...-production approaches. Research limitations/implications – The paper demonstrates that the evidence base is limited and not adequately theoretically grounded. It argues for more research based within a pragmatic approach, which is more theoretically and epistemologically informed. Practical...

... the experiences of practitioners working within a statutory children and family service setting that delivered additional parenting programmes evaluated by an RCT. Design/methodology/approach – Practitioners completed a semi-structured interview about their experiences of the research trial based on a topic...

... with participants or researchers being “blind” to which intervention they are receiving. This is argued to be problematic because awareness of which arm of an RCT one is in has been shown to have a powerful impact. The second is that for some interventions – such as those concerned with public health – a small...

... made in the earlier essay and concludes that RCTs remain the most credible research methodology for estimating programme impacts. It is certainly true that RCTs do not tell us everything about programmes and implementation. However, if researchers are attempting to assess whether social interventions...

... and theoretical issues challenge this research methodology. This paper aims to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyses practical and methodological issues of using RCTs within children's preventive services and presents the results of a qualitative study using data collected from...

... of this paper is to urge a more nuanced understanding informed by the large volume of research from across jurisdictional boundaries. Design/methodology/approach The historical, cultural and political contexts in which studies on children's out‐of‐home care have been conducted are reviewed, since...

... time. Particular attention is given to the impact of research evidence as a driver for change among, for example tragedy and media scandal, political developments and changes in practice prompting legislative reform. The article also notes how research has at times provided a background for change...