The researchers aim to identify gaps in post-diagnosis care, and to offer important findings on how healthcare and education systems can work together more effectively to support these children and provide all the necessary help for them.
The research focuses on understanding the disparities in who gets help versus who falls through the cracks after diagnosis, with the goal of improving collaborative approaches between health and education sectors.
This study is based on the analysis of linked diagnosis data from primary care with educational data. This research used the Connected Bradford database — a unique, secure resource that links data from health, education, and social care for over 1 million people living in the Bradford district. This rich and detailed information allows researchers to spot patterns and track outcomes over time in ways that aren’t possible through traditional research methods alone.
Challenges:
- There are significant gaps in understanding how effectively support systems work for children with clinical diagnoses.
- Not all diagnosed children receive the educational support they need.
- The relationship between health diagnoses and education support pathways remains poorly understood.
- Potential inequities in access to support based on factors like gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status
- Inconsistencies in how schools and local authorities provide support.
Future outcomes:
- Analysing how support differs based on the child’s diagnosis.
- Finding out which groups of families have better or worse access to educational help.
- Measuring how many children with these conditions actually get the support they need.
- Looking at differences in support between different areas and schools.
- Making evidence-based suggestions to better match health diagnoses with educational support.
This article will be updated as the research study progresses.
