On Wednesday 6th March 2024, the Centre for Child Youth and Family Welfare at Queens University Belfast hosted a roundtable discussion to identify priorities and opportunities for research arising from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services in Northern Ireland. 

 Ms Eilis McDaniel (Director of Family and Children’s Policy, DoH) gave an update summarising preliminary analysis of responses to the consultation on the review recommendations. Professor Ray Jones gave an overview of key themes in the review, and Ms Anne McGlade (Social Care Research Lead, NISCC) gave an overview of the Social Work and Social Care Research Strategy. 

 Representatives from statutory and voluntary sector children’s social care agencies and advocacy organisations joined researchers from law, social work, nursing and social policy and parents to consider the question ‘what do we need to know about children’s social care services and the children and families who use them?’ Participants identified several priorities for future research under the following themes: 

• Reset and refocus on family support.  

• Children and young people in care and leaving care.  

• Workforce capacity building and stabilisation. 

• Research and learning culture. 

• Leadership.  

• Restructuring.