Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS)
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Department Name: Social Science
Abstract
We have brought together a multidisciplinary team across the four nations of the UK with deep scientific and operational expertise, to deliver a feasibility study of recruitment into a new early life cohort for the UK. Our major aim is to provide proof of concept for a new birth cohort study that would be scientifically valuable, provides evidence for policy, is operationally feasible and garners strong public support.
To achieve this, we will design and undertake a data collection that is of lasting value, informing on key issues facing new generations of babies and their families. Representative sampling and successful recruitment are fundamental foundations required to deliver cutting edge research of this nature. At the heart of this exercise will be a test of our ability to successfully secure access to an appropriate national sampling frame of babies born in each of the four nations, and to devise a sample design and recruitment strategy that maximises participation and representativeness overall, and enables participation among groups that are traditionally seen as 'hard to reach' in longitudinal population research. This will include oversampling of ethnic minorities and births in deprived areas. We will engage fathers, including those non-resident at birth. We will bring together experts to discuss the potential for a study of children in need.
The feasibility study will be designed to develop and test a protocol of high-quality measurements of early child development and the multilevel social and biological processes that affect early developmental outcomes, using both tried-and-tested instruments and newly-emerging technologies. We will deploy a variety of modes and methods of data collection, including an in-person home visit, data collection via devices (including to capture sleep and activity level), and by smartphone app (to capture infant-parent interactions, developmental milestones, diet and momentary assessments of parental stress). We will test how collection of bio-samples, including buccal swabs, saliva, and hair, from infant and parents would impact participation in the study, via a randomised experiment. We will develop a strategy for linking electronic health and other administrative records, as well as geo-environmental data, which will form a central part of any future study. In addition to providing rigorous testing of a scientific protocol in preparation for the main-stage study, the data we will collect in this feasibility study will be of great value for scientists and policy makers interested in infant health and development.
We will undertake careful public engagement to ensure public acceptability of the proposed sampling, data collection and record linkage approaches, and will ensure the study serves the needs of the people it represents, by working closely with panels of families and children. We will engage closely with policy and practitioner networks and will consult with academic data users to determine evidence needs and scientific priorities for the feasibility study.
An evaluation phase at the end of the project will support decision taking on whether a main study is commissioned. The project team will provide methodologically robust evidence on an agreed set of outcomes to inform this decision.
Our team is uniquely experienced and well placed to deliver this ambitious project, combining expertise in the leadership and operations of longitudinal studies, the science of early life, sample frames and record linkages relating to babies in each of the four UK nations, collecting bio-samples from infants and parents, statistical methods, public engagement, and engagement of fathers in longitudinal research. Further collaborators and partners in the project provide deep expertise on sample design, looked after children and children in need, engaging with families and children, policymakers and practitioners, and international harmonisation.
To achieve this, we will design and undertake a data collection that is of lasting value, informing on key issues facing new generations of babies and their families. Representative sampling and successful recruitment are fundamental foundations required to deliver cutting edge research of this nature. At the heart of this exercise will be a test of our ability to successfully secure access to an appropriate national sampling frame of babies born in each of the four nations, and to devise a sample design and recruitment strategy that maximises participation and representativeness overall, and enables participation among groups that are traditionally seen as 'hard to reach' in longitudinal population research. This will include oversampling of ethnic minorities and births in deprived areas. We will engage fathers, including those non-resident at birth. We will bring together experts to discuss the potential for a study of children in need.
The feasibility study will be designed to develop and test a protocol of high-quality measurements of early child development and the multilevel social and biological processes that affect early developmental outcomes, using both tried-and-tested instruments and newly-emerging technologies. We will deploy a variety of modes and methods of data collection, including an in-person home visit, data collection via devices (including to capture sleep and activity level), and by smartphone app (to capture infant-parent interactions, developmental milestones, diet and momentary assessments of parental stress). We will test how collection of bio-samples, including buccal swabs, saliva, and hair, from infant and parents would impact participation in the study, via a randomised experiment. We will develop a strategy for linking electronic health and other administrative records, as well as geo-environmental data, which will form a central part of any future study. In addition to providing rigorous testing of a scientific protocol in preparation for the main-stage study, the data we will collect in this feasibility study will be of great value for scientists and policy makers interested in infant health and development.
