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

Forrester, Donald ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2293-5718 and Westlake, David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7507-3413 2025. Motivational interviewing in Islington: our first, worst, and most eye-opening trial. Sanders, Michael, Westlake, David and Hirneis, Vanessa, eds. Experimental Methods and Children's Social Care: The Contribution of Randomised Controlled Trials, Sociology, Social Policy and Education 2025, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 86-97. (10.4337/9781035327157.00016)

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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.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Research Institutes & Centres > Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE)
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN:	9781035327140
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2025 15:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183245

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