The Centre
Background Information
The University of Edinburgh/NSPCC Child Protection Research Centre was set up in 2007. Our research is designed to generate a more integrated and deeper understanding of child protection in the UK and internationally, in order to strengthen policy and practice.
Vision and Mission
Through our research we contribute information and insights to ensure child protection systems are able to respond effectively to children in need of protection wherever they live.
Ultimately we want all children in the UK to be safe from all forms of abuse and neglect.
What We Do
We provide independent, internationally relevant research and foster of dialogue to improve child protection systems. Within this context we do two kinds of research:
- 1. Critical comparison and analysis of child protection developments in legislation, policy and systems
- 2. Primary research in areas of identified priority or gaps.
Since our founding, we have examined the direction of child protection reform, trends in policy, and the impact of devolution on child protection. In addition, the Centre has undertaken specific studies in areas of identified priority and gaps in child protection research.
Governance, set up and priorities
The Centre is part-funded by the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) and is based within the prestigious University of Edinburgh, situated within the Moray House School of Education. This unique collaboration ensures that our work combines academic rigour and independence with strong links to policy and practice.
Our research has been conducted with funding from the NSPCC, and from other external grants secured for specific projects. All our work is designed to contribute to child protection developments as a whole, and to contribute knowledge to the NSPCC’s priority goal of solving entrenched child protection problems.
With representation from all four nations of the UK, our Advisory Committee is pivotal to ensuring the relevance and applicability of our work. Our skilled team works closely with other researchers from a range of disciplines with expertise in child protection. Working collaboratively, we are committed to the process of creating better quality child protection systems.
Our name
In 2012 we altered our name to The University of Edinburgh/NSPCC Child Protection Research Centre. Our previous name – The Centre for UK-Wide Learning in Child Protection (CLiCP) – features on material published between 2007 - 2011.
Charity details
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. NSPCC registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717.