Early learning and childcare expansion programme: evaluation strategy

5. Evaluating the impact of the expansion on outcomes for children, parents and families

5.1. Introduction

5.1.1. As outlined in the Introduction the primary focus for the evaluation strategy is on measuring how the expansion of funded ELC contributes to outcomes for children, parents and families as a whole. The following core evaluation questions will be used for measuring the three high-level outcomes and the sixth intermediate outcome – parental confidence and capacity.

Intermediate outcome: Parental confidence and capacity

• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on parental confidence and capacity in in engaging with their child's learning, enhancing the home learning environment, and promoting their own wellbeing and confidence?

Child outcomes

• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on children's cognitive and language development?
• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on children's social, behavioural and emotional development?
• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on the poverty-related development gap, in particular cognitive and language skills?
• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on children's physical health and wellbeing and on health inequalities?

Parent outcomes

• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on parents' ability to work, train, or study and why?
• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on parental health and wellbeing?

Family outcomes

• What impact has the expansion of funded ELC had on family wellbeing, in the context of ELC provision?

5.1.2. Substantial scoping work was undertaken by NHS Health Scotland during 2017 and 2018 to explore options for evaluating the impact of the policy on child and parental outcomes. The scoping considered what outcomes for children and parents should be measured and when, available tools for measuring these outcomes, how to measure inequality and inequity in outcomes, and existing sources of data on the proposed outcomes. The paper set out three options: 1) use only routine data that is currently available, but possibly link multiple datasets; 2) adjust and expand existing surveys to encompass child health and well-being, attendance at childcare, and family health and poverty/deprivation; or 3) commission a bespoke data collection to specifically address the areas of interest.

5.1.3. In this context, the ELC Monitoring and Evaluation Working Group recommended that a bespoke study of child and parent outcomes be commissioned to provide a baseline from which to assess changes following the expansion. The Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare (SSELC) was commissioned in 2018.

5.2. The Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare

5.2.1. As noted above, the main vehicle for obtaining evaluation data on child, parent and family outcomes is the SSELC. The overarching aims of the SSELC are:

• to assess the extent to which the expansion of funded ELC from 600 hours to 1140 hours has improved outcomes for children, particularly those at risk of disadvantage, between the ages of two and five
• to assess the extent to which the expansion of funded ELC from 600 hours to 1140 hours has closed the gap in child development outcomes between children who are most and least advantaged between the ages of two and five
• to assess the extent to which the expansion of funded ELC from 600 hours to 1140 hours has improved outcomes for parents, particularly parents of children at risk of disadvantage
• to assess the extent to which the expansion of funded ELC from 600 hours to 1140 hours has increased family wellbeing, particularly for families in disadvantaged circumstances

5.3. SSELC Research design

5.3.1. The SSELC takes a before and after approach, that allows exploration of outcomes as policy initiatives are implemented. Ethical and practical considerations meant that it was not possible to use other evaluation designs, for example a natural experiment. The study has been designed to evaluate whether the ELC expansion programme has achieved its objectives by measuring outcomes for children and parents receiving the existing funded entitlement (600 hours) and comparing them with those who receive the increased funded entitlement (1140 hours).

5.3.2. The methodology comprises three linked components: 1) an assessment of children's development outcomes by ELC keyworkers; 2) a survey of parents of the sampled children; and 3) observations by Care Inspectorate staff of the quality of experience within ELC settings attended by sampled children. The latter element provides data which will allow for the effect of setting quality on child outcomes to be controlled for. The study includes children in group settings (e.g. nursery, playgroup etc.) in both local authority and private and voluntary sector settings.

5.3.3. The study has been designed to draw on professional judgement by asking ELC key workers to observe children and provide data on them; and for Care Inspectorate staff to undertake the quality observations of the settings. This approach was considered to have several advantages including: children were being observed by staff who knew them well and understand child development from a professional and experienced perspective; Care Inspectorate staff were familiar with the sector and skilled in systematic observation and evaluation against specified indicators; involving staff would increase buy in from the sector; and the costs of the study would be minimised.

