- N10, ITTC Building, Davy Road, Plymouth Science Park, Plymouth, Devon, PL6 8BX
- +44 1752 764259
- nick.axford@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Nick Axford
PenCLAHRC Associate Professor (Reader) in Health Services
Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry
Role
I work on a variety of projects with a focus on child health and implementation science. My specialism is evidence-based prevention and early intervention to improve child well-being, with a particular focus on developing or adapting interventions and evaluating their effectiveness and implementation. Prior to joining Plymouth University in April 2017 I was a Senior Researcher at Dartington Social Research Unit, an independent charity that brings science and evidence to bear on policy and practice in children's services to improve the health and development of children and young people.
Qualifications
2003 - PhD Advanced Social Work and Probation Studies, University of Exeter
1996 - MSc European Social Policy Analysis, University of Bath
1994 - BA(Hons) Geography with European Study, University of Exeter
Roles on external bodies
Expert Advisor to the Board of the European Society for Prevention Research (2014-present)
Member of the Early Intervention Foundation Evidence Panel (2014-present)
Associate, Dartington Social Research Unit (2017-present)
Research interests
My research interests are evidence-based prevention and early intervention to improve child well-being, notably designing services and evaluating their effectiveness and implementation. I have undertaken studies involving a variety of methods, including evidence reviews, randomised controlled trials and focus groups, and covering a range of subject areas, such as antisocial behaviour, bullying, child maltreatment, early childhood development and social-emotional learning. I am particularly interested in forms of intervention that have the potential to achieve impact at scale, and in methods for developing and testing these - including co-production with users and the use of rapid cycle innovation. I also enjoy engaging in debates about the value of evidence-based approaches in children's services.
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2017
'Perfect Bedfellows: Why Early Intervention Can Play a Critical Role in Protecting Children—A Response to Featherstone et al. (2014) ‘A Marriage Made in Hell: Child Protection Meets Early Intervention’'
The British Journal of Social Work
, DOI
PEARL
2017
'The effectiveness of the Incredible Years pre-school parenting programme in the United Kingdom: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial'
Child Care in Practice
23,
(2)
141-161
, DOI
PEARL
2016
'Review: Attachment and attachment-related outcomes in preschool children - a review of recent evidence'
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
21,
(1)
11-20
, DOI
2016
'The Effectiveness and Micro-costing Analysis of a Universal, School-Based, Social–Emotional Learning Programme in the UK: A Cluster-Randomised Controlled Trial'
School Mental Health
8,
(2)
238-256
, DOI
2015
'Effectiveness and micro-costing of the KiVa school-based bullying prevention programme in Wales: study protocol for a pragmatic definitive parallel group cluster randomised controlled trial'
BMC Public Health
16,
(1)
, DOI
2015
'Involving parents in school-based programmes to prevent and reduce bullying: what effect does it have?'
Journal of Children's Services
10,
(3)
242-251
, DOI
2013
'Evidence-based programs in children's services: A critical appraisal'
Children and Youth Services Review
35,
(2)
268-277
, DOI
2013
'Exploring the influence of international governmental organisations on domestic child welfare policy and practice'
Adoption & Fostering
37,
(1)
57-70
, DOI
2013
'Making Child Well-Being Data Work Hard: Getting from Data to Policy and Practice'
Child Indicators Research
6,
(1)
161-177
, DOI
2012
'Blueprints for Europe: Promoting Evidence-Based Programmes in Children's Services'
Psychosocial Intervention
21,
(2)
205-214
, DOI
2012
'Children and global social policy: Exploring the impact of international governmental organisations'
International Journal of Social Welfare
21,
(1)
53-65
, DOI
2012
'Engaging parents in parenting programs: Lessons from research and practice'
Children and Youth Services Review
34,
(10)
2061-2071
, DOI
2012
'The impact of three evidence-based programmes delivered in public systems in Birmingham, UK'
International Journal of Conflict and Violence
6,
(2)
260-272
2011
'Getting the Measure of Child Health and Development Outcomes (1): A Method for Use in Children’s Services Settings'
Child Indicators Research
4,
(1)
59-80
, DOI
2011
'Getting the Measure of Child Health and Development Outcomes (2): The Picture for a Local Authority in England'
Child Indicators Research
4,
(1)
81-100
, DOI
2011
'Taking over the world or scratching at its surface?'
