The centre will be led by director Tina Haux and deputy director Gayle Munroe and will focus on children and parents, from early years through to post-16 education.

Among the topics the centre will focus on are children’s social care, family justice, early intervention and youth offending, with an onus on engagement and impact.

The centre will provide research methods expertise in areas such as qualitative, area-based and participatory approaches, survey design and data analysis, as well as evaluations.

The official launch will take place at the ‘Inequality and education: taking stock and finding solutions’ conference on Monday 27th June.

Haux said: “We are delighted to officially launch our Centre for Children and Families and to further strengthen NatCen’s expertise in this field.

“Our team has a long track record in the area, and the new centre is well placed to make a significant contribution to policy making and public understanding of key contemporary issues for children and families.”