Research protocol: A cluster-randomised study evaluating the effectiveness of a skill-training programme for social work professionals for improving the follow-up of low-income families within Norwegian welfare services

Abstract

This paper presents a protocol for a cluster-randomised study that evaluates the effectiveness of a skill-training programme for social work professionals with the aim of improving the follow-up of low-income families within Norwegian labour and welfare services. The protocol describes the programme as well as the research design of the trial.While the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration are responsible for developing and implementing the programme, researchers at Oslo and Akershus University College are conducting an independent evaluation of its effectiveness. The cluster-randomised field experiment will take place over a 40-month period, involving 29 labour and welfare offices, 58 family coordinators and, based on estimations, 650 families. The research is funded by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, who has reviewed the protocol.

Improving follow-up with low-income families in Norway. What is new and what is already regular social work practice?

“…The intervention, developed for social work professionals in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare services, aims to improve the situation of low-income families in the areas of employment, housing, economy, and the children's social situation . Of the 29 participating Labour and Welfare offices, 15 were randomised to the experimental group and 14 to the control group (for a more detailed description, see Malmberg-Heimonen, Tøge, & Fossestøl, 2018;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017b).…”

“…A central premise of the HOLF model is that the skills acquired and used by the family coordinators in their encounters with families can also be used to build relationships and arrange meetings with other service providers or collaborators. Hence, the interventionspecific elements are implemented at both the family and the system levels (Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2018;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017a;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017b).…”

“…This tool also serves as a valuable source of information in follow-up meetings (Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2018;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017b). The Menu Agenda is another tool that can be used at the beginning of a meeting with a family.…”

“…This tool assists the family and the family coordinator in planning the topics for the meeting. It also helps family coordinators allocate time for these topics during the meeting (Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2018;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017b).…”

“…The HOLF programme draws upon basic principles of motivational interviewing (MI) as a foundation for the follow-up process, and it applies a SMART guide encouraging families to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timebound. Finally, in addition to applying the above-mentioned tools, family coordinators make families aware of the different services, laws, and regulations relevant to their identified needs (Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2018;Malmberg-Heimonen et al, 2017b). Several of these tools have already been introduced in practice, and MI is probably the most prevalent.…”