5.3.4. SSELC is both a longitudinal and cross-sectional study. In the longitudinal element of the study, data is collected on a cohort of two year olds (and their parents) who are eligible for funded ELC ('Eligible twos') when they begin accessing their funded entitlement and again after they have received one year of ELC. This longitudinal element will provide evidence on the impact of one year of ELC on those children who need it most. Data will also be collected on a nationally representative group of three year olds as they start ELC. This data will enable comparison of outcomes for the Eligible twos when they reach age three to the general population of three year olds in ELC, as well as a comparison of children's development as they begin funded ELC at baseline and follow up. The cross-sectional element of the study will compare the outcomes of groups of children and their parents at the start and end of funded ELC accessing 600 hours in 2018/19 with those accessing 1140 hours in 2023/24 (see Figure 2 below).

5.3.5. Overall, the evaluation design represents an innovative approach for an evaluation of this nature. Combining the robust impact evaluation design with a longitudinal element will allow the evaluation to consider both the impact of the expansion programme on all children, and the impact of a year of funded ELC on outcomes for those children who need it most (e.g. eligible Twos). In addition, the focus on parental outcomes, particularly parental health and wellbeing, alongside child outcomes, allows us to consider the impact on the family as a whole. Further, the research design promotes collaboration by relying on the cooperation of the whole sector (Scottish Government, NHS, local authorities, ELC settings and Care Inspectorate).

5.3.6. The SSELC is collecting data across several phases from 2018 to 2024. During 2018-19, phases 1, 2 and 3 collected baseline data on the outcomes of children accessing 600 hours of funded ELC and their parents (see Figure 2 overleaf).^[68] Now that the entitlement to 1140 hours has been fully rolled out there will be a further three phases of data collection allowing comparison between outcomes for those children and families accessing 600 hours and 1140 hours.

5.3.7. It is anticipated that phases 4, 5 and 6 of the SSELC will collect data on the outcomes of children accessing 1140 hours of funded ELC and their parents during 2023-24. This will provide a comparison group from which we can determine the impact that the increase in funded hours has had on child and parent outcomes.

Figure 2: Phases of the Scottish Study of Early Learning and Childcare

600 hours

'Eligible Twos', Phase 1 – November 2018

• Baseline data collected on eligible two year olds as they began ELC

'ELC Leavers', Phase 2 – May/June 2019

• Baseline data collected on four and five year olds as they leave ELC to begin school (primary 1)

Three year olds, Phase 3 – November 2019

• Follow-up with the same group of eligible two year olds after one year in ELC
• Baseline data collected on three year olds as they begin ELC

1140 hours

'Eligible Twos', Phase 4 – November 2023

• Data collected on eligible two year olds as they begin ELC

'ELC Leavers', Phase 5 – May/June 2024

• Data collected on four and five year olds as they leave ELC to begin primary 1

Three year olds, Phase 6 – November 2024

• Follow-up with the same group of eligible two year olds after one year in ELC
• Data collected on three year olds as they begin ELC

5.3.8. The follow-up phases of the SSELC were originally planned for 2022-23 – beginning toward the end of the autumn term two years after the original statutory implementation date – to allow the expansion and related changes to the sector to bed in. Due to the delay to full statutory implementation of 1140 hours, we have decided to move phases 4-6 back one year in line with the change to the statutory implementation date. While the impacts of the pandemic are likely to still be being felt, this is considered to balance allowing some time for recovery and changes to bed in, with providing data on the expansion within reasonable timescales.

5.4. Measuring child outcomes in the SSELC

5.4.1. The outcomes for children being measured in SSELC are:

• cognitive and language development (e.g. problem solving skills, vocabulary, creativity, etc.)
• social, emotional and behavioural wellbeing (e.g. relations with peers, self-confidence, independence, self-motivation, resilience etc.)
• physical health and development (e.g. gross and fine motor skills, general health)

5.4.2. Data on child outcomes are being collected using a combination of the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

5.4.3. The ASQ is widely used by Health Visitors across Scotland as part of their health reviews of pre-school children – the Scottish Child Health Programme.^[69] Instruments were selected for inclusion in the Child Health Programme following an extensive review by academics and practitioners.^[70] In the SSELC, the ASQ and SDQ questionnaires will be completed by the child's keyworker at the setting. Information will also be collected via the parent questionnaire (see section 5.5. below for more detail) on child physical health outcomes such as general health and long-term illnesses as well as the presence of developmental risk factors – such as sleep patterns and breastfeeding.

