feder and Professor Steve Morris

Co-investigators

Professor Ruth Gilbert, Dr Emma Howarth, Dr Erin Walker

Researchers

Dr Claire Powell, Dr Estela Barbosa

Theme

Responding to vulnerable children and families (link to theme page)

Rationale

There is widespread recognition that child maltreatment and domestic violence and abuse (DVA) are common and have serious and long-term adverse health consequences. However, there is limited evidence on how services can effectively respond, particularly to improve contexts of disadvantage and inequalities that make families more vulnerable. Evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of intervening on outcomes for family members is also limited, partly because of the variety of outcome measures used. Inconsistent measures make it difficult to synthesise findings across studies to provide a clear evidence base for policy.

Aims

To answer two key research questions:

1. What core indicators and outcomes should be used to evaluate and monitor programmes and practice to prevent child maltreatment or domestic violence and abuse, and associated adverse effects on long-term health and wellbeing?
2. What are the societal costs of child maltreatment or domestic violence and abuse in families, and what is the cost-effectiveness of policies and interventions to address these problems?