Journal of Children's Services
6,
(4)
, DOI
2010
'Can study tours help promote evidence-based practice in children's services?'
European Journal of Social Work
13,
(4)
523-543
, DOI
2010
'Conducting Needs Assessments in Children's Services'
British Journal of Social Work
40,
(1)
4-25
, DOI
2010
'Is Social Exclusion a Useful Concept in Children's Services?'
British Journal of Social Work
40,
(3)
737-754
, DOI
2010
'Subtract… be incisive ‐ here, borrow my knife'
Journal of Children's Services
5,
(1)
2-3
, DOI
2009
'“Finish What's on Your Plate!”: The Relationships between Parenting, Children's Nutrition and Outcomes'
Child Care in Practice
15,
(2)
145-159
, DOI
2009
'Child well-being through different lenses: why concept matters'
Child & Family Social Work
14,
(3)
372-383
, DOI
2009
'Developing congruent children's services to improve child well-being'
Child & Family Social Work
14,
(1)
35-44
, DOI
2009
'Measuring children's needs: how are we doing?'
Child & Family Social Work
14,
(3)
243-254
, DOI
2009
'You can customise it ‐ but just make sure the wheels stay on'
Journal of Children's Services
4,
(1)
2-3
, DOI
2008
'A dark art comes to the water‐cooler: a review of some key texts on RCTs for children's services professionals and researchers'
Journal of Children's Services
3,
(1)
40-50
, DOI
2008
'Editorial: Relationships matter - well they do, relatively speaking'
Journal of Children's Services
3,
(3)
2-4
, DOI
2008
'Linking prevention science and community engagement: a case study of the Ireland Disadvantaged Children and Youth Programme'
Journal of Children’s Services
3,
(2)
40-54
2008
'Measuring and Meeting the Needs of Children and Families in the Community: Survey of Parents on a Housing Estate in Dublin, Ireland'
Child Care in Practice
14,
(4)
331-353
, DOI
2008
'the school readiness of children living in a disadvantaged area in Ireland'
Journal of Early Childhood Research
6,
(2)
119-144
, DOI
2008
'The science of a good childhood: a review of Volume 2 of the Journal of Children's Services'
Journal of Children's Services
3,
(4)
46-58
, DOI
2007
'Editorial: A tale of one programme and two evaluations'
Journal of Children's Services
2,
(2)
2-3
, DOI
2007
'Editorial: Taking children's services out of the electoral cycle'
Journal of Children's Services
2,
(1)
2-3
, DOI
2007
'New directions, familiar challenges? A review of the first volume of the Journal of Children's Services'
Journal of Children's Services
2,
(1)
58-66
, DOI
2006
'Editorial: Building bridges: what can research contribute?'
Journal of Children's Services
1,
(2)
2-3
, DOI
2006
'Enhancing service evaluability: lessons from a programme for disaffected young people'
Children & Society
20,
(4)
287-298
2006
'Refocusing children's services towards prevention: lessons from the literature'
Children & Society
, DOI
2005
'Evaluating Children's Services: Recent Conceptual and Methodological Developments'
British Journal of Social Work
35,
(1)
73-88
, DOI
2005
'Exploring the Potential of Shadow Controls in the Evaluation of Children’s Services'
International Journal of Social Research Methodology
8,
(5)
389-404
, DOI
2005
'Measuring Outcomes in the ‘New’ Children's Services'
Journal of Integrated Care
13,
(4)
12-23
, DOI
2004
'Mapping the Data Needed to Plan Integrated Services: a case study of children’s services in one locality'
Journal of Integrated Care
12,
(3)
3-10
2003
'Children's services in the UK 1997-2003: problems, developments and challenges for the future'
Children & Society
17,
(3)
205-214
, DOI
Chapters
2007
'Research-Based Practice Tools to Improve Child Welfare Services in England: Using the Going Home? Practice Tool to Support the Effective Reunification of Families'
Research for Action: Cross-National Perspectives on Connecting Knowledge, Policy, and Practice for Children
, DOI