| Study Title |
L7 Growing Up in Ireland: Infant Cohort – Wave 1 Centre-based Carer Questionnaire |
| Creator |
Consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (www.esri.ie) and Trinity College, Dublin (www.tcd.ie) |
| Data Owner |
Consortium of researchers led by the Economic and Social Research Institute (www.esri.ie) and Trinity College, Dublin (www.tcd.ie) |
| Funder |
Funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs (www.dcya.ie), in association with the Department of Social Protection (www.welfare.ie) and the Central Statistics Office (www.cso.ie) |
| Publisher |
Department of Children and Youth Affairs (www.dcya.ie) |
| Description |
Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is a national longitudinal study of children being conducted with the aim of improving understanding of all aspects of childrens lives and their development in the current social, economic and cultural environment. The principal objective of the GUI study is to describe the lives of children in order to establish what is typical and normal, as well as what is atypical and problematic. This information will be used to assist in policy formation and in the provision of services that will ensure all children will have the best possible start in life. The study focuses on a broad range of outcomes. Being longitudinal, it examines developmental trajectories over time, tracking the development of two cohorts: approx. 11,000 infants (9 months old) tracking them into early childhood and approx. 8,500 children (9 years old) tracking them into early adolescence.
The Centre-based Carer Questionnaire for the Infant Cohort recorded information on the carers childcare qualifications and experience, relationship with the Study child and socio-demographics. Centre-based carers were defined as those who regularly provided care (more than 9 hours per week) for the Study child in a childcare centre. Parental care is not included in this category. |
| Key Variables |
ID Other; Sex; DOB; Occupation; Nationality |
| Themes |
Demographics; Relationships |
| Unit Of Observation |
Study child and the centre-based carer |
| Start Date |
September 2008 (Wave 1, infants at 9 months) |
| End Date |
August 2011 (Wave 2, same infants at 3 years) |
| Target Population |
11,134 children, born between December 2007 and May 2008, were recruited to the Infant Cohort for Wave 1 data collection. The following relates to the Centre-based Carer Questionnaire:
Target population: Centre-based carer of the Study child.
Number of completed questionnaires: 3,089 centre-based carers were identified. 2,093 were sent questionnaires, of which 1,514 were completed. |
| Method |
Permission to contact the centre-based carer was sought from the Study child’s primary caregiver. Where permission was granted, questionnaires were posted to respondents and returned to the GUI study team by post. Respondents could complete the questionnaire over the telephone with a member of the study team if preferred. |
| Most Recent Data Collection |
August 2011 (Wave 2, same infants at 3 years) |
| Most Recent Publication |
2010. See:
- Williams, J., Greene, S., McNally, S., Murray, A. and Quail, A. (2010) Growing Up in Ireland: The Infants and their Families. Report 1, Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Dublin: Government Publications. Available at: www.growingup.ie/fileadmin/
user_upload/Conference_2010/Growing_Up_in_Ireland_-_The_Infants_and_their_Families.pdf |
| Internationally Comparable Studies |
A British national longitudinal birth cohort study, conducted by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies and called The Millennium Cohort Study, has traced some 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000-01 throughout early childhood, with plans to continue tracing into adulthood. Publications available at:
- www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/Publications.aspx?sitesectionid=70&sitesectiontitle=Publications
Similar longitudinal studies have been carried out in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. |
| Access Further Information |
www.growingup.ie |
| Notes |
Permission to contact the centre-based carer was sought from the Study childs primary caregiver. Where permission was granted, questionnaires were posted to respondents and returned to the GUI study team by post. Respondents could complete the questionnaire over the telephone with a member of the study team if preferred. |