5.4.4. The ASQ provides a structured assessment of a range of developmental domains, usually using a parental questionnaire supported by observation of the child at play to identify children at increased risk of developmental problems. There are 30 items split into five different domains: communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving and personal-social skills. By answering 'yes', 'sometimes' or 'no', the respondent indicates whether or not the child can complete the action or provide the response required. Each domain produces a summary score which can be used to indicate whether the child's development is on schedule, needs monitoring or requires further assessment. While it is designed to be completed by parents, because it is informed by observation of the child it was deemed suitable for completion by the child's keyworker at their ELC setting.

5.4.5. The SDQ is a commonly used behavioural screening questionnaire designed for use with children aged between three and 16. It consists of 25 questions about a child's behaviour to which the respondent can answer 'not true', 'somewhat true' or 'certainly true'. Responses can be combined to form five different measures of the child's development, namely emotional symptoms (e.g. excessive worrying), conduct problems (e.g. often fighting with other children), hyperactivity/inattention (for example, constantly fidgeting), peer relationship problems (e.g. not having close friends), and pro-social behaviour (e.g. being kind to others). Furthermore, the first four measures can be combined into a 'total difficulties' scale.

5.4.6. Table 7 below sets out the sub-questions and headline measures that will be used to evaluate the impact of the ELC expansion on child outcomes.

5.4.7. Additional data on the child collected in the parent survey (see below) will include background characteristics (such as sex, ethnicity and household income), attendance at ELC (including number of hours attended in an average day/week, type of setting, use of blended provision, etc.) and experience of home learning activities.

Table 7: Children's development improves and the poverty-related outcomes gap narrows: evaluation questions, measures and data sources

Evaluation questions	Measures	Data source
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on children's cognitive and language development? How does this vary by demographic group?	Children's ASQ scores at the end of ELC, particularly the communication domain, but also problem solving and fine motor - by gender, disability, household characteristics	SSELC - keyworker questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on children's social, behavioural and emotional wellbeing? How does this vary by demographic group?	Children's SDQ scores at the end of ELC - by gender, disability, household characteristics	SSELC - keyworker questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on the poverty-related development gap, in particular cognitive and language skills?	The gap between ASQ and SDQ scores for the most and least advantaged children (SIMD and household income)	SSELC - keyworker questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on children's health and on health inequalities? How does this vary by demographic group?	Children's ASQ 'gross motor' scores at the end of ELC Parent reported child's general health - by gender, disability, household characteristics	SSELC - keyworker questionnaires, SSELC - parent questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24

5.4.8. The Scottish Government parent research conducted in 2017 (see Section 4.2) found that many three and four year old children were already accessing nearly 30 hours of childcare a week, often through a mixture of funded and unfunded care.^[71] For these children the expansion is unlikely to significantly change the amount of childcare they receive, and therefore it is unlikely that their outcomes will change significantly. The largest change is likely to come from children who would have accessed only 600 funded hours or less and who then take up more funded hours as a result of the expansion. Consequently, significant changes in outcomes are most likely to be found in various sub-groups and especially those children from less advantaged backgrounds who take up increased funded hours. This issue will also be a focus of the economic evaluation (Section 6) as is it important to ensure that only the benefits of the expansion in ELC are measured.

5.4.9. Collecting information on additional hours of formal ELC paid for by parents and on any informal care used, will allow the analysis to control for the impact of unfunded hours of ELC when considering any changes in child/parent outcomes. It will also allow exploration of shifts from informal childcare or paid for ELC to funded ELC. However, it is important to recognise that where there is a complex history of childcare this may become more difficult. What we are more likely to achieve in analysis of the SSELC data is an overall view on whether providing expanded hours of funded childcare supports improvements in children's outcomes rather than being able to say exactly the balance of funded/unfunded hours that produces this result.

