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Road traffic collisions are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in children and young people globally (World Health Organisation report on child injury prevention, 2008). Research into child and adolescent road crossing behaviour, led by Dr Karen Pfeffer of the Evolution and Development Research Group at the University of Lincoln, has influenced road safety intervention practice via its inclusion in a series of safety initiatives, programmes and guides for parents, health-care providers, educators and road safety officers, produced by independent organisations internationally since 2008. Dr Pfeffer's research has also had international impact and influence via her appointment as a mentor for the World Health Organization (WHO) Mentors for Violence and Injury Prevention programme.
Through active engagement in policy processes, systems research at Lincoln produced a sustained change in governmental and third sector approaches to citizenship education and hence citizen participation. Translating and refining the initial concepts, a network of Third Sector organisations and universities (including the researchers) ran successful pilot projects to benefit more than 1,300 people. This led to the inclusion of the `Take Part' concept in three government White Papers. Pathways to impact were two national learning frameworks, an £8.7 million programme (2009-2011), and a £0.77m capacity building cluster (2008-2013). The programme reached over 18,000 people nationally, who became more effectively involved in local democracy.
The research addressed the lack of insight from research, policy and practice in relation to adolescents who are neglected within families. Findings have informed policy development at a national level, and were the basis of a guide to good practice, published and circulated widely by the (then) Department for Children Schools and Families ((DCSF), now the Department for Education (DfE)), and a guide for young people to increase their awareness of neglect, published and circulated by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). At a local level, researchers worked intensively over 18 months with the whole senior management tier from Children's Services in one local authority to enable understanding and refocusing so that adolescent neglect becomes a legitimate part of practice. Managers went on to enable the shift in practice with their teams, and adolescent neglect has been included in revised safeguarding screening tools approved by the Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB).
The impact relates to research carried out by Professor John Peysner, and subsequently with Dr Angus Nurse, into three linked areas of access to justice: (a) the cost of litigation, in particular fixed fees, budgeting and contingency fees; (b) the financing of claims, in particular Contingency Legal Aid Funds and Third Party Financing; and (c) forms of dispute resolution and redress. Litigation is of major importance in underpinning civil society, and as a global business, and changes in the costs and financing of it will potentially impact on all practising lawyers. The research has had impact on practice developments, government policy, and statutory and procedural rules of court, particularly in connection with the influential Lord Justice Jackson's Review of Litigation Costs(2009). The impact has been at a national and international level.
This case study encompasses research carried out within the participation and representation research group. It reflects a body of research on elected bodies at UK, devolved and local tiers, which has taken place within the School over the past twenty years. Among other things it has: provided the principal body of data collection and analysis on Scottish local elections; influenced debates on the (lack of) diversity of representatives, particularly women; and fed into debates about stimulating voting and enhancing political literacy. The research continues to develop and have an impact, for example with recent work on citizenship and political education and the role of public petitions in elected bodies.
Crick Smith Conservation conducts architectural paint research for external clients: internationally renowned historic properties, museums and commercial enterprises. The application of knowledge gained from this research sustains and enriches our cultural heritage and in turn improves the economic prosperity of the sector through improved cultural tourism, access to investment and increased visitor numbers. Direct beneficiaries include conservators, institutions that manage heritage properties and visitors that benefit from good research and well-presented sites. In supporting heritage organisations to reinstate authentic interior schemes, our high quality research has also improved their visibility and success in gaining grant applications.
In 2005/6, Allsop (and Jones) undertook research for the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on comparative systems of medical governance to assess how doctors' continuing competence was assured. Their research drew on new data and built upon earlier research by Allsop on complaints and professional regulation. The study found that many countries had begun to replace self-governance by systems based on partnership with stakeholders to ensure accountability, although methods differed. The findings informed a subsequent report from the CMO and were carried forward in a White Paper and in 2008 through legislation. The research had an impact on UK policy makers by providing research-based evidence. The governance of the General Medical Council (GMC) has been reformed and periodic revalidation introduced. This will have a continuing impact on the practice of doctors and on patients.
Through engagement with government, parliamentary committees, individual parliamentarians, and the media, this research has generated impact which is both significant and far reaching. It has influenced substantive reform in parliamentary oversight of the intelligence and security agencies and contributed to proposals for House of Lords reform. It has also informed debates about various aspects of parliamentary reform by challenging prevailing assumptions, including through engagement with the media and by influencing the work of other groups with an interest in parliamentary reform, such as the Electoral Reform Society and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Mercury has been used to preserve plants in museum collections since the 18th century. This has led to severe mercury contamination in historic plant collections across the world, which is today a global health concern. The research led to a rapid, cost-effective and non-destructive screening method for identifying mercury-based biocide residues in historic plant collections, significantly reducing exposure to toxic residues. This impacts directly upon professional conservation, restoration and curatorial practice, and informs public safety in the handling and access of important collections.
The National Museum of Wales (NMW) has used the methodology to identify and prioritise severely contaminated specimen sheets in its 800,000+ collection. Work has enabled conservators and curators to transform their safety practices and inform wider adoption by museums and institutions across the UK. In disseminating the outcomes across the sector, the research has attracted international interest and has been discussed and tested in a wide range of international conferences and museum forums.
The impact relates to research by Professor Richard Stone into the powers of entry of officials other than the police. The immediate impact of the research was in it contributing directly to law reform in this area, as contained in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012: see www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/9/contents/enacted.
Following the legislation, further impact will be felt at a national level, affecting the operation of the powers of officials working for a wide range of government departments, local authorities and public utilities. The legislation will make it harder for new powers to be created, and will improve the legal rights of those whose premises are subject to entry for the purposes of inspection or search.