We will undertake careful public engagement to ensure public acceptability of the proposed sampling, data collection and record linkage approaches, and will ensure the study serves the needs of the people it represents, by working closely with panels of families and children. We will engage closely with policy and practitioner networks and will consult with academic data users to determine evidence needs and scientific priorities for the feasibility study.
An evaluation phase at the end of the project will support decision taking on whether a main study is commissioned. The project team will provide methodologically robust evidence on an agreed set of outcomes to inform this decision.
Our team is uniquely experienced and well placed to deliver this ambitious project, combining expertise in the leadership and operations of longitudinal studies, the science of early life, sample frames and record linkages relating to babies in each of the four UK nations, collecting bio-samples from infants and parents, statistical methods, public engagement, and engagement of fathers in longitudinal research. Further collaborators and partners in the project provide deep expertise on sample design, looked after children and children in need, engaging with families and children, policymakers and practitioners, and international harmonisation.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (Lead Research Organisation)
- Manchester Metropolitan University (Collaboration)
- Institute for Fiscal Studies (Collaboration)
- Duke University (Collaboration)
- Nuffield Foundation (Collaboration)
- Parent-Infant Foundation (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Genomics England (Collaboration)
- National Children's Bureau (Project Partner)
- The Nuffield Foundation (Project Partner)
Publications
Fitzsimons E
(2022)
Early childhood inequalities
Joshi H
(2022)
Placing context in longitudinal research.
in Longitudinal and life course studies : international journal
Raybould A
(2023)
Engaging 'less-often-heard' groups in birth cohort studies: qualitative insights from own-household fathers and low-income families
in Social Research Practice
| Description | The overarching aim of the Feasibility Study was to explore the Feasibility of a new birth cohort study in the UK that would paint a nationally representative picture of the circumstances and lives of a new cohort of babies born at a critical time in the UK's history, and to understand how inequalities in early child development are changing over time. The primary objective of the study was therefore to provide evidence on the potential for successful recruitment into a new national birth cohort study, and to inform on the best approach to design and measurement. In order to accomplish this, the core aims were to: • To draw a sample and recruit into a UK-representative study of babies in first year of life (9 months) • To create an inclusive cohort, including families that are typically under-represented • To test feasibility of innovative measures, and linkages, and • To engage extensively to ensure scientific and policy value, public acceptability, and participant co-production The primary scientific aim of the study is to understand how inequalities in early child development are changing over time, and to learn whether the social and biological factors driving these trajectories are evolving. The data will be of substantive value of identifying potential foci for early intervention and support. What were the most significant achievements from the award? The most significant achievements of the study were acquiring the sample frame for recruitment in all four UK countries, and demonstrating the full implementation of the recruitment and data collection processes. Findings relating to core aim 1: To draw a sample and recruit into a UK-representative study of babies in first year of life (9 months) • Securing records of births as a sample frame, demonstrating timetable for acquisition, gaining approval for opt-out recruitment approach The project team secured agreements to use birth registrations linked to birth notifications or maternity records in England, Wales and Scotland, and maternity records only in Northern Ireland, as its sample frame, on an opt-out basis. The sample was provided by NHS England (England and Wales), National Records Scotland, and Northern Ireland's Business Services Organisation, with required approvals in each country. Using this sampling frame led to many important lessons for the study and other potential users of this data for sampling. For example, that the percentage of births excluded by NHS England was higher than expected, likely reflecting a high level of patient opt-outs among certain sampled groups. There were also lessons learned about the process for exclusions of potentially sensitive cases in Scotland. We also discovered important lessons about the quality of the data, for example, that baby's ethnicity on the sample frame and that reported in the survey were largely well-aligned, but there was high missingness on the sample frame ethnicity variable in Wales. • Demonstrating that a representative achieved sample could be drawn The study successfully recruited 1,918 families to take part which comprises 49% of the families initially invited to take part in the study (the study response rate). This is in line with the response rate of other similar studies currently underway (e.g. the first wave of the Children of the 2020s cohort in England). The study team have conducted initial work assessing the representativeness of the sample compared to the total population of births in the relevant birth window. The analysis suggests that there was differential response according to a number of characteristics, which is typical for surveys of this kind. For example, babies with mothers under the age of 20 had relatively lower response rates, while families with Bangladeshi ethnicity had higher response rates than families with White ethnicity. Despite these differences in response rates, the characteristics of the achieved sample are broadly representative of the target population using a number of different population benchmarks and metrics. Despite the fact that the ELC feasibility study had a lower response rate to MCS, the achieved samples in ELC and MCS were not greatly different in terms of overall representativeness compared to their target populations. Key