Competency 9: Evaluate Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers evaluate processes and outcomes to increase practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive perspectives in evaluating outcomes. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers use qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness.
Social workers:
- select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes; and
- critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
The evaluation of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities is where social workers analyze whether the strategies and interventions they have implemented are achieving the desired results. Social workers should use evidence-based evaluation methods to measure how effective their work has been, identify what needs to be improved, and then make informed decisions regarding future interventions. This competency challenges me to improve my evaluation skills and to ensure that the evaluation methods I use are both evidence-based and culturally sensitive. Some examples of evaluation methods in social work practice include ecomaps, genograms, and surveys which measure client relationships, family dynamics, and information from specific groups respectively. I am committed to practicing this competency by actively evaluating the strategies I implement to ensure that my interventions are having a positive effect in my clients’ lives and I am being ethical in my work.
During the school years I engaged in a variety of activities that helped me develop mastery of this competence. I have completed assignments that have helped me in my development of competency nine and have practiced competency nine in my practicum setting.
School Work: Group Training
This assignment was for my Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities class. I did a group training presentation on direct action. At the beginning of the training presentation, my classmates took a pre-evaluation in which they shared their current knowledge on the topic. At the end of the training presentation, my classmates took a post-evaluation where they answered the same questions which allowed me to evaluate the learning that took place. This process allowed me to recognize the importance of evaluating my classmates’ knowledge before and after the presentation to measure the effectiveness of the group training. I developed skills in data analysis through collecting and analyzing their responses on the evaluation form. I also learned to interpret feedback and see my classmate’s growth due to the training presentation. Finally, it allowed the opportunity for personal evaluation by allowing me to see areas where the presentation could improve to increase group learning and knowledge.
Field: Client Satisfaction Surveys
In order to evaluate a client’s experience at Partnership, we have a client satisfaction survey. This survey evaluates if the client’s sense of safety and security has increased, if they have a better knowledge of the different resources available to them, and if they are satisfied with their care. It has fill-in-the-blank options where they can identify the things they found the most helpful and leave constructive criticism, which helps us to improve our services at Partnership in order to provide the best level of care to our clients. I developed my skills in data collection through the analysis of client responses and by looking for areas of improvement that could be implemented at Partnership. I also demonstrated ethical skills by maintaining confidentiality when receiving each client’s responses. I chose this experience because I was able to gain a better understanding of the objectives and goals of the evaluation process which will in turn help to improve my evaluation skills in my future practice.
Other Evidence: Case Study Presentation
For my Social Work Practice with Individuals class I created a pseudo-client. I assessed the client’s history, current situation, and needs. I then assessed the client’s situation using an ACE questionnaire and a resilience questionnaire. I evaluated the effectiveness of the interventions in place using task achievement scaling. I examined the goal, the extent to which it was achieved, and whether to terminate or reassess. Through this process I demonstrated skills in critically analyzing the effectiveness of interventions which involved identifying specific goals, assessing their achievement, and determining whether they were successful in meeting the client’s goals. I chose this assignment because it allowed me to practice using an important evaluation tool that I may use in my future practice. It also allowed me to see the value and effectiveness of evaluation methods when working with clients. This assignment challenged me to use my critical thinking skills when picking an evaluation method that would work best for the client’s situation. It allowed me to practice a skill that I have never had the chance to use before, and developed skills that I can use when evaluating clients in my future practice.