A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Social Workers in Schools (SWIS) in England

Journal article

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 article reports the findings of a randomized 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 inquiries and secondary outcomes included care entry and educational outcomes. Results: 278,858 students in 268 schools were randomized 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.

Authors: Westlake, D; Pallmann, P; Lugg-Widger, F; Schroeder, E; Adara, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Journal: Research on Social Work Practice
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 651-671
• Publication date: 2025-05-21
• DOI: 10.1177/10497315251338227
• EISSN: 1552-7581
• ISSN: 1049-7315
• Language: English
• Keywords: RCT; school-based social work; evaluation