findings related to core aim 2: To create an inclusive cohort, including families that are typically under-represented • Recruiting diverse samples to enable sub-group analysis Using birth records as a sampling frame for a nation-wide UK study has the benefit of high population coverage. It enabled direct recruitment of both parents where the birth was registered jointly, even if this was at different addresses, an individual-level ethnic boost using baby's ethnicity, and use of additional socio-demographic information about parents and babies to understand who did and did not take part. The sample design comprised over-sampling at national level in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and, in England, a boost of Black Caribbean, Black African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi babies and a boost of families living in low-income areas (lowest quintile based on Index of Multiple Deprivation). The study recruited a diversity of families: over 40% of the parents recruited lived in areas in the lowest index of multiple deprivation quintile, around 10% of parents were under 25 years old and around 30% of babies were from non-white ethnicities. This will allow researchers to do analysis with specific groups of policy interest. • Rich data on fathers as well as mothers A key achievement of the feasibility study has been the collection of detailed information from both fathers and mothers. Fathers have typically not been recruited in their own right (i.e. by direct invitation based on the national sample frame) in previous UK birth cohorts. In the feasibility study, fathers were sampled directly via information on the birth register. This allowed fathers who do not live with their child full-time (own-household parents, OHPs) to be directly invited to take part. Birth registrations suggest that nearly 20% of UK fathers with a child under one are OHPs, making them a sizeable and important group of parents to include in family research. The study was designed to be inclusive of all parents by allowing up to four interviews per baby with up to two birth parents and their co-resident partners. We achieved a high proportion of interviews with fathers/second parents. Of the 1,918 productive main households, where there were two eligible parents, we achieved an interview with 76% of parents allocated to the additional informant interview (typically the father). Where parents lived at two separate addresses, we interviewed 16% of OHPs among productive households. While this is a low response rate among OHPs, the data provided by those who took part provides important information about an important group of fathers whose lives and their influence on child development are rarely captured in this type of research. • Explore the possibilities for recruitment and retention into a longitudinal birth cohort study of very vulnerable children in the early years. Together with the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, the project carried out a scoping study to understand the need for, and feasibility of, a new longitudinal birth cohort study of vulnerable children in their early years. This project involved an initial research-based scoping exercise (two workshops in 2022 with academic, policy and practitioner stakeholders) to investigate how vulnerable children have been captured in previous national and local birth cohort studies, the key challenges arising, and identified a number of ongoing studies in the UK and elsewhere with valuable relevant experience. The report recommended that a main ELC study should include a boost of young mothers, ideally identified as being young at first birth. The potential for a new study of vulnerable children is an area that needs further feasibility work, and is being explored in a new project 'Scoping the feasibility of a new longitudinal birth cohort study of children at risk of poor outcomes across the UK' led by Professor Lucy Griffiths at University of Swansea and funded by the ESRC's "Transforming data collections infrastructure for social science" grant. • Inclusivity in survey design An achievement of the study was to integrate inclusive and accessible design practices throughout the study design: in the fieldwork protocol, materials and questionnaire design. For example, the study included a multi-mode design to give participants flexibility in how they took part, as well as rigorous testing of the study materials, engagement messaging and questionnaire wording. We also translated the study recruitment materials and offered translated showcards in 10 languages, one of which was Welsh. Key findings related to core aim 3: To test feasibility of innovative measures, and linkages • Consent to data linkage experiment The study collected consents to add rich data from health, education and social care records for both parents and their babies. Consent rates were high (over 75% consent in all countries for each type of linkage). Data about the families' local environments (geo-linkages) will also be added. The study aimed to understand more about how to minimise participant burden and improve the likelihood of informed consent for administrative data linkages. Families were randomised to different models of consent: • 'Add on' consent where participants were asked to consent to each linkage in turn. • 'Embedded' consent where participants were informed that the study would like to link the records and were informed how to dissent during or after the interview. We found that the second 'embedded' group had higher consent rates than the 'add on' group. Participants and interviewers generally preferred the 'embedded' form of consent in post-fieldwork feedback. These findings have implications for how consent for data linkage may be sought in future studies. • Testing consent to provide saliva samples for DNA extraction An important innovation for the feasibility study was the collection of saliva samples from both parents and their child for DNA extraction and subsequent genetic analysis. Around 500 families were randomly invited to provide parent and child saliva. DNA has been extracted from the samples but further genetic analysis will be subject to funding. Saliva samples were received from 43% babies and 46% parents asked to consent to give a sample. Babies' and parents' consent rates varied by country: among parents, 32% in England, 40% in Wales, 51% in Scotland and 70% in