As Senior Policy, Public Affairs and Development Manager at NCB, Dustin is responsible for managing NCB’s policy and public affairs work, championing the use of evidence for influencing, and ensuring young people’s voices are heard by decision-makers.
Dustin has over 15 years of experience in children’s policy, research, public affairs, and campaigns, having worked in this capacity for Barnardo’s, NSPCC, and the Magistrates’ Association.
Dustin oversees NCB’s work as Secretariat for the influential All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children (APPGC) and worked on the influential APPGC social care inquiries, co-authoring two parliamentary inquiry reports.
Dustin is Co-Principal Investigator of the major five-year 'Living Assessments' Collaborator Award, funded by Wellcome Trust, in partnership between NCB, the University of Cambridge, the University of Kent, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children. The heart of this project is involving those with lived experience of children’s social care in research and policy influencing about the issues that affect their health and social care assessments.
Dustin has given oral evidence in Parliament to the Science and Technology Select Committee Inquiry on Social Media and Mental Health and supported young people to give oral evidence to parliamentary inquiries on issues affecting their lives. Dustin has worked with young people and Parliament to co-produce the procedures for all parliamentary Select Committees’ involvement of young people.
He has also been responsible for high profile research such as Children Missing Education which has informed Government guidance and Supporting and strengthening families through early help - A rapid review of evidence which informed the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
Dustin is also a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge
“I am committed to ensuring NCB draws on evidence and the voices of young people, and maximising the impact of this through the press, parliament and government. It is essential the voices of children are heard at the highest level.”
Qualifications
MA (Honours) Social Anthropology - University of Edinburgh
Co-authored publications
- Skinner, G. C. M., Bywaters, P. W. B., Bilson, A., Duschinsky, R., Clements, K., & Hutchinson, D. (2020). The ‘toxic trio’ (domestic violence, substance misuse and mental ill-health): How good is the evidence base? Children and Youth Services Review, 120, 105678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105678
- Ellison, R., Renton, Z., & Hutchinson, D. (2018) Storing up trouble - a postcode lottery of children's social care: Inquiry Report. London: All Party Parliamentary Group for Children and NCB
- Hutchinson, D. & Ellison, R. (2018) Children Missing Education. London: National Children’s Bureau
- Clements, K., Ellison, E. & Hutchinson, D., Moss, D. & Renton, Z. (2017) No Good Options: Report of the Inquiry into Children's Social Care in England. London: All Party Parliamentary Group for Children and NCB
- Clements, K., Dodd, J., Edwards, A., Ellison, R., Hutchinson, D., et al (2017) Rapid review of sources of evidence on the views, experiences and perceptions of children in care and care leavers, National Children’s Bureau
Contact: [email protected]