Increasing demands on the child protection system in the context of current fiscal constraints has led to growing debate as to how scarce resources can be used to best effect. This project, a collaboration between EIF, the LGA and the NSPCC, with support from Research in Practice (RiP) and the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, addresses three main questions: • What has been shown to improve outcomes for children in the child protection system? • What do we know about what local areas are delivering as part of the child protection system? • What do we know about the overall effectiveness of the child protection system? This overview report provides a summary of key findings and lessons from five detailed research papers, which have been published separately. The scope of this work did not include interventions and approaches provided as part of a local early help offer, which could reduce demand on children’s social care. The evidence on effectiveness in early help is the core focus of the Early Intervention Foundation. (From the executive summary). The Overview report is based on five research papers (strand reports) which can be downloaded from the website. Record #5797