Northern Ireland consented and sent samples to the lab. We found that those in the saliva sub study had broadly similar rates of recruitment into the main study (43.5%) as those who were not part of the saliva sub study (46.1%). • Testing the ability of contracted fieldworkers to take a number of specialised objective measures of babies' environments and development The feasibility study's academic consultation identified community support for innovative approaches to measuring early markers of brain and behavioural development, the biological embedding of stress, and rich capture of the home language environment through direct measures. A sub-study of the project (ELC+) therefore aimed to conduct a robust, cost-efficient investigation of the training requirements, practical implementation challenges, data integrity, and acceptability (from a participant perspective), of collecting novel child development, home environment and stress markers when undertaken by agency fieldworkers in home-testing environments. The measures tested included neuroscience-informed and anthropometric measures (EEG, eye tracking, adiposity), hair samples, and audio-recording of the home language environment. Eight agency interviewers were trained and conducted these assessments with 93 children aged 6-12 months from London and Cambridge in a 100-minute home visit. The study concluded that a battery of this kind would be feasible and would produce high-quality novel data. Feedback from parents was also consistently very positive. Key findings related to core aim 4: To engage extensively to ensure scientific and policy value, public acceptability, and participant co-production • Understanding the needs of participants and the public, and integrating these into design decisions The study engaged extensively to ensure scientific and policy value, public acceptability, and participant co-production. This included engagement with the public about the use of administrative data, the study name and brand, barriers to participation among parents with young children, barriers to participation among specific hard-to-reach groups that were boosted or of particular focus in the sampling approach (parents who do not live full time with their child, ethnic minority and low income families), and testing the materials and questionnaire. Findings from these projects were fed into study design decisions from conception to end, and reports were produced to feedback how different expertise and viewpoints were integrated. • Evidencing public and participant acceptability The study was well received by families: Study participants reported they enjoyed taking part and thought the study was conducted well. Of those asked for feedback after the survey, 87% said they definitely or probably would take part in a second wave. We also found that participants were happy with the opt-out recruitment approach and there were very few complaints about the use of the sampling frame. Key findings related to scientific aim of producing data to understand how early-life inequalities are changing over time A key achievement of the study was integrating the views of academics, policy and practice stakeholders and parents of young children to design the questionnaire and maximise the value of its output. Key scientific priorities identified in the consultation included: • The dynamics of childhood poverty and adversity • Parental decision-making about work and family • Capturing parenting across diverse families • Early markers of neurological and biological development • Genetic influences on child development • The relationship between child and parent health • Parents' knowledge and access to services. Parts of the questionnaire were also cognitively tested with parents prior to the start of fieldwork. The final questionnaire covered a broad range of topics including: • Baby's health, growth, behaviour, development, sleep, diet and play activities. • Parent's work, finances, health and wellbeing, parenting approach and relationship with their baby • Use of childcare and other services • Families' home environment The survey achieved a high completion rate among those who participated (over 97% fully completed the questionnaire) and most questions showed very low item-level missingness. Scales showed a high-level of internal consistency and correlated with each other in expected ways. The final questionnaire aimed to include content that could be directly compared to other UK-wide birth cohorts to understand change over time. For example, in preliminary data analysis (unweighted statistics) we found that: • Dads in the study were doing more with their children than in the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS): 1 in 2 of the dads in the feasibility study fed their baby more than once a day, compared to 1 in 4 dads in MCS. • 1% of MCS babies had seen a doctor about allergies by the time of the study's first wave in 2002. Allergies were reported as a longstanding health condition for 6% of feasibility study babies. The study also included novel content compared to previous cohorts, to answer more contemporary scientific questions. For example, questions were included on parental engagement in play, a range of measures of financial hardship, screen time, vaping and use of fertility treatments for the cohort child. Some preliminary data analyses include: • 6% of births were conceived using a fertility treatment, the most common being IVF. • Most babies (3 in 4) are spending some of their day watching screens: the average time spent watching screens per day was 45 minutes (half watch for less than 30 minutes a day). • The play activities parents did most throughout the day with their children were playing with toys, cuddling and talking. Parents were slightly more likely to do physical or noisy play with their baby if they were a boy. To what extent were the award objectives met? If you can, briefly explain why any key objectives were not met. The award objectives for the study have all been met: the study acquired a sample frame to recruit a representative sample of UK babies, typically under-represented groups have been engaged with and recruited into the study, innovative measures have been successfully tested and extensive public engagement work undertaken. An important part of the feasibility study was to determine the scientifically preferred and operationally feasible age of the baby at first interview. While the academic community expressed an overall preference for an age of recruitment as early as possible, in practice the youngest feasible age at interview that the study was able to achieve, given its sample frame, was 9 months, and the average age of the babies in the sample was 11 months. This was due to the time taken for the sample frame data to become available, for the sample to be drawn, and to issue it into the field. |
