Title: NIHR Global Health Research Group on Early Childhood Development for Peacebuilding, Queen's University of Belfast
Funder: Department of Health and Social Care

Abstract: 1) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES OF QUEEN’S AND EXISTING STRENGTHS The current institutional research strategy for Queen’s (2016-2021) presents an ambitious plan to promote inter-disciplinary collaboration and align academic and research staff through the creation and strategic prioritisation of large-scale institutes and centres to tackle global challenges.[1] One such centre is the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation (CESI) that is an applied social science research centre aligning the research activities of just under 100 academic, research and support staff from across the university (see: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cesi). CESI has particular expertise in working with a wide range of multi-sectoral stakeholders and communities to develop and evaluate interventions in social care, education and public health, particularly using randomised controlled trials (RCTs). It is currently developing innovative, long-term partnerships with local communities in West Belfast to work together to begin thinking differently about how this work is taken forward. To date, CESI has successfully attracted over £20m in external research funding and has completed or is due to complete over 50 RCTs. It also has a strong track record in relation to evidence synthesis and has recently been approved to establish and host the first national centre for the Campbell Collaboration for the UK and Ireland, due to be launched in June 2017. CESI has a specific emphasis on early intervention and prevention and particular expertise in working in partnership with local providers to develop and evaluate ECD programmes; particularly those focused on social and emotional development and involving either direct parental support and/or delivered through community playgroups and preschools. One area of work, led by the Director of CESI and the Director of this proposed Research Group, has focused on the development of a multi-component preschool peacebuilding programme to promote respect for diversity and contribute to peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. This has involved a 10-year programme of work flowing from early primary research through to the formative evaluation of pilot programmes and then the summative evaluation of an ECD programme taken to scale in Northern Ireland. This research formed the basis for a highly-rated impact case study submitted to UoA25 (Education) in REF2014.[2] It has also inspired efforts to adapt and apply the programme in several countries affected by divisions and conflict, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, two of the proposed partner countries for this Research Group. 2) EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS AND STRATEGIES Queen’s University Belfast, in partnership with Early Years – The Organisation for Young Children (Northern Ireland) –pioneered the development of the preschool peacebuilding programme for Northern Ireland described above. This has, in turn, inspired the establishment of the International Networking Group on Peacebuilding with Young Children led by Early Years and the International Centre for Education and Human Development in Colombia (CINDE). This current Network includes ECD specialists and organisations from a number of conflict-affected countries including: Colombia, Croatia, El Savador, Ethiopia, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Nepal, South Africa and West Bank and Gaza Strip. As part of the early development of this International Networking Group, Queen’s was instrumental in leading the development of its signature publication on ECD and peacebuilding: ‘From Conflict to Peacebuilding: The Power of Early Childhood Initiatives – Lessons from Around the World’.[3] Alongside the International Networking Group, Queen’s also led the establishment of a parallel and related research network: Una – The Global Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity, that drew together 80 academics and practitioners in ECD from 33 different countries (see: http://www.unaglobal.org). More recently, in 2013, UNICEF with a range of global partners, including Early Years, launched the Early Childhood Peace Consortium (ECPC). Plans are currently under way for the International Networking Group and the previous work of Una to be amalgamated into ECPC. 3) STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES This NIHR Global Health Research Group will seek to establish and sustain an international research network that supports the effective use of ECD programmes to promote sustainable development and prevent conflict in LMICs affected by ethnic divisions and political violence. Building upon the existing expertise and track record of CESI, and through strategic partnerships with UNICEF, ECPC and global research centres at Yale and New York University (NYU), the Group will: a) create a sustainable network of ECD researchers and practitioners from six countries affected by conflict. b) share knowledge and expertise across participants of the network and build research capacity in-country to support the development and robust evaluation of ECD programmes. c) build specialist research capacity at CESI to undertake global health research in relation to ECD, through the support of Yale and NYU. d) support the evaluation of ECD pilot programmes in six LMIC partner countries that are to be delivered through support from UNICEF. e) work with UNICEF and the wider global ECPC to develop and implement effective advocacy strategies for ECD programmes within partner countries and internationally (see Pathways to Impact section). f) develop and implement a strategy to generate external funding to sustain and grow the network beyond the current three-year funding window in alignment with ECPC. 4) PROPOSED PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES Months 1-6: The research network will be established comprising three academics/researchers from each of the following six countries: Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Timor-Leste, Tajikistan and Vietnam. Potential participants will be identified with the in-country support provided by UNICEF Field Offices and the extensive range of participants in the global ECPC. The network will meet for the first time towards the end of this period to identify and prioritise research needs (following the established NIHR and James Lind Alliance methods[4]) and to agree a plan of research capacity building activities. Led by the respective UNICEF Field