Advocacy Services in Primary School Social Work: Practice and Policy Recommendations in Vietnam

The study aimed to determine the current situation and factors affecting the quality of advocacy services in primary school social work in Vietnam. A mixed-methods approach was utilized, integrating 398 quantitative surveys with 45 in-depth interviews to triangulate findings from teachers, social workers, and administrators. The research model includes five independent factors (Trust, Responsiveness, Service Performance Capacity, Empathy, Implementation Conditions), one mediating variable (Faith), one dependent variable (Satisfaction) and one moderating variable (Perception). The SEM analysis results showed that the above factors explained 44.9 % of the variation in Trust and 31.9 % of Satisfaction. Of which, “Trust” and “Empathy” have the strongest impact on “Faith”, while “Faith” strongly affects “Satisfaction” ( β = 0.539, f 2 = 0.411). On the contrary, “Service Perception” has a weak impact and does not play a clear moderating role. The research results contribute to affirming the mediating role of trust in improving the quality of advocacy services, and at the same time provide practical recommendations in developing this service and building a comprehensive student support environment in primary schools.