Applying a realist evaluation to an intervention in children’s social care: A worked example from the Safeguarding Family Group Conference study

Bernheim, Bekkah, Stabler, Lorna, Hayes, Jennie, Singh, Alankrita and Wyatt, Katrina 2025. Applying a realist evaluation to an intervention in children’s social care: A worked example from the Safeguarding Family Group Conference study. Evaluation 10.1177/13563890241309643

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Abstract

Children’s social care researchers are increasingly drawing on realist evaluation to understand the complexity within their field by identifying underlying contexts and mechanisms that lead to outcomes of interest. However, there are few published worked examples of realist evaluations of interventions in children’s social care. This makes it challenging to understand how to put this approach to best use in practice. To address this gap, we share how we conducted a realist evaluation of Safeguarding Family Group Conferencing, a family-led decision-making process. In doing this, we highlight several challenges and opportunities of conducting a realist evaluation in a children’s social care setting. We conclude that realist evaluation is adaptable and generative and benefits from a team-based approach to retroductive theorising and analysis. By outlining our process, we aim to provide a resource for children’s social care researchers wishing to use realist evaluation in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1356-3890
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 February 2025
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2025 10:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/175999

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