POLICYMAKERS

Overview of the project

• 22 partners from 14 countries working together to improve access to data about children’s well-being                           https://www.coordinate-network.eu/about with a particular interest in longitudinal data.

• A new longitudinal survey measuring child well-being across Europe and across time: GUIDE (Growing Up In Digital Europe).

• A survey design that balances scientific rigour, policy priorities, and children’s voices.

• A network for policy makers and funders on Member State and European level to engage with the COORDINATE project and build the political and financial support for the GUIDE Research Infrastructure.

• A scientific community working on improving harmonisation and utilisation of longitudinal data (for more information visit the page dedicated to researchers https://www.coordinate-network.eu/students).

• Trans-national research visits and training opportunities to increase capacity for longitudinal analysis across Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence-based policies and the European data gap

Very little European comparative social and educational research is being done in order to ascertain what are the best policies and approaches to effectively promote the well-being of children and young people. There is a current lack of rigorous data to inform decision making LINK.

 

Longitudinal surveys can help us understand transitions in peoples’ lives and patterns of change over time. They are akin to quasi experimental evaluation design (ISER 2002).  Although they do not involve the allocation of individuals to treatment or control the temporal sequencing of longitudinal data offers a means of  controlling fort the effects of independent variables (ibid.). Whilst several national cohort studies exist in Europe, they do not provide easily comparable data that would be useful to policy makers.

​

A pan-European longitudinal survey measuring child and youth well-being will provide exciting new data, that is rigorous enough to inform policy making and support high quality evidence-based social policies in Europe.

​

Previous research (FP7 MyWeb project, 2014-2017) provided the proof of concept for the development of a such an ambitious survey in regard to:

 

• desirability among stakeholder groups

• technical do-ability in relation to questionnaire surveys of children as young as seven years old

• policy relevance in regard to the evidence needs for policy development in the area of children, families and education

•  policy benefits weighed against the infrastructural costs