1 May 2025
Foundations is calling for a major shift in the use of evidence in this country to reform children’s and family services, as it launches its new Guidebook, a tool to help local decision-makers put evidence into practice (1).
The government’s current drive to transform services for children and families’ highlights evidence-based interventions as ‘the most reliable way to improve…outcomes’ (2), but England trails other countries on some measures where evidence is concerned. Research shows that interventions with the strongest evidence base are often not used as widely as those supported by weaker evidence. In contrast, countries like the US offer greater incentives for high-quality evaluation of services, and others invest more in large-scale, robust research.
Foundations is calling for a change in the way evidence is used to inform the delivery of children’s services in England so that evidence-informed choices about support become a more routine part of local decision-making. Foundations today launches its new Guidebook to help make this happen. The Guidebook is a free online resource that brings together high-quality evidence on over 130 interventions to support children and families. Aimed at local leaders, commissioners, practitioners and policymakers, it summarises what works and makes it easier to put evidence into practice in real-world settings.
The Guidebook sits alongside the Practice Guides series as part of the Foundations’ Toolkit, a suite of resources to support evidence-informed decision-making in family support and children’s social care.
The updated Guidebook includes:
- Summaries of over 130 interventions across areas such as parenting and mental health
- Clear ratings for the cost of interventions
- Insights on implementation
- Information on the ethnicity and race of families in the studies
- More consistent reporting of outcomes for parents
- Enriched content on parenting interventions
Donna Molloy, Deputy Chief Executive at Foundations, said:
“With children’s services under pressure and a drive to reform family support underway, the need for clear, reliable evidence about what works is urgent, but it’s often difficult for decision-makers to know what makes a genuine difference to children’s outcomes.
“We need to change that. We want evidence to be a routine part of everyday decision-making about support for children and families. Foundations’ new Guidebook is a practical tool designed to make it easier to use robust evidence to design and deliver services.
“Evidence is the missing link that helps turn national policy into effective local practice. Collectively we need a shift in the use of research evidence if we are to make a positive difference for children and families. We’re looking forward to working with local authorities, children and families and national decision-makers to turn the Guidebook’s evidence into action.”
Rob Newton, Local Evidence Lead in York, said:
“It can be a challenge to get a handle on the evidence on support for children and families, so having some of this brought together in one place is excellent. That’s why I’m looking forward to using the new Foundations Guidebook.
“Working out how best to support children and families isn’t easy, but the Guidebook makes it easier to base decisions on existing evidence. It’ll be a useful tool to help us shape local services and make sure families are getting support that has demonstrated positive outcomes”.
Louise Bazalgette, Deputy Director of A Fairer Start Mission at Nesta, said:
“The new Foundations Guidebook makes the evidence base for parenting interventions really accessible to the whole sector working to support children and families. This is so important to empower practitioners and policymakers to design and deliver impactful parenting support at scale.
“Practical tools like the Foundations Guidebook are crucial to support informed decisions about which types of support can offer families the most benefit and drive lasting change.”
Susie Owen, Director of Early Years, Childcare, Families and Analysis at Department for Education, said:
“Embedding evidence in practice is the most reliable way to improve outcomes for children and families and to strengthen the support offered through integrated family services. We encourage local leaders to put evidence at the heart of delivery.
“Tools like the new Foundations Guidebook support this work. We need clear, practical resources to help local areas put evidence into practice consistently and achieve real change for children and families.”
For further information, please contact Charlotte Kelsted, Senior Press Officer: 07922 147 222 / charlotte.kelsted@foundations.org.uk
Notes to editors
About Foundations
Foundations is the What Works Centre for Children & Families. We believe all children should have the foundational relationships they need to thrive in life. We’re researching, generating, and translating evidence into practical solutions that shape better policy and practice and lead to more effective family support services. Foundations was formed through the merger of What Works for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) and the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) in December 2022.
For more information, please visit: https://foundations.org.uk/
- The new Foundations Guidebook can be accessed here: https://foundations.org.uk/guidebook/