| Exploitation Route | Reports detailing the feasibility study outcomes have been provided to ESRC and informed their decision to commission a main study. The findings from the feasibility study have been used to inform the call specification for the main study, and will be used to inform the detailed design decisions for the study itself. The feasibility study findings also have relevance to the wider academic, data user and policy practitioner communities. The feasibility study survey data will be deposited for research at UKDS (planned for summer 2025), and findings related to the substantive data and key methodological components, and public engagement will be published. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Healthcare |
| URL | https://gnestudy.info/ |
| Description | 1001 days parent infant partnership |
| Organisation | Parent-Infant Foundation |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We undertook a range of policy and practice consultation activities |
| Collaborator Contribution | The 1001 days partnership supported the policy and practice consultations associated with this project |
| Impact | The outcomes are the scientific protocol and participant engagement practices of the project |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Growing Up In Digital Europe (GUIDE) |
| Organisation | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Department | Department of Sociology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Alissa Goodman, Pasco Fearon and Lisa Calderwood maintain a dialogue with Gary Pollock on harmonisation of survey design with 'Growing Up In Digital Europe' (GUIDE). |
| Collaborator Contribution | In developing the scientific protocol for the Early Life Feasibility Study, Prof Gary Pollock links the project to a number of EU-wide birth cohort initiatives. |
| Impact | No outputs as yet. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | IFS Deaton Review early years inequalities |
| Organisation | Duke University |
| Department | Center for Genomic and Computational Biology |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Professors Alissa Goodman, led the early inequalities strand for the IFS Deaton Review, a comprehensive five-year study of inequalities in society funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The early years chapter of the review has now been published and widely disseminated, CLS cohort data to examine inequalities in early development, and the contribution of early years' development to longer-term economic and broader inequality. The collaboration involves partners from IFS and Duke University. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators are contributing expertise in the study of early child development and estimation of econometric models (IFS), and use of genomic data in research on parental investments and child outcomes (Duke). |
| Impact | The chapter involves multi-disciplinary collaboration between academics from economics, statistics, and developmental psychology. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | IFS Deaton Review early years inequalities |
| Organisation | Institute for Fiscal Studies |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Professors Alissa Goodman, led the early inequalities strand for the IFS Deaton Review, a comprehensive five-year study of inequalities in society funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The early years chapter of the review has now been published and widely disseminated, CLS cohort data to examine inequalities in early development, and the contribution of early years' development to longer-term economic and broader inequality. The collaboration involves partners from IFS and Duke University. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Collaborators are contributing expertise in the study of early child development and estimation of econometric models (IFS), and use of genomic data in research on parental investments and child outcomes (Duke). |
| Impact | The chapter involves multi-disciplinary collaboration between academics from economics, statistics, and developmental psychology. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Newborn Genome Programme |
| Organisation | Genomics England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Since early 2022, Alissa Goodman, Pasco Fearon and Karen Dennison (ELC-FS SDLT) have maintained regular contact with the Newborn Genome Programme at Genomics England to share learnings on methods and ethics. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Newborn Genome Programme have set-up monthly meetings with the ELC-Fs team to exchange learning. |
| Impact | No outputs yet |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Nuffield Family Justice Observatory partnership on scoping the feasibility of a longitudinal study of vulnerable children |
| Organisation | Nuffield Foundation |
| Department | Nuffield Family Justice Observatory |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have worked collaboratively with NFJO to scope the feasibility of initiating a study of highly vulnerable children in their early years |
| Collaborator Contribution | NFJO contributed the time of several personnel and have hosted high level workshops that have made an important contribution to the ELC project findings |
