Improving Outcomes in Social Services Through Routine Outcome Monitoring and Systematic Client Feedback

NCT07303608 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 2025-00833-012023-01738
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 400
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

In this project the investigators want to test whether a new method FIT (Feedback informed treatment) can improve the interventions people receive through social services. The FIT method involves regularly providing information about how the client think things are going and what the client thinks about the help and care they receive.

Conditions

Housing; Substance Use Disorders; Criminal Behavior; Domestic Violence; Social Care; Family Communication; Family Conflict; Child Behavior Problem; Everyday Activities

Keywords

Social services; Feedback informed treatment; Systematic client feedback; Routine outcome management

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Main problem level

  The participant choose their main problem area that is addressed in their contact with social servises (Work, employment, finances; School, studies; Alcohol, drugs or gambling; Mental health; Violent behavior or crime; Violence in close relationships; Housing and/or everyday routines; Relationship problems; Other) and rate the problems they have experienced in this area on a visual analog scale (0-100) where a higher number indicate more severe problems.

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Days of problem in main area

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

• Secondary problem level

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

• Days of problem in secondary area

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

• Clinical outcomes in routine evaluation outcome measure (CORE-OM-8)

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

• EuroQol Five Dimensions (EQ-5D)

  Baseline, three months, six months and one year

Other Outcomes (4)

• Outcome rating scale (ORS)

  during experimental treatment, up to 55 weeks

• Session Rating Scale (SRS)

  during experimental treatment, up to 55 weeks

• Satisfaction with contact and therapeutic relationship

  three months, six months and one year

Study Arms (2)

Feedback-informed treatment (FIT)

EXPERIMENTAL

Feedback-informed treatment (FIT) added to treatment as usual. The social workers will use FIT together with the participant at each visit or unit of service (week) The components of FIT is administrating the Outcome Rating Scale at the beginning of session and Session Rating Scale at the end of the session, calculating and interpreting the values (digitally or manually) as well as discussing the results, trying to create a culture of feedback (actively seek and value honest client input).

Behavioral: Feedback informed treatment (FIT); Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)

Treatment as usual (TAU)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Treatment as usual at social services without the use of the components in Feedback informed treatment.

Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)

Interventions

Feedback informed treatment (FIT) BEHAVIORAL

Consists of digital or paper tools that systematically collect feedback from the client and presents this to counselor or therapist. However, FIT is more than a collection of measures: an approach, both on the part of the social worker and on the part of the organization, where feedback from the client is actively sought and welcomed, and support of flexibility that interventions can be changed during the treatment period to prevent a negative outcome.

Also known as: Partners for Change Outcome System (PCOMS), Outcome Rating Scale (ORS), System Rating Scale (SRS)

Feedback-informed treatment (FIT)

Treatment as usual (TAU) BEHAVIORAL

Psychosocial support and treatment interventions to help clients in social services with various problems. This can be in the form of individual counselling, social casework, family and network interventions, and similar. These interventions include a variation of cognitive, behavioral, family therapeutic and psychodynamic therapeutic techniques as well as methods for supporting and caring for the client rather than treating specific conditions. The task of social services in Sweden borders to that of psychiatry, addiction care and the correctional system, which are organized on a regional or national level, as opposed to the municipal grounding of social services. Interventions are carried out in the client's environment, in outpatient care and through residential treatment facilities.

Also known as: Social services psychosocial support and treatment

Feedback-informed treatment (FIT); Treatment as usual (TAU)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 15 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• People who have been granted assistance under the Social Services Act at includes centers.

You may not qualify if:

• People who do not have sufficient knowledge of Swedish or have impaired cognitive functions that prevent them from using FIT in Swedish, as they cannot benefit from the intervention that the study intends to evaluate the effects of. This is assessed by the respective social service.
• People who receive support and treatment interventions that are not voluntary, i.e. interventions according to the Act on the Compulsory Care of Young People (LVU) or the Act on the Compulsory Care of Drug Abusers (LVM)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karolinska Institutet: lead

Study Sites (1)

Linköpings kommun

Linköping, Sweden

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Substance-Related Disorders; Criminal Behavior

Interventions

Therapeutics

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Chemically-Induced Disorders; Mental Disorders; Behavior

Study Officials

• Magnus Johansson, PhD

  Karolinska Institutet

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Magnus Johansson, PhD

CONTACT

+46812345783; magnus.johansson.1@ki.se

Therese Nestor

CONTACT

therese.nestor@ki.se

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 26, 2025
• First Posted: December 26, 2025
• Study Start: December 5, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 15, 2028
• Last Updated: December 26, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

SE (1)