Offices in country, the specific ECD programmes to be piloted and delivered in each of the six LMICs will be agreed alongside organisational partners to deliver them. A provisional impact strategy will also be agreed for each country and internationally as well as an initial outline sustainability plan for the network. Months 7-12: The consolidation of the network and the first element of research capacity building activities will take place over this second phase, particularly focused on core training in evaluation designs, data collection and analysis. Manuals for the delivery of the ECD programmes will be finalised (and reported according to best practice guidelines[5]) and agreed with local stakeholders, to be identified and engaged with the support of the UNICEF Field Offices, and relationships between the network and stakeholders will be consolidated. Research teams will be established in each of the six countries and detailed evaluation designs, with timescales, will also be developed and agreed. Months 13-30: Research capacity building activities will continue during this period, but will shift towards being driven by the practical demands of the pilot research studies focused on the evaluations of the ECD programmes in the six targeted countries. The six pilot studies will be completed and initial local dissemination of findings will take place during this period. Plans for impact and sustainability (following best practice for LMICs[6]) will also be finalised during the first six months of this period, and will begin to be implemented from month 24. Months 31-36: The focus during this final phase will be to identify plans to: take each pilot study to its next phase, that is anticipated to be larger trials of the ECD programmes; conclude national and international advocacy work; and complete the implementation of the long-term plans for sustainability. 5) DELIVERY TARGETS AT 6 MONTHS The following specific goals will be achieved at the end of the first six months: a) The creation of the Research Group, including confirmation of the names of the 18 core participants from each of the six partner countries. b) The first meeting of the Group to have been held at Queen’s University Belfast. c) An assessment to have been completed of the needs of the Group participants in relation to research capacity building and a programme of training and support to be developed and agreed to meet these needs for the remaining 30 months of the grant. d) The specific ECD programmes to be delivered in the six pilot study LMICs to be agreed by UNICEF Field Offices in consultation with local stakeholders. e) A provisional impact plan for each of the six pilot study countries and broader international advocacy strategy to be agreed. f) An outline strategy for long-term sustainability, in alignment with ECPC, to be developed and agreed. 6) FIT WITH THE GLOBAL HEALTH AGENDA The fit of this proposed Research Group with the global health agenda is set out clearly in the ‘ODA Compliance Statement’ section below.

Lay abstract: There are approximately 250 million children (43%) under 5 years of age in low and middle income countries (LMICs) at risk of not achieving their developmental potential. These developmental deficits are evident from birth and worsen across the lifespan. By adulthood, the cumulative costs associated with this has been estimated to cost LMICs up to twice the current amount they spend on health each year. These risks are compounded in countries affected by conflict due to the harmful effects of children’s exposure to sustained violence. There is now considerable evidence demonstrating that early childhood development (ECD) programmes that focus on creating and sustaining positive nurturing environments for young children can have a significant effect in reducing these developmental delays and that this is associated with improved long-term outcomes in adulthood. Moreover, it is suggested that such programmes can also contribute to reducing violence and preventing conflicts at a community level. The UN Sustainable Development Goals offer an historic opportunity to advocate for national policy frameworks for ECD amongst LMICs, especially those affected by conflict. Working with UNICEF as a strategic partner, this proposed NIHR Global Health Research Group will create a sustainable network of global researchers to: develop and test ECD interventions in LMICs affected by conflict; create an international evidence base; and develop impact plans at local, national and international levels to promote ECD programmes for sustainable development and peacebuilding. The Research Group draws upon an existing strong track record of interdisciplinary social science research at the Centre for Evidence and Social Innovation (CESI), including considerable expertise in working in partnership with local communities and service providers to support the development and evaluation of ECD programmes. It also has specific experience working in partnership with a local ECD organisation to develop, pilot and take to scale a preschool peacebuilding programme for Northern Ireland that is now being adapted for delivery in a number of other conflict-affected countries. Through partnership with UNICEF, and with the support of global research centres at Yale and New York University, the Group will create a network of researchers from six LMICs affected by conflict (Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste and Vietnam) that will: build research capacity; run pilot research evaluations of ECD programmes in each country that UNICEF intends to secure funding for; and develop a strategy to achieve impact locally, nationally and internationally. Each of the six ECD programmes will be led by UNICEF’s Field Offices in country in association with local partners. The immediate impact sought will be measurable improvements to the lives of young children and their carers in the six LMICs. In the medium term, this direct impact will be extended to other LMICs affected by conflict with plans to expand the Group. In the medium to long term, the Group will also seek, through its partnership with UNICEF and the global Early Childhood Peace Consortium, to demonstrate the relevance of ECD interventions for peacebuilding to achieve national ECD policy commitments in the partner countries and also international impact. This will include building understanding of the relationship between ECD and Peacebuilding within the United Nations and the inclusion of ECD indicators for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Research activity codes: 3.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (PREVENTION)
Health categories: DISPUTED AETIOLOGY AND OTHER