| Impact | Workshop briefings x2, and Report of the discussion on Workshop 2. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Alex Timpson Trust Rees Centre Round Table on child mental health and well-being |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A roundtable event bringing together a small group of MPs, senior officials and sector leaders from policy, practice and research to develop policy on the contribution of schools to children's mental health and well-being. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Alissa and Emla meet with the Director of Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Following the visit by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge, the Director of Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood approached Alissa Goodman and Emla Fitzsimons to discuss MCS and a meeting took place in December 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Alissa attends the launch of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood campaign |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to attend the launch of the new Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood campaign, Shaping Us, in January 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Alissa invited to MRC workshop on an adolescent health cohort |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was personally invited to workshop in May 2021, organised by Medical Research Council's Population Health Sciences Group regarding the scoping of design features of a major new longitudinal adolescent health cohort. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Alissa invited to present to a meeting in Welsh Government |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was personally invited to present the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study at a meeting in September 2021 with policy makers in Welsh Government, in the cross government children and young people workstream. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Alissa joins High-Level Policy Expert Meeting hosted by Institute for Demographic Research in Germany |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to join a High-Level Policy Expert Meeting hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany, November 2022 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa joins as panelist at the Nuffield Foundation Conference on Early Childhood |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was asked to speak at the Nuffield Foundation Conference on Early Childhood, July 2022, and joined as a named panelist. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa joins expert group discussion chaired by Leon Feinstein & Morag Treanor |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to join expert group discussion chaired by Leon Feinstein & Morag Treanor, "how to strengthen the intra-UK comparative evidence on trends in wellbeing and welfare of children, particularly the most vulnerable or in need?", February 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Alissa joins expert group discussion on social/economic exclusion, hosted by Joseph Rowntree Foundation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to join a expert group discussion on a new digital platform to support action around poverty and social/economic exclusion in the UK, hosted by JRF in March 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Alissa joins the IFS event: Inequalities in the 21st Century, to launch the IFS Deaton Review |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was a panellist at the IFS event: Inequalities in the 21st Century, to launch the IFS Deaton Review, in May 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa joins workshop on Early Childhood Research hosted by Nuffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to join a workshop on early childhood research hosted by Nuffield Foundation's Changing Face of Early Childhood project, in November 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa joins workshop on administrative linkage, hosted by UK LLC |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to a workshop hosted by UK LLC about administrative linkage, December 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa speaks at event launching the IFS Early childhood inequalities chapter of the Deaton review |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was invited to speak at an event launching the IFS Early childhood inequalities chapter of the Deaton review, June 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ifs.org.uk/events/early-childhood-inequalities |
| Description | Alissa speaks at the welcome plenary session of a CLOSER conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman accepted an invitation to speak at the welcome plenary session of the CLOSER conference: Preparing for the future: Tackling key challenges facing longitudinal population studies in a post-COVID world. At the conference in January 2022, Alissa presented the the opportunities and challenges of launching the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study in the midst and aftermath of the pandemic, and participated in the subsequent panel discussion. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Alissa was personally invited to present her work on the Deaton Review to the DfE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Alissa was personally invited to present her work on the Deaton Review to the DfE in a seminar series organised by IFS, December 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Article about ELC-FS engagement work in the SRA magazine 'Research Matters' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Article published in the SRA 'research matters' magazine in September 2022 about the public and participant engagement work done as part of this project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Consultation with National Children's Bureau particpant groups |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | We held separate public engagement workshops with young people and parents to inform the design of the ELC-FS. The groups consulted both via National Children's Bureau established groups. The Young Research Advisors (YRA) group who are adolescents and young adults as representatives of the future study members. The Family Research Advisory Group (FRAG) who are parents. They were consulted on a range of design aspects - scientific content, name, design elements such as who should take part. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | DWP methods Advisory Group presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | DWP methods advisory group on the uses of AI in DWP research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | ELC-FS participant-facing materials and questionnaire testing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Participant facing materials and the questionnaire were tested with 32 mothers and fathers of young children. The materials and questions were revised in light of the findings. