What is the impact of our work?
As an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) investment, ADR UK adopts the definition of impact used by ESRC and across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) as a whole:
“Impact is the demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy.”
This includes, for example, informing changes in government policy and public service practice that lead to better social and economic outcomes for people and communities.
This impact can be at any geographic level, from the local, to the national and international.
What types of impact does ADR UK aim to have?
We seek to maximise value from administrative data access, linking, and research across the ‘Five Ps’:
- Process: championing a lasting culture change towards closer working between academics and government to routinely share, link and use administrative data for research.
- Policy: influencing government or other public bodies to inform policies, strategies and standards, through understanding and insight gained from our research.
- Practice: influencing public sector and other professionals to change or maintain the way they deliver public services, informed by an understanding of ‘what works’ provided by our research.
- People: the tangible, real world improvements to the outcomes and quality of life of individuals and communities that may stem from the changes to policy and practice our research stimulates.
- Potential: our work creates both sustainable linked administrative datasets, and sustainable understanding of the data and what it can tell us. These can be accessed by other researchers in future, enabling them to create further impact on policy, practice and people.
The ‘ADR UK and Impact‘ paper contains a fuller description of how we define, categorise and maximise our impact.
Impact case studies
Government funded childcare (Flying Start) (improving school learning outcome assessments)
Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s flagship early years programme for families with children under four years old living in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Wales. ADR Wales’…
Impact of the fuel poverty data linkage project
The fuel poverty data linkage project evaluated the Welsh Government Warm Homes Schemes, NEST and ARBED. These schemes gave free home energy efficiency improvements to people or areas in need…
School staff in Wales and vaccination uptake – planning for a safe return to schools
ADR Wales analysis informed school practices during the pandemic whilst also demonstrating the efficiency and effectiveness of data linkage. The project aimed to inform policy within Welsh Government on the…
Home advice and modification interventions
Care & Repair Cymru is a charity consisting of 13 agencies across Wales that helps older people in Wales to live independently in warm, safe, accessible homes. The organisation is…
Closing the gap? Understanding the provision and impact of careers guidance in schools
Careers Wales is responsible for providing an independent and impartial careers information, advice and guidance service in Wales. ADR Wales Skills and Employability researchers have been working with Careers Wales to explore how…
Vaccination take up for those experiencing homelessness during COVID
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Welsh Government prioritised people experiencing homelessness as part of the mass vaccination programme in Wales. Prioritisation was based on global evidence highlighting worse health outcomes among…
Understanding the mental health of pupils educated other than at school
In late 2019, ADR Wales mental health researchers investigated school absence and exclusion amongst pupils with mental health disorders. Welsh Government then requested the analysis be extended to look at diagnoses and symptoms…
ADR Wales analysis informs pandemic planning and the transition to life beyond
ADR Wales analysis has demonstrated the effectiveness of data linkage, by informing practices and planning through the pandemic and the transition to life without Covid-19 restrictions. The ADR Wales team…
Socio-economic disadvantage and educational attainment in Wales
ADR Wales researchers have begun ground breaking work looking at the relationship between socio-economic measures and pupil attainment, linking together for the first time 2011 Census data and education data…
Tackling fuel poverty in Wales
ADR Wales’ research using linked administrative data has provided valuable insights into the connection between fuel poverty and health. In partnership with the Welsh Government, in 2017 ADR Wales discovered that those…