Five to Twelve: year 1
Reports year‑one findings from the Five to Twelve longitudinal study, describing early primary‑school outcomes and baseline measures for children aged five to twelve to inform future educational analysis.
Government research
Evaluations, survey work, qualitative studies and impact assessments commissioned by UK government departments — separated out from the news, and attributed to the agency that carried out the work.
By agency
By method
Evaluation of the Creative Careers Programme: Final report
Final evaluation of the Creative Careers Programme examines how guidance for young people, schools and careers advisers supports pathways into creative industries across England, reporting on reach, effectiveness and delivery.
Children's wellbeing online: social media quantitative and qualitative report
Quantitative and qualitative research explores parents’ and children’s views on social media use, potential restrictions and a possible under‑16 ban, assessing wellbeing impacts and public attitudes to online safety measures.
Social media restriction pilots: Qualitative research with 13 to 17-year-olds in the UK
Findings from pilots exploring how social media restrictions affect 13–17-year-olds in the UK, drawing on qualitative interviews and observation to report young people’s experiences, perceived harms, benefits and practical impacts of age-based limits on platforms.
Children’s circumvention behaviours online
Study examining how 11–17-year-olds encounter age assurance online, why some bypass age checks and the ways and reasons they use VPNs, based on qualitative research into young people’s behaviours and motivations.
Awaab's Law Phase 1: Test and Learn research report
Executive summary of MHCLG-funded research reporting on Phase 1 implementation of Awaab’s Law, outlining early lessons, practical challenges and implications for enforcing standards to improve housing conditions.
Domestic abuse safe accommodation: victim-survivor outcomes
Research assesses feasibility of a shared outcomes framework for domestic abuse safe accommodation in England, testing whether common measures can capture victim‑survivor outcomes across services.
Parent, pupil and learner voice: omnibus surveys for 2025 to 2026
Omnibus surveys report 2025–26 findings from parents/carers of primary and secondary pupils, secondary school pupils themselves and 16–18 learners, capturing views on schooling, wellbeing and post-16 choices.
Loneliness, isolation and social connection among boys and young men in England
NatCen research identifies risk and protective factors shaping loneliness, isolation and social connection among boys and young men in England, exploring how these groups experience and navigate social relationships and isolation.
Independent review into mental health conditions, ADHD and autism: interim report
Interim report sets out progress on an independent review into prevalence and support for mental health conditions, ADHD and autism, summarising early findings and next steps for improving diagnosis and services across affected groups.
Child maintenance calculation research
Research investigates parents’ perceptions of the statutory child maintenance calculation and their responses to various hypothetical changes, capturing attitudes towards fairness, affordability and likely behavioural impacts.
Breakfast club early adopters: interim evaluation
Interim evaluation examines how free breakfast clubs in the early adopter scheme operate, how families experience them, and early implementation issues affecting uptake and delivery in participating schools.
Safeguarding responses to county lines and youth violence
Evaluates how multi‑agency safeguarding partnerships across England identify, assess and respond to serious youth violence and county lines exploitation, identifying strengths and gaps in local protective arrangements and inter‑agency coordination.
Children of the 2020s: second survey of families at age 2
Reports wave two findings from the Children of the 2020s longitudinal study at age two, detailing developmental, family and environmental measures to track early childhood outcomes over time.
National Citizen Service Evaluation 2023 to 2025
Independent evaluation of National Citizen Service delivery in 2023–25, assessing the programme run by the National Citizen Service Trust and its outcomes for participants.
Media Literacy Parents' study
Research into how parents can discuss online content with their children, aiming to inform policy and guidance on media literacy and family communication about digital media.
Parent, pupil and learner voice: omnibus surveys for 2023 to 2024
Omnibus survey findings report views of parents/carers, secondary pupils and 16–18 learners on education experience, attitudes to school, wellbeing and priorities for schooling during 2023–24.
Evaluating the implementation of the Prevention and Diversion Assessment Tool
Independent process evaluation of the Youth Justice Board's Prevention and Diversion Assessment Tool (PDAT), assessing implementation, supporting training and guidance to understand how the tool is being used and barriers to uptake.
National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
National audit by Baroness Casey into group‑based child sexual exploitation and abuse (so‑called 'grooming gangs'), examining prevalence, systemic failures and responses across agencies to improve prevention and victim support.
Evaluation of the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB)
Independent evaluation examines implementation of the National Age Assessment Board and assesses whether it achieved intended outcomes and safeguarded children in practice.
National Youth Agency Core Grant and Youth Worker Bursary Fund Evaluation
Independent process and impact evaluation of the National Youth Agency Core Grant and Youth Worker Bursary Fund examines how the funds were delivered and their effects on youth work provision.
National Youth Strategy Research Project
Commissioned research maps priorities and aspirations of young people in England to inform a National Youth Strategy, gathering evidence on what matters to youth across services, opportunities and policy areas to shape future government action.
The Big Ambition Analysis for the National Youth Strategy
A ‘deep dive’ analysis of The Big Ambition dataset was commissioned to inform the National Youth Strategy, providing fresh insight into young people’s views and priorities to shape DCMS policymaking.
Child Poverty Strategy: parents and carers research
Research with parents and carers living in poverty explores how families manage essential costs—utilities, housing, food, health and school expenses—alongside use of support, debt experiences, savings and financial resilience.
Youth worker interactions with other sectors: Better understanding multi-agency working to support young people
Examines how youth workers collaborate with professionals across sectors, detailing practical multi‑agency working arrangements and how these partnerships support young people in different settings.
Presumption of parental involvement review
Final report presents findings from the review of the presumption of parental involvement in family proceedings, setting out evidence, conclusions and recommendations to inform policy and practice on how and when courts should assume parental involvement.
A rapid evidence review of skins gambling
Rapid evidence review compiles existing research on skins gambling, mapping harms, prevalence and policy-relevant evidence about the emerging online practice of betting using in-game virtual items.
Evaluation of the Volunteering Futures Fund
Evaluation of the Volunteering Futures Fund reviews how the £7.4m scheme supported volunteering opportunities for young people and those facing barriers, assessing reach, participation and the fund’s effectiveness in improving access to volunteering.