Taking into account the effect of the ELC environment on children's outcomes in the SSELC

5.4.10. As noted in Section 4.5, to gather information on the characteristics of ELC settings attended by children in the study, observations of settings are also being undertaken in the SSELC. The observational assessments of settings are being conducted in partnership with the Care Inspectorate, using the Infant / Toddler Environment Rating Scale (ITERS) and the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS), well-established monitoring tools that have been used in Scotland as long ago as 1994. The most recent version of the ITERS (ITERS-3) was selected for two year olds and the ECERS (ECERS-3) for three to five year olds. These tools were developed in the United States by the Environment Rating Scale Institute and are widely used in English speaking countries.^[72] In the United Kingdom, ECERS has been used in other large-scale studies, such as the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) study and the more recent Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) in England.^[73] In conjunction with academics and the Care Inspectorate, some minor amendments were made to the scales to ensure they were reflective of the aspects of quality that are expected in Scotland (e.g. that rainfall should not prevent outdoor play).

5.4.11. The environment rating scales selected have a positive international reputation as a way of assessing the quality of provision in a 'snap-shot' observation and as a tool that gives researchers access to the everyday experiences of children in their educational settings. The scales have high reliability at indicator and item level when used by trained observers.^[74] Validity is also high in terms of their relationship with other ways of assessing quality and to measures children's outcomes.

5.4.12. These tools were selected for use in SSELC for a number of reasons: they centre on observing the experience of the child in the setting; they allow for the effect of setting quality on child outcomes to be controlled for; and they are relatively easy to administer given that only one three hour observation is required. They can also be used to see if particular characteristics of settings contribute to differential outcomes in children. The observations will provide Scotland-level data to allow exploration of the relationship between children's experiences and outcomes at a national level.

5.4.13. It is important to note, however, that these tools are not the only method of assessing setting quality in Scotland. Indeed, the Care Inspectorate ratings provide a broader measure of the quality of practice and policy within settings that have also been found to be related to children's outcomes in Scotland.^[75]

5.5. Measuring parent outcomes in the SSELC

5.5.1. The outcomes being measured for parents are:

• participation in employment, training, or study
• physical and mental health and wellbeing

5.5.2. It should be noted that evidence from others studies has shown that there may not be an immediate impact seen on parents' work, training, or study following the expansion.^[76] For this reason, the evaluability assessment recommended extending the period of the evaluation and also capturing some of the shorter term characteristics we would expect to see on 'trajectories into employment', such as more time to oneself and to think about what one may do in the future, feeling less stressed, improvements in mental wellbeing, undertaking voluntary work. It will be important to consider wider contextual influences in understanding any changes in parent outcomes; for example, family context, number of younger children (aged 0-one year olds), caring for elderly relatives and so on. The pandemic is also likely to have significant long term impacts on parental employment opportunities.

5.5.3. Data on parent and family outcomes are collected through a paper self-completion questionnaire which includes questions on parents' employment status, reasons for using ELC, perceived changes in feelings because of their child attending ELC (e.g. more time to oneself, feeling less stressed, undertaking voluntary work, caring for other family members) and health and wellbeing. ELC settings were encouraged to offer support to parents in completing the survey, where they had capacity to do this and felt support might be needed, while being mindful of the private nature of some questions.

5.5.4. Table 8 below sets out the sub-questions and headline measures that will be used to evaluate the impact of the ELC expansion on parental outcomes.

Table 8: Parents' opportunities to take up or sustain work, study or training increase: evaluation questions, measures and data sources

Evaluation questions	Measures	Data source
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on parents' ability to work, train, or study and why? How does this vary by demographic group and geographically?	% parents in work (f/t, p/t), study or training Average hours of work for parents in employment	SSELC - parent questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on parental health and wellbeing? How does this vary by demographic group?	% parents saying their general health is good or better parental mental wellbeing scores (SWEMWBS)	SSELC - parent questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24

5.6. Parental confidence and capacity and family wellbeing in the SSELC

5.6.1. Family wellbeing was added as an aim for the expansion programme, and therefore the evaluation strategy, at a later stage, after the initial scoping work on child and parent outcomes was completed. The third aim was based on the recognition that ELC can play an important role in the overall wellbeing of families with whom they are involved, and is closely linked to the sixth intermediate outcome – parental confidence and capacity which is also covered in this section for that reason. The expansion to 1140 hours is likely to provide greater opportunities for ELC settings to support parents and families. This support may, in turn, positively affect the primary aim of improving child development outcomes, particularly for those children living in disadvantaged circumstances.

