Go big or go home: trialling the Social Workers in Schools programme during a pandemic

David Westlake and Verity Bennett

Chapter 10 in Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care, 2025, pp 107-120 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Abstract: This chapter discusses the challenges and insights gained from conducting a large-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) programme during the COVID-19 pandemic. SWIS aimed to reduce risks to children and improve well-being by embedding social workers in schools. The trial, which involved nearly 300 schools and 280 000 students across 21 local authorities, faced unique challenges, including the pandemic's disruptions and the need to balance implementation fidelity with flexibility. The findings showed no significant impact on the primary outcomes, emphasising the importance of null results in social care research. The chapter explores the complexities of conducting RCTs in children's social care (CSC) and reflects on how to make such research more common and effective in this field.

Keywords: Randomised controlled trial; Social Workers in Schools; Children's social care; COVID-19 pandemic; Null findings; Evidence-based policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035327140
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