title: Challenges to undertaking randomised trials with looked after children in social care settings.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are widely viewed as the gold standard for assessing effectiveness in health research; however many researchers and practitioners believe that RCTs are inappropriate and un-doable in social care settings, particularly in relation to looked after children. The aim of this article is to describe the challenges faced in conducting a pilot study and phase II RCT of a peer mentoring intervention to reduce teenage pregnancy in looked after children in a social care setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were undertaken with social care professionals and looked after children, and a survey conducted with looked after children, to establish the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and research design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Barriers to recruitment and in managing the intervention were identified, including social workers acting as informal gatekeepers; social workers concerns and misconceptions about the recruitment criteria and the need for and purpose of randomisation; resource limitations, which made it difficult to prioritise research over other demands on their time and difficulties in engaging and retaining looked after children in the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relative absence of a research infrastructure and culture in social care and the lack of research support funding available for social care agencies, compared to health organisations, has implications for increasing evidence-based practice in social care settings, particularly in this very vulnerable group of young people.
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), St Georges University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 ORE, England. gmezey@sgul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mezey
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), St Georges University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 ORE, England. fclare@sgul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol University, Canynge Hall, 39 Whatley Road, Bristol, BS8 2PS, England. rona.campbell@bristol.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Rona
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), St Georges University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 ORE, England. sgillard@sgul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gillard
authors.affiliation: School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast, BT7 1LP, Ireland. geraldine.macdonald@qub.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), St Georges University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 ORE, England. debsmeyeris@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: Social Science Research Unit, Faculty of Children and Learning, Institute of Education 20 Bedford Way, London, WC1H 0AL, England. c.bonell@ioe.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonell
authors.affiliation: Population Health Research Institute (PHRI), St Georges University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 ORE, England. swhite@sgul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012947:Social Work