Impact case studies
Insights generated from ADR UK’s data are making a real-world impact across the partnership – demonstrating how evidence unlocked through administrative data can improve people’s lives.
Hear from Emma Gordon on a selection of this year's impact highlights:
Helping schools identify children who need support earlier
Research using ADR UK’s linked education and justice data is helping shape conversations about how schools and policymakers can better support children at risk of later offending.
The study conducted by ADR UK fellow Dr Paul Garcia found that children with social and emotional difficulties at the start of primary school are more likely to be excluded from school, and that exclusion is one of the strongest indicators of later offending in adolescence. The findings highlight the importance of identifying and supporting children early, before problems escalate.
Garcia presented and discussed the evidence at the public policy event Schooling, Skills and Sanctions, attended by organisations including the Department for Education, Welsh Government, Youth Endowment Fund, Centre for Justice Innovation, National Children’s Bureau and the British Association of Social Workers. It has contributed to policy debates on school behaviour, early intervention and reducing youth offending. This work has also contributed to the development of new funded research on the role of schools in pupils’ outcomes, including projects on teachers’ mental health and on restorative and relational practices in schools.
The research was made possible by using the ADR UK-funded Ministry of Justice and Department for Education linked dataset for England. By following children's education and justice outcomes over time, the researcher was able to understand how early development, school experiences and later offending are connected.
This work demonstrates the value of securely linked administrative data for tackling complex social challenges. By providing robust evidence on where support can make the biggest difference, it is helping inform policies and practices that could improve life chances for vulnerable children while reducing future involvement with the justice system.
Informing new approaches to tackling regional inequalities
ADR UK-enabled research is helping policymakers better understand why regional inequalities persist and where interventions could have the greatest impact. By revealing how education, geographical mobility and local labour markets interact over people’s lives, the research is providing new evidence to support policies that improve opportunity across the country.
Using the ADR England Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset, researchers have shown that regional inequalities are shaped not only by differences in skills, but also by where people can access high-paying jobs and opportunities. Research led by ADR UK fellow Xiaowei Xu at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found that many high-achieving young people from outside London move away from their home areas, often towards London and the South East, showing how uneven distribution of jobs can reinforce existing geographical divides by attracting skilled workers towards areas with more economic opportunities.
These findings were brought directly into policy discussions through an IFS conference on tackling regional inequalities, where Xu presented evidence from her ADR UK Fellowship alongside research on investment, education and social mobility. The event featured a keynote speech from Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester (now UK Prime Minister), who joined discussions on the policy levers needed to improve opportunities outside London and the South East.
The research also contributed to a wider programme of policy engagement, including a Fiscal Studies symposium issue on geographical inequalities, an accompanying policy commentary and discussions with government departments including the Department for Education, HM Treasury and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Findings have also reached wider audiences through IFS publications, ADR UK blogs, media coverage and accessible formats such as podcast discussions.
The research challenges the assumption that improving skills alone will reduce regional inequalities. Instead, it highlights the need for policies that combine education investment with measures to create high-quality jobs, strengthen local economies and improve access to opportunity. By providing robust evidence on how place shapes life chances, ADR UK-enabled research is supporting more effective approaches to boosting productivity and social mobility.
Profiling suicide, drug and alcohol deaths in Northern Ireland
Research enabled by ADR Northern Ireland (ADR NI) has strengthened suicide prevention policy in Northern Ireland by providing new evidence on the social and economic factors associated with suicide.
Publication of the suicide research was included as a formal action within the Protect Life 2 Suicide Prevention Strategy Implementation Plan and directly contributed to a change in the Terms of Reference for a stronger socio-economic focus within the Executive Working Group on Wellbeing, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
Using linked administrative data from multiple sources, the research identified population groups at increased risk. These included people reporting poor mental health and self-reporting a disability, the economically inactive/unemployed and males with no educational qualifications and males living alone and male children in lone parent households, enabling policy makers and service providers to better target prevention and early-intervention activity. The evidence also supported cross-departmental collaboration on suicide prevention and mental health.
