Developing a road map for research: Identifying the priorities for a national child protection research agenda

Increasingly in the child protection sector, governments and leaders in the field are talking about the need for "evidence-based" or "evidence-informed" policy and practice. But what does this mean; and how relevant is "evidence-based" policy and practice to those professionals at the coal-face working with vulnerable children and families? The impetus for taking an evidence-informed approach to policy and practice in the child welfare sector is two-pronged. One, there is a limited pool of money for child welfare programs and it is important that those programs that are funded are cost-effective and actually work to protect and enhance the safety and wellbeing of children. Two (and more importantly), children who have experienced, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse or neglect are among the most vulnerable in our community. It is an incredibly difficult area of policy and practice - but it is vital that interventions with vulnerable children and their families are accountable, that they actually work and, at the very least, that they do no further harm