5.6.2. Wellbeing is a wide-ranging concept which is used in a range of contexts and fields. Broadly, it is about feeling good and functioning well.^[77] The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, which includes key parts of the Getting it Right for Every Child approach (GIRFEC), defines Child Wellbeing in terms of 8 indicators of wellbeing: Safe, Healthy, Active, Nurtured, Achieving, Respected, Responsible and Included (SHANARRI).^[78]

5.6.3. The concept of family wellbeing is similarly broad and covers a range of policy areas beyond the reach of ELC. The Wellbeing Outcomes Framework for Children, Young People and Families being developed by the Directorate for Children and Families provides an overarching framework for understanding and measuring children and families' wellbeing. There is, however, potential for ELC settings to provide support to parents and families through high quality interactions and by offering a responsive and caring environment. The expansion in funded ELC hours can also potentially offer parents greater opportunities to pursue employment or training opportunities, or to have more time for themselves. In addition to the expansion in hours, other elements of the expansion programme will impact on families – for example the Equity and Excellence Leads, food provision and healthy eating in ELC settings. Thus, there is real potential for the overall expansion programme to help reduce stress and improve parental health and wellbeing, bringing benefits to the family as a whole.

5.6.4. Some of the ways through which ELC could support parental confidence and capacity and family wellbeing include:

• supporting parents in their relationships with their children and in their role as parents
• supporting parents in engaging with their child's learning and in enriching the home learning environment
• supporting parents to make wider life changes to benefit their family's wellbeing and broadening the range of experiences (learning, caring, cultural, domestic, eating) that children and their parents can enjoy together

Measuring parental confidence and capacity

5.6.5. Based on the above, key dimensions of parental confidence and capacity in relation to this evaluation are: parenting and the parent/child relationship, parental confidence and capacity in terms of supporting their child's learning and enriching the home learning environment and parents ability to promote their own wellbeing.

5.6.6. Data for the intermediate outcome parental confidence and capacity is also collected through the parental questionnaire as above. Table 9 below sets out the sub-questions and measures from the SSELC that will be used to evaluate the impact of the ELC expansion on parental confidence and capacity.

Table 9: Parental confidence and capacity: evaluation questions, measures and data sources

Evaluation questions	Measures	Data source
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on parental confidence and capacity: - in engaging with their child's learning and enhancing the home learning environment? - in promoting their own wellbeing and confidence?	Home learning environment scale score Parental warmth scale score % parents saying they get enough 'support with childcare' % parents saying they 'always feel I am coping really well' or 'most of the time I feel I am coping pretty well' as a parent	SSELC - parent questionnaires, 2018/19 and 2023/24

Measuring family wellbeing using SSELC data

5.6.7. 'Family wellbeing' is a multi-faceted and nuanced concept and direct questions to families using the term cannot accurately capture its presence or absence. There are, however, a number of questions asked in SSELC that, when considered in combination, can give valuable insight into the area. Measures most relevant to family wellbeing can broadly be split into three groups; parental health and wellbeing, home environment and parent-child relationship. Table 10 below sets out the contributing factors and measures identified in the SSELC.

Table 10: Family wellbeing: evaluation question, factors that contribute, measures, data sources

Evaluation questions	Family wellbeing contributing factors	SSELC measures	Data source
What impact has the expansion of ELC had on family wellbeing? How does this vary by demographic group?	Parental health and well-being	Question on perception of general health Whether parent has a long-term health condition SWEMWBS (mental wellbeing) scale score Life satisfaction scale score Question on whether they get enough support with childcare	SSELC – parent questionnaires
	Home environment	CHAOS ('confusion, hubbub and order scale') score Home learning environment scale score
	Parent-child relationship	Question on perception of how they are coping as a parent Parental warmth scale score