The research strengthened our ability to target interventions more effectively for the Protect Life 2 Strategy and provided underpinning evidence for the change to the Terms of Reference for the Executive Working Group on Wellbeing, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
Professor Sir Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer NI and Chair of Protect Life 2 Strategy.
Homelessness among young people leaving care in Northern Ireland
ADR NI research is helping to inform and support the delivery of the Northern Ireland Executive's New Foundations Programme. By providing the first population-level evidence on the scale and timing of homelessness after leaving care, the research identified a critical window for intervention. Using linked administrative data, the study found that over six in ten care leavers experienced homelessness, with the highest risk occurring during the first two years after leaving care. These findings provided a strong evidence base for targeted prevention and early intervention activity.
New Foundations is a cross-departmental initiative led jointly by the Department for Communities and the Department of Health. It sets out a holistic approach to support young people as they leave care. It aims to prevent youth homelessness by providing guaranteed, stable housing and tailored, multi-agency wraparound support as they transition into independent adult life.
The findings from ADR NI research were used to support the programme's launch and have helped build support among policymakers and stakeholders. They are also helping to shape the programme's evaluation, with the Department of Health and Department for Communities working with the ADRC NI team to explore how linked administrative data can be used to assess outcomes and inform future service delivery.
Incredible research shows 17-times the risk of homelessness for care leavers – this is not acceptable. It also showed the biggest risk in the first two years. If we crack this, we can get it right first time and target resources here.
Grainia Long, Chief Executive, Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
Understanding social mobility among UK armed forces veterans
Understanding the long-term outcomes of those who have entered military service is essential to ensuring veterans (service leavers) are supported in civilian life. An ADR Scotland-led project has produced the first population-scale evidence on intergenerational social mobility among UK Armed Forces veterans in England and Wales – evidence which is informing discussions with a range of organisations that support veterans.
The study analysed data from 213,986 individuals aged 16 - 66 from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Longitudinal Study and 2021 Census, linking childhood socioeconomic background with adult social class outcomes and veteran status. By comparing veterans with matched non-veterans, the researchers assessed how military service relates to changes in social class across generations. Notably, the new service leaver question included in the 2021 Census was used to distinguish between regular and reserve veterans.
When veterans are considered as a single group, estimates suggest that service-leavers were somewhat more likely to experience upward social mobility and less likely to remain in their parents' social class than comparable civilians. However, important differences emerged by service type. Reserve veterans showed higher rates of upward mobility and lower rates of downward mobility than both regular veterans and comparable civilians. In contrast, regular veterans were more likely to experience downward mobility and lower levels of class persistence.
These findings provide important evidence for policymakers responsible for delivering the Armed Forces Covenant, highlighting the need to better understand and address the distinct transition experiences of regular and reserve personnel. The research is informing discussions with the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (UK Government), Forces in Mind Trust and veteran support organisations on how support can be better targeted. The work also highlights the value of improved service history data in government surveys and future census collections to better understand veterans’ experiences and outcomes.
Turning insight into impact: Supporting the delivery of Scotland’s Areas of Research Interest
Following the 2015 Nurse Review of Research Councils recommendation, UK Government and devolved governments are to publish Areas of Research Interest (ARIs), setting out key research themes and questions for evidence-informed policymaking. The Scottish Government recently committed to publishing ARIs for the first time.
ADR Scotland supports this by convening cross-sector expertise across justice and social care. ADR Scotland has engaged with Scottish Government Justice Analytical Service colleagues on the themes outlined in their ARI including:
- Whole Justice System Analysis
- Justice Processes and Experiences
- Crime and Prevention.
ADR Scotland Crime and Justice research lead, Professor Susan McVie has actively contributed to the post-publication dissemination of the Justice Analytical Service ARI, including presenting at a roundtable engagement event hosted by Scottish Government and Scottish Policy and Research Exchange. The event provided an overview on the ARI and gave researchers the opportunity to connect with policymakers and government analysts.
