Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care: The Contribution of Randomised Controlled Trials

This insightful book explores the application of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to children’s social care and child protection. Expert authors showcase the method using a wide range of examples that highlight the opportunities and challenges of RCTs in this context. The book also considers the key criticisms and limitations of adopting experimental methods in this context, and some alternatives, before outlining lessons learned and avenues for future development. Chapters draw on detailed case studies to highlight the transformative potential of RCTs, demonstrating how they can generate actionable findings, facilitate effective resource allocation and improve outcomes for children and families. Contributors examine the challenges of applying experimental methods in complex and sensitive circumstances, considering alternatives to randomisation such as quasi-experimental designs. Ultimately, the book reflects on novel ways of implementing more effective and informative trials, emphasising the crucial role of robust evidence in guiding policy and practice in children’s social care. Experimental Methods and Children’s Social Care is an essential resource for students and academics in social policy, social psychology, social work and family and gender studies. Its theoretical and practical coverage of RCTs will also greatly benefit policymakers and practitioners working in children's social care and child protection.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword: the promise of learning what works x List of abbreviations xii Introduction: what are experiments, and why are they important? 1 Michael Sanders, David Westlake and Vanessa Hirneis 1 ‘That’s all very well, but if a child is at risk, you can stick your randomisation up your ****’: a brief history of trials in social work and UK children’s social care 7 David Westlake 2 RCTs, the What Works centre and children’s social care 21 Donald Forrester 3 The international evidence on Family Group Conferences 29 Jonathan Scourfield, Sophie Wood and Melissa Meindl 4 Reflections on running a large randomised controlled trial in children’s social care 43 Sarah Taylor, Emily Blackshaw and Hannah Lawrence 5 Lessons learned from 25 years of intervention research: the Fostering Healthy Futures Program 55 Heather Taussig 6 Signs of Safety – what is it, and what did the evidence say? 67 Lorna Stabler 7 When and how can we find causation without randomisation? 79 Michael Sanders, Julia Ellingwood and Vanessa Hirneis 8 Motivational interviewing in Islington: our first, worst, and most eye-opening trial 89 Donald Forrester and David Westlake 9 Missing what matters for practice 103 Bernie Brown, Chris McLoughlin and Wilson Litchmore 10 Go big or go home: trialling the Social Workers in Schools programme during a pandemic 113 David Westlake and Verity Bennett 11 Safeguarding the safeguards – more support needed, but how? 129 Lucy Stokes and Johnny Runge 12 Subgroup effects in education trials: the case of young people with a social worker 143 Michael Sanders, Alix Leroy, Chris Mitchell and Jake Anders 13 Studying social work practice in context 163 Eileen Munro and Mike Caslor 14 Null effects in trials – a worked example of a maltreatment prevention trial 175 Michael Robling and Rebecca Cannings-John 15 Equalities and trials in CSC 197 Nimal Jude and Lisa Zaranyika Looking to the future – concluding thoughts 207 David Westlake, Michael Sanders and Vanessa Hirneis Index 213

About the Author :
Edited by Michael Sanders, School for Government, King's College London, David Westlake, Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University and Vanessa Hirneis, The Policy Institute, King's College London, UK

Review :
‘A fascinating and timely book, offering critical reflections and clearly articulated insights on the nature and usefulness of trials in children’s social care. Thoughtfully edited, and with an impressive cast of chapter authors, this book provides much-needed commentary on the contribution – and limitations and challenges – of randomised controlled trials. A worthwhile read for RCT sceptics, evangelists, and all of us in between!’ ‘This book is for everyone – a fantastic expose of the trials and tribulations of collective high-quality evidence building into children’s social care. It nails the inherent tensions in such an ambition and the fight behind the scenes to realise a new vision for practice.’