In this edition we focus on how CEI is creating better outcomes for children and families – plus the latest resources, opportunities, and more.
Join our email list HERE
We'll send you a newsletter five times each year, and we do not share your data.
Evidence review shows benefit of parenting programs for families facing adversity
Evidence-based parenting programs have a key role to play in improving outcomes in families experiencing multiple and complex needs, and should be a central part of regular service provision.
This is the key recommendation from a systematic evidence review commissioned by Foundations (the UK’s national What Works Centre for Children and Families) and undertaken by CEI with Dr Sophia Backhaus (University of Amsterdam), Professors Frances Gardner and Jane Barlow (University of Oxford), and Professor Aron Shlonsky (Monash University).
The review has informed the recently released Parenting through Adversity Practice Guide which provides national guidance to local authorities in England.
READ more (3 min)
KidSTART evaluation finds positive gains for home visiting program; now extended to more families
KidSTART, the landmark home visiting program funded by the Singapore Government, has led to significant positive gains in parenting, social support and child outcomes for lower-income families.
This is the key finding from evaluation of the program, which has reached almost 10,000 children.
The rigorous five-year evaluation was led by CEI in collaboration with Monash University and Research for Impact, commissioned by Singapore’s Early Childhood Development Agency. KidSTART is set for a new phase of expansion building on the evaluation insights.
READ more (3 min)
Expanding healthy and respectful relationships education for Aboriginal children
CEI is excited to be partnering with the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) in developing and implementing Deadly Kids, a healthy and respectful relationships package for Aboriginal children aged 8 to 12 years. This is supported by AUD$2M in Australian Government funding.
The new program builds on the success of VACCA’s Deadly Lovin’, an evidence-based, culturally-informed, healthy respectful relationships program for 12- to17-year-olds, also developed and implemented in partnership with CEI.
“The data tells us that our people are overrepresented in family violence: 72% of Aboriginal children enter care for this reason,” said VACCA CEO Muriel Bamblett, when the funding was announced. “We know prevention is the way forward.”
READ more (2 min)
Assessing a novel early intervention service in youth mental health in London
The success of a youth mental health hub in South London, evaluated by CEI, provides lessons in providing timely and equitable early intervention services for children and young people. A holistic, open-access service for 4- to 25-year-olds funded by Southwark Council, The Nest provides integrative counselling, family systemic therapy, individual art therapy and school-based music therapy, among a range of other services.
CEI’s evaluation found that 64% of young people aged 11 to 25 achieved a reliable improvement in psychological distress, a very positive indication of an effective service.
“The demand for mental health services for children and young people in England continues to exceed availability,” says Dr Katherine Young, CEI Principal Advisor. “Early support hubs, embedded in local communities, have good potential to help fill gaps in high-quality, early-intervention mental health care.”
READ more (3 min)
New South Wales social housing reform has led to more housing provision and better tenant experience, evaluation finds
Australia’s largest social housing evaluation to date has found that a 10-year reform program, Future Directions for Social Housing, resulted in more housing provision and better tenant experience. While there was less evidence of progress toward an objective of reducing reliance on social housing, the reform led to increased housing stability for older tenants and improved employment outcomes for younger tenants.
The New South Wales Government program, originally commenced in 2016, was evaluated by a research consortium comprising the Melbourne Institute, the Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia, CEI, RMIT University and Monash University.
The evaluation’s final report has recently been released, bringing together outcome, economic and implementation evaluations.
READ more (3 min)
Generative AI of moderate concern for parents of teens, survey finds
Parents in Singapore are moderately concerned about the risks to teens from using Generative AI tools, but less than half had talked with their teen about these risks. This is a key finding from a recent a survey of 905 parents conducted by CEI, commissioned by Google Singapore.
“Parents are talking with their teens about AI,” says Dr Jean Liu, CEI Director in Singapore. “We found that 61% had engaged in a conversation about the nature and capabilities of this new technology. However, only 47% had talked with their young people about what they view as risks.”
“Proactive discussion with and guidance from parents continues to be of central importance as new technologies emerge,” said Dr Liu.
READ more (2 min)
Events and opportunities
European Implementation Event, 4-6 June 2025
Registrations close on 22 May for the European Implementation Event in Newcastle, UK. Co-hosted by the European Implementation Collaborative (EIC), the UK Implementation Society and King's College London, the event incorporates the UK/Ireland Implementation Science Research Conference. CEI is an event partner. Find out more
Master of Science in Behavioural and Implementation Sciences in Health (MScBIS)
Applications close 31 May
Offered by the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, this full-time (1 year) or part-time (2 years) postgraduate coursework degree is taught by leading specialists at the forefront of research and practice, and senior policy makers and leaders in healthcare. The course builds in-depth knowledge and expertise in behavioural and implementation sciences for healthcare settings, with a rigorous focus on cross-disciplinary theoretical, empirical and applied fundamentals. CEI is a partner in BISI and has supported development of this course. Find out more
CEI publications and knowledge sharing
- Systematic review on how best to support kinship care families
This review underpinned development of the UK’s first Practice Guide on Kinship Care, advising local authorities how best to support kinship care families. The systematic review was led by CEI, in partnership with Dr Marc Winokur (Colorado State University) and Professor Aron Shlonsky (Monash University), and commissioned by Foundations, the national What Works Centre for Children and Families. - Report: "Early education for disadvantaged children: How local action can support take-up of the 15 hours entitlement"
A major study investigating why children from disadvantaged families in England are not accessing free early education, and how local authorities might improve this situation. The two-year study was commissioned by the Nuffield Foundation and led by CEI with partners Ivana La Valle, the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, and Coram Family and Childcare. - Multi-site trial of youth mentoring
A ground-breaking randomised controlled trial (RCT) of youth mentoring across 17 youth work agencies in England and Wales. Results suggest mentoring delivered in locally relevant ways can improve outcomes for young people at risk of involvement in youth violence. Commissioned by Youth Endowment Fund, and undertaken by CEI in partnership with YMCA George Williams College and Bryson Purdon Social Research. - Article: "Scaling what works: If only it were that simple"
CEI experts authored this article for global magazine Governance Matters, unpacking the nuances of scaling up effective policy innovations. The authors explain what constitutes good scaling, cite common pitfalls on the path to scale, and ask: "How can governments nurture an ecosystem for scale-up?" - Implementation Research Compendium
This world-first research case compendium highlights the role implementation science can play in delivering better outcomes for children. CEI worked with UNICEF and Norway’s Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research to bring together nine real-world case studies from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe. - Feasibility of an impact evaluation for detached youth work
Youth Endowment Fund commissioned CEI and our partners YMCA George Williams College and Bryson Purdon Social Research to investigate whether and how to evaluate the impact of detached youth work – a form of practice in which youth workers interact with young people in public spaces. The team found evaluation is feasible and identified how it might be done with rigour and in a way that reflects detached youth work’s aims and values. - Youth participatory research: A review of reviews and practice guidance
A set of evidence-based recommendations developed by CEI for Youth Futures Foundation, drawing on 18 systematic reviews and 15 practice guidance documents and toolkits. The focus is on promoting the voices of young people marginalised through systemic inequalities.
Find out more about our current work HERE
Sign up for our newsletter, issued five times each year, HERE