Similarly, building on a Data-With-Impact: Spotlight on Social Care event in 2025, ADR Scotland continued to facilitate engagement between government and the research community. This work informed the publication of the Social Care Analytical Unit ARI in March 2026.
Beyond publication, ADR Scotland is supporting implementation and impact. This includes strengthening embedded analytical capacity through a University of Edinburgh–Scottish Government Policy Fellowship aligned to the ARI priorities. Embedded within the Social Care Analytical Unit, Dr David Henderson is working with partners, including Public Health Scotland, to improve the accessibility and research-readiness of key datasets for secure linkage within the Scottish National Safe Haven and future large-scale research. This work supports delivery of a planned flagship dataset 'Adult Health, Social Care and Census – Scotland’.
ADR Scotland is actively engaging on a range of forthcoming ARIs including an ARI on The Promise, to highlight the potential of administrative data research to support evidence gaps in priority areas of government.
IADRA: Building skills and confidence in administrative data research
Administrative data has enormous potential to improve research, policy and public services, but navigating complex datasets, governance requirements and analytical methods can be challenging for new users. To address this, ADR Scotland and the Scottish Longitudinal Study and Development Support Unit developed the Introduction to Administrative Data Research and Analysis (IADRA) course, which has led to a demonstrable increase in skills and confidence in administrative data research for participants.
Originally delivered as a five-day face-to-face programme, IADRA has evolved into a four-week online course, broadening access and reach across the UK. Since March 2023, 190 participants from universities, research organisations and public sector bodies have completed the training, including PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and policy professionals.
The course combines expert-led lectures, practical exercises using synthetic datasets in R-Studio, researcher spotlight sessions and live Q&A discussions. Participants gain an understanding of the administrative data landscape, data governance and access procedures, alongside the analytical skills needed to work with complex linked datasets.
Feedback demonstrates a strong impact on research capacity. Around 60% of participants reported little or no prior experience using R-Studio before attending, while 97% said they felt more confident analysing administrative data after completing the course. Participants highlighted the value of hands-on learning and opportunities to learn directly from experienced administrative data researchers.
To find out more about impact of the IADRA course, please see the full ADR Scotland case study.
Shaping Wales’ Nation of Sanctuary through migrant health insights
A notable example of ADR Wales’ impact during the year is the work led by Jane Lyons within our Social Justice theme, exploring integration of migrant populations in Wales through linked GP data. Through the ongoing strong collaboration and engagement between ADR UK academic researchers and Welsh Government colleagues, Jane was approached to support the Migrant Integration Framework for Wales. The Migrant Integration Framework for Wales was published in December 2023 and plays a key part in the Welsh Government’s commitment to becoming a Nation of Sanctuary.
One of the framework's indicators is the percentage of individuals registered with a GP by migrant status. Through the SAIL Databank, analysis allowed the calculation of the percentage of GP registrations in Wales at a given point in the year that are associated with migrants, the percentage of GP appointments that are attended by migrants and how these figures vary according to the length of time migrants are resident in Wales.
This research has made an important contribution to understanding the needs of migrant communities in Wales and has now achieved significant policy recognition through its inclusion as an indicator within the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan Interactive Dashboard 2026.
The dashboard, published in May 2026, brings together key measures used to monitor progress against the Action Plan, with Jane’s research directly informing the Nation of Sanctuary chapter and supporting evidence-based approaches to improving outcomes for people seeking sanctuary in Wales. This achievement demonstrates how high-quality administrative data research can move beyond academic impact to become embedded within national policy monitoring frameworks, providing decision-makers with robust evidence to track progress and shape future action.
Strengthening the evidence base to increase understanding of homelessness in Wales
Through a combination of data innovation, research, partnership working and stakeholder engagement, ADR Wales’ homelessness team is strengthening the evidence available to policymakers and practitioners, helping to drive more effective action to prevent homelessness and improve outcomes for vulnerable people.
