Faculty webinar - History and benefits of Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) in social work with David Westlake

This session will focus on the history of ‘social work’ Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) with a particular focus on child and family social work in the UK. David will argue that while there were some trailblazing early RCTs in the mid 20th Century, the method has not been used as much as it might have been until recently. There has been an emphasis on other methods, particularly qualitative research at the expense of studies of impact. Due to a number of recent developments, the number and quality of RCTs in children’s social care has increased.

David will discuss some key studies, their strengths and limitations, and consider the structural factors which have made the recent uptick in RCTs possible.

David Westlake researches child and family social work, and his career to date has included a wide range of topics within and around this field. The common thread to his recent work is that it has all involved evaluating complex interventions, one way or another. He tends to use a wide range of methods because the combination tells us more than any single approach would do if used in isolation. He is drawn to this area of research because he likes to think about how things happen in the real world. David likes to build on what we already know and the cycle of research means the picture you end up with changes and gets clearer over time. He also appreciates the fast-paced nature of doing these studies and their close links with policy change.

David is currently co-leading the Basic Income for Care Leavers in Wales evaluation and is a co-investigator of an RCT of police in schools. Recent studies include the Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) Trial, the evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court pilot in Wales, and evaluations of parental advocacy. He has co-edited a special edition of the Journal of Children's Services, on the topic of education and formal and community-based children’s services, and he is working on a book about experimental methods in Children's Social Care research with colleagues from Kings College London. David is a member of the UK Government's Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel, and part of the School of Social Sciences ethics committee.

Submit your question for David to answer during the webinar.