Evaluation: Implementating routine enquiry about childhood adversity
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of an implementation package developed to support services in routinely enquiring about child sexual abuse and exploitation within broader enquiry about adversity in childhood
IRAS ID
212405
Contact name
Zara Ann Quigg
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 11 days
Research summary
Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) can have wide ranging effects on the child, both immediately and across the life-course. Whilst the evidence base on the scale and consequences of child maltreatment is growing, along with what works to prevent child maltreatment, further work is required to understand the prevalence of CSAE in England to inform the development, implementation and monitoring of prevention activity. In 2015 the Government’s Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation strategy made a commitment to improve the quality of central Government data collection and reporting on child sexual abuse. Crucially, to protect those at risk of CSAE and ensure that victims receive the care they need, routine enquiry into child abuse in targeted services including mental health, sexual health and substance use services was made a key deliverable. Thus, the Department of Health and other Government departments are developing an information standard that will require services across these settings to routinely enquire about CSAE, and specify the procedures for the collection, processing, management and sharing of information on CSAE nationally. Recognising the need to ensure that the target services have the systems and processes in place to develop, implement and embed routine enquiry successfully, the Department of Health have commissioned Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust (LCFT) to develop and pilot an implementation package (IP). The aim of the IP is to support services in developing, implementing and embedding routine enquiry about CSAE within the context of broader enquiry about adversity in childhood. The IP will be provided to project leads at three services across the North West of England who will be tasked with using the IP to develop, implement and embed the routine enquiry within their service. The study will use both qualitative and quantitative methods to undertake a formative and summative evaluation of the IP.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0759
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion