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Brokering knowledge in a policy world

Sinéad Hanafin PhDHead of Research

Department of Health and Children

HSE 11th February 2011

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Presentation

Policy context

What counts as evidence ?

What makes for good research evidence?

What works in a policy environment or, how does research become knowledge?

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Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs

Responsibility for harmonising policy issues that affect children in:

– early childhood care and education, – youth justice, – child welfare and protection, – children and young people's participation, – research on children and young people – Youth affairs; and – cross-cutting initiatives for children

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Role of Department of Health and Children

To support the Minister and the Government by:

– advising on the strategic development of the health system including policy and legislation;

– supporting their parliamentary, statutory and international functions;

– evaluating the performance of the health and social services; and

– working with other sectors to enhance people’s health and well-being.

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What is evidence

The Oxford dictionary defines evidence as:

“The available facts, circumstances etc. supporting or otherwise a belief, proposition etc. or indicating whether or not a thing is true or valid”

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Shaxton (2003)

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Things that don’t help

The issue is problelmatised, or a whole new range of issues identified, but solutions are not offered

There are as many views as there are experts – conflicting results

Solutions proposed cost excessive amounts of money or are simply not implementable

The Study concludes that in order to reach a definitive position, even more research is needed.

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What are policy relevant questions

Why is this issue important?

Why does the Government / HSE need to do something?

What will happen if you don’t do anything?

If you change what is being done now what are the ramifications?

Will there be unintended collateral damage?

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Things that do help

1. Generation of appropriate, relevant material – asking the right question

2. Raise awareness about the availability of material3. Support access to material4. Build capacity across all areas5. Make material more accessible6. Support the integration of evidence into people’s day to day

work

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Generate appropriate material

Children’s research programme which includes:– Growing up in Ireland– 2004 programme of research– 2006 programme of research– 2010 programme with IRCHSS

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Growing up in Ireland www.growingup.ie

Largest study ever undertaken in Ireland on children

Longitudinal design

Approx 11,000 infants and 8,500 nine year old children

Quantitative and qualitative data

Driven by policy

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Health measures

Child’s Health

Child’s Use of Health Services

Child’s Diet and Exercise

Caregiver health and lifestyle

Child’s Activities

Child’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing

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Some Policy Areas Emerging

Level of alcohol use among pregnant women: 20% of mothers had consumed alcohol at some stage in the pregnancy and was highest for mothers with degree-level education (26%).

10% of mothers reported that when they became pregnant they had no intention of ever becoming pregnant

11% children aged nine year reported having a chronic illness – respiratory illnesses the most common

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Reports and data

Reports available from:www.growingup.ie

Quantitative Data available from:http://www.ucd.ie/issda/

Qualitative data will be available from:

www.iqda.ie/

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Raise awareness about the availability of data State of the Nation’s Children Reports Based on a national

set of child wellbeing indicators

Draws on data from 22 different sources

Reports published in 2006, 2008, 2010

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Headline findings in 2010 Report

There has been a decrease in the number of children who have died or have been hospitalised due to accidents and poisoning

The percentage of mothers who breastfeed their infant on discharge from hospital has been slowly increasing over the last decade and is now just over 50%.

In 2008, 16% of children aged 7 years were overweight and a further 7% were obese.

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Components of Knowledge Brookering Approach

Assist personnel in understanding

key messages from research

Library & awareness services

Assist integration of research into

daily work

Capacity building

in research skills Better use of research evidence

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Library and awareness services

Corporate membership

Extensive library

Best use of resources

TCDLibrary

Physical presence

Hard copies of key journals

Unit guides and assistance

Reading Room

1,000s offull-text papers

Free evidence resources

Unit developedguides

Online Resources

Awareness Service: EOLAS, Updates Newsletter

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Assisting personnel in understanding key messages from research

Development of research briefing notes

Issue guidance on ‘Good practice guides on research commissioning and governance’

Development of tailored resources e.g. monitoring indicators, evaluation with PEU

Provide Research Reviews/Synthesis of existing research material on key issues for DoHC. This is being provided with the assistance of the Evidence Centre HRB

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Building capacity in identifying and using research evidence

Short modules across the topics of: identifying and accessing research resources getting key messages from research evidence

Seminars planned: – Tips for searching Google and Google

scholar

– PubMed, finding medical/life science research

– Good practice for research commissioning and governance

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Assisting the integration of research into the daily work of personnel

Provide technical assistance upon request information retrieval advice and assistance commissioning/governance of

research/evaluations on-request research input and perspective to

policy units in the Department and its agencies

online consultation

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CEIST

Lead out on the development of an enhanced analytic approach in a selected area

Focus on a range of evidence and methods

Involves a Unit with policy responsibility working very closely on a selected project with input around Performance Evaluation, Statistics, Research, Finance and Evidence Centre, Health Research Board.

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Research Division Research Division Department of Health and ChildrenDepartment of Health and Children

Tel:Tel: 01 - 674321301 - 6743213Email: research@health.gov.ieEmail: research@health.gov.ie