Centre for Children and Families

NatCen’s Centre for Children and Families undertakes some of the most exciting and influential applied social research in the UK.

Our aim is to make a significant contribution to public understanding of key contemporary issues for children and families including early years and parenting, education and mental health, against a backdrop of significant challenges for children and young people.

In addition to being experts in their fields, researchers in the team bring a wealth of experience in a range of research methods, including survey design, data analysis, qualitative and participatory approaches. Working with specialists in our Evaluation team, we have a particularly strong track record of delivering high quality impact evaluations including both Randomised Control Trials and quasi-experimental approaches.

For more information, contact our New Business team at 0207 549 9584 or fill in our contact form.

Our team

The team at the Centre for Children and Families is led by Director, Tina Haux, and Deputy Director, Gayle Munro. The team bring together expertise in social research and policymaking, building on NatCen’s track record of world-class research in this field. The Centre for Children and Families is shaping the debate on modern childhood, working with policy makers to identify evidence-based interventions that improve children’s and young people’s life chances

Our work

The Centre for Children and Families brings a wealth of specialist knowledge and long-standing expertise in topics including children’s social care, family justice, early intervention and youth offending, with an active focus on engagement and impact.

It offers research methods expertise in areas such as qualitative, area-based and participatory approaches, survey design and data analysis. In addition, it further develops NatCen’s expertise in delivering high-quality evaluations in this field.

Find examples of our work here.

Inequality and Education conference 2022

On 27 June 2022, NatCen's Centre for Children and Families hosted a conference to bring together research and researchers working on inequality and education from the early years all the way to young adults.

View the conference presentations