CASCADE’s inequalities programme uses large-scale administrative data to reveal how factors such as deprivation, ethnicity and household income drive unequal contact with social care. Our landmark four-nations study helped shape the growing field of child welfare inequalities research. We are now deepening this work with qualitative studies that explore how frontline practice responds to poverty and other social determinants, and we are building cross-disciplinary partnerships to develop new, inclusive research that amplifies the voices of underserved communities.

Our research spans family relationships, relational permanence, and children’s experiences in and beyond care. We examine how services can protect and strengthen the relationships that matter to children, including those that endure after formal involvement ends. Current work explores what relational permanence looks like in practice, how participatory approaches can foreground children’s own perspectives, and what policy and practice conditions help sustain meaningful connections over time.

Our programme of research spans two broad areas. The first examines how professionals talk to and work with families – the communication skills, relational approaches and direct-work techniques that underpin effective support, from qualified social workers to the wider workforce. The second explores how professionals assess, judge and decide – the reasoning processes behind good social work, and how emerging technologies such as AI decision-support tools are beginning to reshape this landscape.

CASCADE has a substantial programme of research examining how organisational and systemic factors influence practice quality. This includes studies of service redesign, workforce development, implementation science and innovation – exploring how evidence-based approaches are adopted, adapted and sustained in real-world settings. We work in close partnership with local authorities, national bodies and practitioners to understand change from the inside, combining rigorous evaluation with practical relevance.