ithin each local area. The Verian team then briefed these designated contacts about the research and the profile of stakeholders to be interviewed. Information sheets were also shared for circulation amongst potential respondents. Based on this, the designated contacts identified relevant stakeholders involved in programme delivery, including Local Authority (LA) staff, partner agencies, and, where appropriate, families who received Children’s Social Care Services. Once 19 their consent to share their contact details had been received, this was shared with Verian and recruitment initiated. While this approach helped ensure we spoke with those directly involved in implementation, this may have introduced some limitations in terms of representativeness and the potential for positive selection bias. Given the vulnerability of families involved with Children’s Social Care Services, Verian took particular care to ensure a safe and ethical approach to their involvement in the research. Families were recruited via LA contacts and were provided with clear information about the study, what the interview would entail, including assurances that their participation was confidential and that their responses would not be shared with the professionals involved in their care. The research approach was developed jointly by Verian and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), reviewed by the local areas and signed off by the DfE in advance. All Verian researchers received safeguarding briefings, and supporting materials covered recruitment, consent, and safeguarding procedures. In addition to the above interviews and focus groups, each case study area was also asked to fill in a proforma template (see Appendix 2). The proforma template was designed to take a structured approach towards under