A key achievement has been supporting the development of a new individual-level homelessness data collection for Wales. Working alongside Welsh Government Statistical Services, local authorities and sector stakeholders, the ADR Wales Welsh Government team is helping to replace aggregate reporting with richer, person-level data on homelessness applications and outcomes. This represents a significant step forward in understanding homelessness experiences, enabling more detailed analysis of pathways into and out of homelessness and providing policymakers with stronger evidence to inform future decisions. The future inclusion of these datasets within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank will further increase their value, creating opportunities for linked-data research that can inform both policy and service improvement.
The impact of the team's expertise is also being recognised internationally. Members of the Housing and Homelessness team contributed to the OECD's Monitoring Framework to Measure Homelessness, drawing on their experience in homelessness data collection and administrative data linkage.
Their research informed the framework and helped shape international thinking on how better data can support homelessness prevention and policy development. Building on this contribution, the team has continued to refine and extend its approach, further strengthening the evidence base for homelessness policy and practice.
Partnership working has been central to extending the reach and impact of this work. Through an eight-month secondment with Shelter Cymru, ADR Wales helped facilitate the transfer of Shelter Cymru's case management data into the SAIL Databank. This has created a valuable new resource for housing and homelessness research in Wales, while also strengthening collaboration between the research and third sectors. The project has opened up opportunities to explore longstanding evidence gaps and generate new insights from data that previously could not be used for research purposes.
ADR Wales has also made a direct contribution to homelessness prevention through its work with Upstream Cymru, a school-based initiative delivered by Llamau to identify young people at risk of homelessness before they reach crisis point. The team played a key role in redesigning data collection systems used across the UK programme and provided evidence that informed the adoption of a revised methodology for measuring homelessness risk. This change has influenced how vulnerable young people are identified and supported across the wider Upstream programme. Analysis of Upstream Cymru data has also generated new evidence on youth homelessness, educational disengagement and groups facing heightened risks of homelessness, helping to inform future policy and practice in Wales.
The influence of ADR Wales' work is increasingly visible in public policy. Research examining school absenteeism among children experiencing family homelessness was referenced in the Welsh Government White Paper on Ending Homelessness, helping to inform the reform of homelessness legislation in Wales. This demonstrates the importance of generating Wales-specific evidence that reflects local circumstances and can be directly applied to policy and service delivery.
Taken together, these achievements demonstrate the breadth and impact of ADR Wales' homelessness programme. By combining large-scale data development, innovative research, stakeholder collaboration and knowledge exchange, the programme is improving the evidence available to decision-makers at local, national and international levels. In doing so, it is helping to create a stronger foundation for homelessness prevention, more effective services and better outcomes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Wales.
Ethnic inequalities in the criminal justice system
Research by ADR UK Fellow Kitty Lymperopoulou found significant ethnic disparities in court experiences and outcomes. These new findings have had substantial impact, informing policy discussions on ethnic inequality, contributing to major reviews, and driving improvements to the production of official statistics on ethnicity.
The research found that defendants from ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to be sent to Crown Court, plead not guilty, and be remanded prior to trial than white British defendants. While conviction rates were similar or lower, defendants from most ethnic minority groups were more likely to receive custodial sentences, with some groups also receiving longer sentences, even after controlling for other factors. Evidence of cumulative disadvantage demonstrated how earlier decisions in the justice process contributed to harsher final outcomes.
This research had substantial impact on both policy and practice. The findings were submitted as evidence in the Independent Sentencing Review and cited in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report “Racial Discrimination in Great Britain” which was submitted as evidence to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The findings also informed discussions at a MoJ and Action for Race Equality policy roundtable attended by key government and non-government decision-makers, had significant judicial engagement, and also contributed to the MoJ’s decision to publish disaggregated ethnicity statistics for the first time.
This research used linked criminal justice datasets made accessible to accredited researchers via the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service, as a result of the ADR UK-funded Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Data First programme. This includes the flagship Data First: Cross-Justice System – England and Wales dataset. Data from magistrates’ and Crown Courts, alongside measures of offence severity and deprivation, were used to investigate the effect of offender, case, and court characteristics on court outcomes. The detailed analysis and findings strengthened the Data First programme and supported wider use of linked administrative data across the research community.
