Motivational interviewing in Islington: our first, worst, and most eye-opening trial

Donald Forrester and David Westlake

Chapter 8 in Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care, 2025, pp 86-97 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Abstract: This chapter reflects on the authors’ first randomised controlled trial (RCT) in children's social care, exploring its challenges and unexpected outcomes. Despite not producing the anticipated results, the trial offered significant learning opportunities, highlighting the value of RCTs in revealing insights that other methods might not capture. The study, focused on training social workers in motivational interviewing, provided lessons on the complexities of conducting RCTs in social care, including the nuances of randomisation, data collection, and the importance of embracing unexpected findings. The authors argue that while RCTs can be challenging and may not always confirm our hypotheses, they are invaluable for advancing understanding in social work research, pushing us to reconsider established beliefs and practices.

Keywords: Randomised controlled trials; Children's social care; Motivational interviewing; Research challenges; Learning from failure; Social work practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035327140
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