In what ways can research be made more relevant? Discuss, with particular reference to evidence based practice (EBP) involving children and young people.
             In order to discuss how research can be made more relevant, this essay first discusses to whom research is relevant. It then aims to define what is understood by evidence based practice (EBP). Different groups of people to whom EBP may be relevant are discussed and examples from the course materials used to show how EBP is or is not relevant to children and young people. Finally we briefly discuss why some apparently relevant research is not carried out and how research could be made more relevant to children and young people.
             The relevance of a piece of research is in the eye of the beholder. Most research is funded and the 'results' are of particular importance to the funding body, whether it is a Government department, a medical company or a host of other possibilities. Whilst we may not be able to see the relevance of a particular piece of research, somebody somewhere can (and ultimately this is why it was commissioned and paid for)!
             EBP has been defined both as 'an approach to decision making which is transparent, accountable, and based on careful consideration of the most compelling evidence' (Macdonald, 2001;xviii in Study Guide 3) and as 'an attempt to turn practitioners into bureaucrats' (Tierney, 2002:49 in Study Guide 3). EBP can also be defined as the use of research which is both useful and usable (Solesbury, 2001). It is the use of research to bring about changes in behaviour, either by changing policy across a wide range of settings or by allowing individuals to make informed decisions and change their own behaviour. While EBP has been around since the 19th centaury, there does seem to have been a marked upsurge in its use since the Labour government came into power and brought with them the ideology of applying 'what works&...