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study - brand development and implementation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | The aim of this project is to develop a brand and visual identity for the new Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study which would be used in all materials aimed at study participants. Findings from the 2021 focus groups with parents (target audience) fed into the final decisions on the brand in 2022. A set of brand guidelines have been developed and are now being implemented on all communications aimed at study participants. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study - brand development and user testing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The aim of this project is to develop a brand and visual identity for the new Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study which will be suitable for a range of different study audiences, but with potential study members (parents) as the priority audience. We commissioned an external design agency to develop a range of creative routes and possible names and strap-lines for the study. Working with an external research agency, we tested options externally through two focus groups with parents of new babies. The focus groups comprised a diverse range of parents, with representation from fathers as well as mothers, the four UK countries, and different age and ethnic groups. We sought feedback on four names, three strap-lines and four creative routes. We also gathered valuable information on participants' experiences of being a parent of a new baby, and the possible motivations and barriers to taking part in a cohort study. The insights from these two focus groups are feeding into the next stage of brand development along with the feedback from the user testing we conducted internally alongside these (with members of the study project team and other academics). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study - website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | We are building a website aimed at (potential) participants in the new Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study. This is planned to launch in April 2023. Accessibility is a priority, and the website will feature a page with guidance to users on the tools they can use to get the most out of the content on the site. The website will play a key role in encouraging people to take part in the study and will include examples of impact from other cohort studies. There will also be detailed information about what's involved in taking part and answers to many questions participants may have. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Invited presentation at ONS Survey Inclusivity and Incentives workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation at ONS workshop on increasing survey inclusivity. AR and LC attended to present on public engagement work done for the ELC-FS. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | National University of Singapore Board of Trustees visit to UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | National University of Singapore Board of Trustees - presentation about UK cohorts: looking for potential partnerships between CLS and Singapore cohorts, and sharing of best practice internationally |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Nuffield Family Justice Observatory & CLS expert workshop on vulnerable children |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In collaboration with the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, CLS hosted a series of workshops inviting experts to discuss the feasibility of initiating a longitudinal study of vulnerable children in the early years. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ONLINE WORKSHOP - Consultation on the content and design of an Early Life Cohort Feasibility study for the UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A large scale consultation event on the input into the scientific direction and design of a new study, testing the feasibility of a new birth cohort study for the UK. The event included the opportunity for stakeholdes to join a number of themed small group discussions to comment and learn about the content for this new study. Topics ranged from Mental health to specialist areas such as Genomics and pre-term and sick neo-nates. 172 people attended live and 237 registered. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/events/consultation-early-life-cohort-feasibility-study/ |
| Description | Policy and practitioner consultations led by the National Children's Bureau |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | National Children's Bureau undertook an invited workshop and online survey to capture policy, research and practitioner views on: The key groups the study should gather data on and the best ways of engaging these groups; Organisation's evidence and policy needs that this study and the larger one could support; and The key content areas the study should explore Survey responses received from 133 individuals, Policy / practitioners represent 70% of all respondents |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at the British Society for Population Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 15 minutes presentation at the British Society for Population Studies conference to present findings from qualitative work conducted as part of this project on engaging own household fathers (fathers who do not live full-time with their child) in longitudinal surveys. The audience consisted of academics from social science disciplines and agency staff such as the ONS. Around 30 people listened to the presentation in-person and there was engagement about the talk on twitter. