National Child Protection Inspection programme evaluation
Summary
In 2014, HMICFRS started a rolling programme of inspections in every police force in England and Wales, looking at their response to child protection.
We have completed 32 of these National Child Protection Inspections (NCPI), and follow-up inspections and reviews to date. To better understand the impact of these inspections on policing activity, we commissioned NatCen to carry out independent evaluation of the programme. This evaluation is the first study of its kind commissioned by HMICFRS.
NatCen’s researchers carried out:
- a document review of inspection reports;
- an online survey with force staff; and
- focus groups and interviews with individuals from:
- inspected forces;
- uninspected forces; and
- HMICFRS inspection staff.
The evidence from this data collection allowed researchers to explore the perceived impact of the NCPI programme on policing practices since 2014, as well as the experiences of people in inspected forces, and the inspectors themselves.