§ Mr. GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how much has been spent by his Department in each of the past five years on the evaluation of departmental programmes; and what proportion this constitutes of(a) the amount allocated for evaluation and (b) the Department's total budget.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe process of evaluation of the Department's programmes is part of the work itself. It is therefore not possible to identify separately the resources involved.
Current child abuse research sponsored by DHSS Researcher Abstract 1. Dr. F. Boddy, Dr. D. Gough, Glasgow University Professional Interventions in Child Abuse This study will examine, evaluate literature on interventive strategies in cases of child abuse and attempt to provide a synthesis of present knowledge of value to those working in the field. 2. Dr. Bentovim, Professor Graham, Great Ormond Street, Hospital/Institute of Child Health Child Sexual Abuse This study will look at characteristics and outcome of a treatment programme provided to the victims of child sexual abuse and their families. 3. Margery Smith, Great Ormond Street, Hospital/Institute of Child Health Normal Sexual Knowledge in Children The aim is to collect systematic and reliable information on: (i) sexual knowledge in children; (ii) normal behaviour in families. A second aim of the study is to see whether children in the community can be distinguished from children who have been sexually abused on the basis of their sexual knowledge and behaviour. 4. Jane Gibbons, NISW Longitudinal Study of Children on NSPCC Abuse Registers A feasibility study to examine the possibility of tracing children placed on registers maintained by the NSPCC; identifying the services supplied at the time; and assessing the outcome for the child several years later (seven years). 5. Elaine Farmer, Bristol University Decision Making Intervention and Outcomes in Respect to Children at risk of Abuse The aims of this study are to explore the process of decision making and intervention in relation to a group of children at risk of abuse in two local authorities, and to relate these to outcomes over a two year period. Attention will be given to the way in which risk is reassessed over time and to the way in which decisions are made to remove or restore children home. 6. Christine Hallett, Leicester University A Study of Coordination in Child Abuse The research aims to study the policies and practices of interagency coordination in child abuse. The research has three dimensions: a conceptual analysis and literature review; a study of professional perspectives using case vignettes and a study of coordination in a sample of cases in selected areas.