Frequently Asked Questions

CORC does not mandate the collection and submission of any particular measure. The most important thing to keep in mind in choosing measures is that they are meaningful to your service and the work that you do.

We have information on using outcome measures that may be helpful to review in choosing which measures will be appropriate for your service to implement. Further training in choosing outcome measures is also available as part of our annual training programme. Please see the Membership models page for more information on further support available to Members.

Different measures have different copyright specifications that may or may not allow for modification. However, we recommend services keep the existing wording of measures where possible. If you do wish to make modifications to any measure, we suggest that you contact the copyright holders directly. Please note that any modifications to standardised measures will mean your data will not be comparable to that collected by other CORC members. If you wish to submit data from a modified version of a measure, we ask that you get in touch with us beforehand to discuss this. 

There are many different systems available for recording and storing service user records and outcome data. Every system has various features and different pros/cons. CORC does not have any preference for which database or electronic system is used. However, we do have the following list of suggested questions to ask of potential IT providers if you are in the process of procuring a system.

1. Does the system export data in a format that can be submitted to NHS Digital and/or CORC?
2. Has the system already been used to submit data to NHS Digital and/or CORC?
3. When the NHS Digital Mental Health Serivces Data Set (MHSDS) specification is updated, how long will changes to the system take?
4. How securely are the data held by the system? Has the system been tested for security weaknesses and what was the result?
5. Does the system offer a 'service user/patient portal' – a secure way by which service users can directly enter questionnaires? Does it work on iPads or tablets? Smartphones?
6. What reports can the system make of data? E.g. graphs of change over time, clinical bands, reliable change?
7. Is it possible to do custom exports, e.g., for analysis at your service using Excel or a statistical programme?

We recommend that you explain to young people and parents/carers why you are asking them to complete questionnaires and what the information is going to be used for, and that you offer them a named contact to whom they can address any questions or concerns. CORC have created some animations and training videos to support you working with children and young people.

We advise all services planning to provide data to CORC to follow their organisation’s local requirements for Information Governance. The question of whether explicit consent from service users is needed will depend on your local context and what the information is going to be used for. Your organisation may find it helpful to refer to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) draft guidance on anonymisation, pseudonymisation and privacy enhancing technologies.

You can find examples of our approach to analysing outcome measures on our Data analysis and reporting page.

Information on the different formats of anonymised data that can be securely uploaded to CORC can be found on our Data analysis and reporting page.

No. It is very important that all data uploaded to CORC is anonymised before being submitted. CORC is unable to accept any data from which people could be readily identified (e.g. names, dates of birth, NHS numbers).

Full CORC members can receive one day of bespoke, on-site support per year from a Regional Support Officer. This could cover, for example, information on routine outcome measures, support with using measures in clinical practice or assistance with interpreting outcomes data. Additional information about what training and support is included in your organisation’s membership can be found on Membership models page.

You can register for upcoming trainings by clicking on the training you are interested in on our Training and Events page and completing the booking details that follow.

You can find more information about who we are and what we do here.

Our mission is to promote the meaningful use of evidence to enable more effective and child-centred support, services and systems to improve children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. You can find case studies of CORC members who have used routine outcome measurement to improve services in our Resource Hub, as well as thought pieces and links to recent research in the field on our News & Blogs page. Our trainings and events provide further opportunity to learn about outcome measurement in CAMHS and to connect with and learn from others across the country. CORC members can also log in to our Members area where they will find information relevant to CORC members across the UK and abroad.

From 2012 to 2015 CORC was commissioned to manage the data submission and reporting for the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme. As of December 2015 CORC no longer manages data submissions or reporting for the CYP IAPT programme.The data that CYP IAPT services used to submit quarterly to CORC should now be submitted to NHS Digital as part of the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS). More information on these submissions can be found on the NHS Digital website.