Social and emotional developmental vulnerability at age five in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in New South Wales: a population data linkage study.

Background: Early childhood social and emotional development underpins later social, emotional, academic and other outcomes. The first aim of this study was to explore the association between child, family and area-level characteristics associated with developmental vulnerability, amongst Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in their first year of school. The second aim was to quantify the magnitude of the social and emotional developmental inequalities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children and the extent to which differences in socioeconomic disadvantage and perinatal characteristics explained this inequality.

How was research engaged with and used in the development of 131 policy documents? Findings and measurement implications from a mixed methods study.

Background: Much has been written about the use of evidence in policy; however, there is still little known about whether and how research is engaged with and used in policy development or the impact of reported barriers and facilitators. This paper aims to (1) describe the characteristics of 131 policy documents, (2) describe the ways in which research was engaged with (e.g.

How are evidence generation partnerships between researchers and policy-makers enacted in practice? A qualitative interview study.

Background: Evidence generation partnerships between researchers and policy-makers are a potential method for producing more relevant research with greater potential to impact on policy and practice. Little is known about how such partnerships are enacted in practice, however, or how to increase their effectiveness. We aimed to determine why researchers and policy-makers choose to work together, how they work together, which partnership models are most common, and what the key (1) relationship-based and (2) practical components of successful research partnerships are.

Figuring out fidelity: a worked example of the methods used to identify, critique and revise the essential elements of a contextualised intervention in health policy agencies.

Background: In this paper, we identify and respond to the fidelity assessment challenges posed by novel contextualised interventions (i.e. interventions that are informed by composite social and psychological theories and which incorporate standardised and flexible components in order to maximise effectiveness in complex settings).

The development of ORACLe: a measure of an organisation's capacity to engage in evidence-informed health policy.

Background: Evidence-informed policymaking is more likely if organisations have cultures that promote research use and invest in resources that facilitate staff engagement with research. Measures of organisations' research use culture and capacity are needed to assess current capacity, identify opportunities for improvement, and examine the impact of capacity-building interventions. The aim of the current study was to develop a comprehensive system to measure and score organisations' capacity to engage with and use research in policymaking, which we entitled ORACLe (Organisational Research Access, Culture, and Leadership).

Research impact: neither quick nor easy.

Greenhalgh and Fahy's paper about the 2014 Research Excellence Framework provides insights into the challenges of assessing research impact. Future research assessment exercises should consider how best to include measurement of indirect and non-linear impact and whether efforts in knowledge transfer and co-production should be explicitly recognised. Greenhalgh and Fahy's findings also demonstrate that the structure of the assessment exercise can privilege certain kinds of research and may therefore miss some research that has a high impact on policy and practice.

Using conjoint analysis to develop a system of scoring policymakers' use of research in policy and program development.

Background: The importance of utilising the best available research evidence in the development of health policies, services, and programs is increasingly recognised, yet few standardised systems for quantifying policymakers' research use are available. We developed a comprehensive measurement and scoring tool that assesses four domains of research use (i.e.

Using conjoint analysis to develop a system to score research engagement actions by health decision makers.

Background: Effective use of research to inform policymaking can be strengthened by policymakers undertaking various research engagement actions (e.g., accessing, appraising, and applying research).

Usage of an online tool to help policymakers better engage with research: Web CIPHER.

Background: There is a need to develop innovations that help policymakers better engage with research in order to increase its use in policymaking. As part of the Centre for Informing Policy in Health with Evidence from Research (CIPHER), we established Web CIPHER, an online tool with dynamic interactive elements such as hot topics, research summaries, blogs from trusted figures in health policy and research, a community bulletin board, multimedia section and research portal. The aim of this study was to examine policymakers' use of the website, and determine which sections were key drivers of use.

Acceptability of an emotional and behavioural screening tool for children in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in urban NSW.

Objective: To assess the acceptability and face validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHOs) located in the greater Sydney region.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in three ACCHOs located within the greater Sydney region in 2008-2009. A semi-structured approach was used in focus groups and small group interviews (n = 47) to elicit participants' views on the appropriateness of the SDQ and any additional issues of importance to Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health.

Emerging themes in Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health: findings from a qualitative study in Sydney, New South Wales.

Objective: To explore emerging themes related to the mental health of Aboriginal children and adolescents ("young people") arising from focus groups conducted in Sydney, New South Wales.

Design, Setting And Participants: A qualitative study was conducted between April 2008 and September 2009 in three Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations in Sydney. A semi-structured approach was used in focus groups and small group interviews to elicit the views of 15 Aboriginal parents and 32 Aboriginal workers from a variety of health and social work backgrounds on important factors surrounding the mental health of Aboriginal young people.

The effect of baseline cocaine use on treatment outcomes for heroin dependence over 24 months: findings from the Australian Treatment Outcome Study.

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of baseline cocaine use on treatment outcomes for heroin dependence over a 24-month period.

Design: A longitudinal cohort (24 months) study was carried out. Interviews were conducted at baseline, 3, 12, and 24 months.