Foundations (the What Works Centre for Children and Families) is seeking proposals for a systematic review of interventions to support children and young people who have experienced child sexual abuse. The systematic review will underpin a forthcoming Practice Guide on this topic.
The Practice Guides have been commissioned by the Department for Education, to support delivery of the Children’s Social Care National Framework. Find out more: foundations.org.uk/toolkit/practice-guides.
Research aims
The aim of this review is to use robust systematic methods to:
- Identify interventions with strong evidence of improving outcomes for children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse (exact population still to be determined – recommendations from applicants welcome).
- Identify the types of support available which can help improve these outcomes for children and young people. This includes components of intervention delivery and population characteristics that may influence effectiveness.
- Identify the enablers and barriers to successful implementation of interventions for children and young people who are victims/survivors of child sexual abuse.
Research questions
- What works: Which interventions are effective in supporting and improving outcomes in children and young people aged between 0–25 who are victims/survivors of child sexual abuse?
- For whom: What are the different types of interventions, how are they defined, and which models are effective for different populations of children and young people aged between 0–25?
- How and why: What practice elements and intervention components are associated with successful interventions when supporting this population?
- Implementation: What are the enablers and barriers to successful implementation of interventions when supporting victims/survivors and their families?
- User perspectives and needs: What are the views of intervention users and practitioners about the acceptability and usefulness of child sexual abuse interventions?
ELIGIBILITY
The systematic review needs to follow guidance set out by PRISMA-E. The review needs to be sensitive to diversity of population, and factors related to race, gender, level and type of need should be threaded throughout the review.
VALUE AND DURATION
Up to £125,000 is available for this project.
An indicative timeline, subject to negotiation with the successful bidder, can be found in the call document below.
KEY DATES
Expression of Interest deadline: 28 May 2025 (this is voluntary, and you do not have to express interest to apply)
Deadline: 13 June 2025 (11.59 am)
Successful bidder notified: 4 July 2025
Kick-off meeting: w/c 14 July 2025
Full are details available on the opportunity webpage and in the call document below.