A cluster randomised controlled trial of Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) in England

Westlake, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7507-3413, Pallmann, Philip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8274-9696, Lugg-Widger, Fiona ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0029-9703, Schroeder, Elizabeth-Ann, Adara, Linda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0015-3942, Munnery, Kim, Ayayo, Sharon, Bennett, Verity ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9311-4124, Meindl, Melissa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1231-0175, Smith, Philip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4250-2562, Condie, Jennifer, Daher, Shahd, Roberts, Louisa ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5596-0280, Rawlinson, Sarah, Forrester, Donald ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2293-5718, Petrou, Stavros and White, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-8453 2025. A cluster randomised controlled trial of Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) in England. Research on Social Work Practice

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Abstract

Purpose: ‘Social Workers in Schools’ (SWIS) is a school-based intervention aiming to reduce the need for children to receive child protection services in England. This paper reports findings of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) designed to evaluate SWIS. Method: The study was a two-arm pragmatic cluster RCT with an embedded process and economic evaluation. The intervention physically located social workers within schools. The primary outcome was the rate of child protection enquiries and secondary outcomes included care entry and educational outcomes. Results: 278,858 students in 268 schools were randomised to the intervention (136 schools) or control arm (132 schools). We found no statistically significant effects on primary or secondary outcomes. SWIS was implemented well and positively perceived. Discussion: SWIS appears ineffective in reducing the need for statutory services. The study demonstrates it is possible to conduct a large-scale school-based social work RCT. The study was registered at https://www.isrctn.com/, ref: ISRCTN90922032.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Schools > Medicine
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1049-7315
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 April 2025
Date of Acceptance:	14 April 2025
Last Modified:	20 May 2025 12:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177768

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