5.6.8. Latent Class Analysis is a useful methodological approach to use when the phenomenon under investigation is difficult to detect or measure with one indicator. The Office of National Statistics uses the approach to explore individual 'wellbeing' since it acknowledges that this is a 'latent concept' that is made up of a combination of measurable factors (anxiety, happiness, satisfaction and worthwhile-ness). It is much more straightforward to gather information on each of these four component parts of wellbeing than it is to ask about the concept itself. This prevents difficulties in terms of different interpretations of 'wellbeing' (the latent variable) and also avoids the question of measurement or scale. The Latent Class Analysis approach is useful because it identifies homogenous groups of respondents (respondents with similar attributes) based on patterns of characteristics to a series of categorical variables. This can provide a detailed understanding of the nature of the concept being considered, as well as the ways in which each of the groups of respondents or 'latent groups' interact with it.

5.6.9. Latent Class Analysis will be used to identify groups of parents who can be categorised on the basis of their responses to all of the questions identified as contributing to family wellbeing (Table 9 above), as opposed to their questions to each of the questions individually. The aim is that this will provide a picture of the extent to which family wellbeing exists within the sample of families. This analysis will set out a baseline for the nature of family wellbeing within the context of 600 ELC hours. We will then use the same approach to explore whether the family wellbeing groupings have changed for those accessing 1140 hours.

5.7. Further evaluation research to complement the SSELC

5.7.1. SSELC is the main evaluation research study designed to provide the required data on child and parent outcomes. However, some key gaps in evaluation evidence were identified, including on outcomes for children attending childminding settings and their parents, and understanding different groups of parents 'decisions about, and experiences of, using funded ELC. Additional research has been commissioned to enhance our understanding in these areas.

The impact of childminders on child and family outcomes

5.7.2. One of the limitations of the SSELC is that it only collects evidence on child, parent and family outcomes for children attending formal group settings. Given the importance of childminding services and blended models within the ELC expansion programme, it is important to understand the specific contribution childminders make to child, parent and family outcomes.

5.7.3. Alongside the SSELC, Scottish Government commissioned research on perceptions of the impact of childminding services, including blended models, on child, parent and family outcomes. This qualitative research explored which aspects of childminding services are perceived to contribute to improved outcomes for children and their families in Scotland. In-depth interviews were conducted by telephone with 26 childminders and 26 parents using childminders in March and April 2021. Findings were published in September 2021, and these will be drawn on in the evaluation.^[79] The report describes several key features of childminding that participants identified as supporting children and parents, as well as highlighting a lack of awareness of, and knowledge about, childminding as an option and of what childminders can offer.

Understanding decisions about ELC use

5.7.4. Policy evaluations such as the SSELC can tell us whether or not a particular policy is realising its ambitions; but understanding reasons why this is may require evidence that explores the lived realities of people who the policy intends to reach. A gap in the current research on ELC is how decisions about use of ELC are made in relation to a host of other factors and, therefore, how other social policies in Scotland might influence decisions. These decisions vary according to different people and especially for families in disadvantaged circumstances.

5.7.5. The Scottish Government commissioned research to address these gaps by focusing on the lived realities of families making decisions about ELC. This qualitative research is intended to complement the SSELC by identifying potential systemic barriers to the three desired outcomes of the ELC expansion and understanding the inequality dimensions of those outcomes. It aimed to explore the lived experience of parents as they decide whether, how and when to take up funded ELC and whether and when to take up work, study or training. Findings were published in June 2022, and these will be drawn on in the evaluation.^[80]

Child-centred evidence/children's experiences

5.7.6. The evaluation work described in the strategy takes account of parents' and professionals' views of the ELC expansion. The impact of expanded hours of ELC on children's wellbeing is incorporated through the use of the SDQ to measure children's social, behavioural and emotional wellbeing before and after the expansion is implemented. Children's SDQ scores have been shown to be correlated with their ASQ scores, showing a close relationship between socio-emotional wellbeing and cognitive and language development. However, incorporating children's experiences of ELC is an important component of our wider work on realising the benefits of the expansion. We will continue to work with stakeholders and experts to ensure the voices and experiences of children are heard in policy development, delivery and evaluation.