Practice Guides

More than a summary of the research, the Practice Guides translate the strongest available evidence into actionable recommendations to support local leaders in strengthening family services.
About the Practice Guides

ACTIONABLE EVIDENCE-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS

To support effective practice and improve how services for children and families are commissioned, developed and delivered.
Latest

Parenting Through Adversity (11–18)

This Practice Guide focuses on parenting support for families experiencing adversities who have at least one child or young person aged 11 to 18 years old. This Guide relates to all outcomes of the Children’s Social Care National Framework. The enablers of the National Framework (leadership, workforce, multi-agency working) have a role in supporting the delivery of this Guide’s key principles and recommendations.
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Parenting disabled children & young people

This Practice Guide has been produced to support senior leaders, practitioners and practice supervisors in local authorities to inform and improve the commissioning and delivery of parenting support for disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN), in order to drive effective local practice and improve outcomes for these children and young people.
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Mentoring and Befriending Practice Guide

This Practice Guide has been produced to help senior leaders, in local authorities and third sector organisations, to commission and expand the availability of evidence-based mentoring and befriending programmes that have been found to improve outcomes for children and young people.
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Parenting Through Adversity Practice Guide (0–10)

This Practice Guide sets out key principles and recommendations on parenting support for who have babies and children aged between 0 and 10 years old, based on the best available evidence.
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Kinship Care

This guide for senior local leaders outlines the key principles and recommendations proven to be most effective to support kinship families, and the strength of the evidence behind them.
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How to use the Practice Guides

Find out how to use the Practice Guides, what information can be found in them, and how they can be used to support effective practice and strengthen local services.
How to use the practice guides
FAQs

Meet our Guidance Writing Advisory Group

By contributing a range of skills, knowledge and expertise, the Guidance Writing Advisory Group plays a vital role in ensuring the Practice Guides are robust, relevant and useful.
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Cath McEvoy-Carr

Cath McEvoy-Carr

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Louise Spragg

Louise Spragg

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Rasheed Pendry

Rasheed Pendry

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Richard Cooke

Richard Cooke

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Other Resources

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Cost ratings:

Rated 1: Set up and delivery is low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of less than £100.

Rated 2: Set up and delivery is medium-low cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £100–£499.

Rated 3: Set up and delivery is medium cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £500–£999.

Rated 4: Set up and delivery is medium-high cost, equivalent to an estimated unit cost of £1,000–£2,000.

Rating 5: Set up and delivery is high cost. Equivalent to an estimated unit cost of more than £2,000.

Set up and delivery cost is not applicable, not available, or has not been calculated.

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Child Outcomes:

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Supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing child maltreatment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Enhancing school achievement & employment: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing crime, violence and antisocial behaviour: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing substance abuse: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing risky sexual behaviour & teen pregnancy: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Preventing obesity and promoting healthy physical development: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient.

Evidence ratings:

Rated 2: Has preliminary evidence of improving a child outcome from a quantitative impact study, but there is not yet evidence of causal impact.

Rated 2+: Meets the level 2 rating and the best available evidence is based on a study which is more rigorous than a level 2 standard but does not meet the level 3 standard.

Rated 3: Has evidence of a short-term positive impact from at least one rigorous study.

Rated 3+: Meets the level 3 rating and has evidence from other studies with a comparison group at level 2 or higher.

Rated 4: Has evidence of a long-term positive impact through at least two rigorous studies.

Rated 4+: Meets the level 4 rating and has at least a third study contributing to the Level 4 rating, with at least one of the studies conducted independently of the intervention provider.

Rating has a *: The evidence base includes mixed findings i.e., studies suggesting positive impact alongside studies, which on balance, indicate no effect or negative impact.

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