PhD Scholarship: The Scale and Effectiveness of Parenting Interventions Delivered in Children’s Social Care in the UK: Impact, Experience of Families and Barriers to Evaluation

This PhD scholarship at the University of Greenwich is co-funded by Foundations, the National What Works Centre for Children and Families, and a major funder of evaluation research in early intervention services and children’s social care. The project addresses a critical gap in research regarding children and young people (CYP) on Child in Need (CiN) plans or Child Protection (CP) orders, who are among the most vulnerable in the UK and often come from families with high levels of need. These children and families represent a significant portion of those seen by social care services and are at high risk for out-of-home placements, which incurs substantial public costs. Despite the widespread adoption of evidence-based parenting interventions over the past two decades, their use within CiN and CP contexts remains unclear. The PhD project aims to investigate whether such interventions are offered to these families and assess their effectiveness. Research activities will likely include conducting systematic reviews, secondary analysis of social care data, and accessing and analyzing data from organizations delivering parenting interventions. The scholar will also conduct interviews with key stakeholders in children’s services and social care. Funding includes a bursary of £20,780 plus £2,000 London Weighting (where applicable) for the first year, with subsequent years in line with UKRI rates. Tuition fee support is provided at the Home-student rate (£5,006 per year), with international students required to pay the difference. The project is ideal for candidates with a background in social sciences, public health, or related fields, and an interest in evaluation research, data analysis, and qualitative methods. The application deadline is October 1, 2025. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr Sajid Humayun or Prof Claire Monks for informal discussions and to review the person specification before applying.