ABSTRACT
Too many different psychiatrists were involved in the assessment of patients and they had few sources of social help to which they could refer patients immediately. Task-centred methods were to be used in the experimental service, while the routine service would resemble as closely as possible the existing pattern. In an experimental design, cases are randomly allocated between an experimental group (receiving the new treatment or drug to be evaluated) and one or more control groups (receiving some other treatment or, if ethical, no treatment). Over the past thirty years many experiments have been carried out within social work to test the efficacy of various forms of casework and group work intervention. The experimental service was provided by two qualified and experienced women social workers who were based in the university department of psychiatry, with honorary appointments to the social services department. Consultation was provided by the senior author, based in the university social work studies department.