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Presentation at the European Survey Research Association Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation titled 'Incorporating participant voices into a new UK birth cohort feasibility study' given at the ESRA conference in Milan to a group of academics and survey practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation at the Society for Longitudinal Studies Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation titled 'Developing an innovative new birth cohort in the UK: The Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS)'. Given at a special session on developments in youth and child cohort studies to an academic audience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation to the Welsh Longitudinal Studies Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman and Lucy Griffiths were invited to present to the Welsh Longitudinal Studies Network about the Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Public dialogue workshops hosted with Kantar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Through a competitive tender process, Kantar Public UK were commissioned to carry out 10 workshops across the UK to explore the views of parents of young children about some of the planned uses of administrative data in the ELC Feasibility Study, how acceptable they find these and what, if anything, can be done to mitigate any concerns they have. The workshops discussed the plans to use administrative data for sampling, recruitment, and retention as well as planned data linkages and consent models for this. The dialogue provided us with the opportunity to interact with parents of young children and hear their views about the planned uses of administrative data in the ELC-FS first-hand. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Qualitative research with own-household fathers and low-income families |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Ipsos MORI were commissioned to carry out qualitative research with own-household fathers and low-income families (with ethnic minority boost) to inform the design of the ELC. A report has been prepared and will be published shortly. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Roundtable organised by Nuffield Foundation on The Changing Face of Early Childhood |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alissa Goodman was personally invited to present at a roundtable organised by the Nuffield Foundation about their project on The Changing Face of Early Childhood and the early implications of Covid-19 for young children now. (May 2020) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Singaporean Ministry of Education visit to Centre for Longitudinal Studies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Singaporean Ministry of Education visited CLS to learn more about the CLS cohorts and our innovative practices, and to seek advice on a number of longitudinal study initiatives in Singapore |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Symposium on International Cohorts Showcase: New Longitudinal Studies in the UK at Society for Lifecourse and Longitudinal Studies 2022 conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | International Cohorts Showcase: New Longitudinal Studies in the UK: Symposium at Society for Lifecourse and Longitudinal Studies conference 2022. Three presentations as below: Children of the 2020s: A New Birth Cohort Study of the Early Environmental Influences on Children's Early Educational and Socioemotional Outcomes Presenter: Marialivia Bernardi, University College London Co-authors: Pasco Fearon, Lisa Calderwood, Laurel Fish, Alissa Goodman, University College London; Sandra Mathers, University of Oxford; Sarah Knibbs, Ipsos MORI A Feasibility Study for a New UK-Wide Birth Cohort in the 2020s: The Early Life Cohort Feasibility Study (ELC-FS) Presenter: Lisa Calderwood, University College London Co-authors: Alissa Goodman, Pasco Fearon, University College London A New Youth Cohort Study on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Young People's Education and Wellbeing: The COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study (COSMO) Presenter: Tugba Adali, University College London Co-authors: Jake Anders, Lisa Calderwood, Xin Shao, University College London |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Visit from the Duchess of Cambridge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge visited CLS on 5 October 2021 to learn about the new Children of the 2020s study, and the invaluable contribution the centre's existing birth cohort studies have made to our understanding of early child development. She was welcomed by Professor Pasco Fearon, UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences, who is director of the new study, and by CLS director, Professor Alissa Goodman. They introduced The Duchess to the new nationally representative study, which will seek to recruit over 8,000 families from across England next year to track the development of children from the age of nine months to five years. The visit attracted considerable media coverage, including the BBC, The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, and Independent. Notably, the bulk of the media articles went into detail about the research, rather than focusing solely on the Duchess. Content about the Duchess' visit has been among the best performing this year across CLS, IOE and UCL websites and social media channels. The visit has helped the study team to develop a relationship with The Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood, a influential organisation in this field, and discussions are ongoing about how they can continue to be involved in the study's development. The visit has also made the study infinitely more discoverable online, and has given it some third party credibility. This will benefit study recruitment - when prospective participants receive their invitation letters to take part, many will likely google the study to check its legitimacy. Not only will they be able to find information about the study much more easily, but they will know that the Duchess is only sent to legitimate, worthwhile projects. For those prospective participants who are fans of the Duchess, her interest in the study may influence their decision to take part. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://cls.ucl.ac.uk/the-duchess-of-cambridge-visits-cls/ |
| Description | Workshop on the mode design of the ELC-FS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In March 2022, ESRC and the ELC-FS Science and Delivery Leadership Team hosted a workshop to discuss the mode design of the main ELC study, and the implications for the Feasibility Study design, in light of the major external shock that the fieldwork industry has experienced due to COVID-19, the impact of this on face-to-face fieldwork capacity and delivery in the future and the opportunities of this for innovations in data collection. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |