Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Advanced generalist practitioners in rural settings 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. Advanced generalist practitioners recognize the importance of evaluating processes and outcomes to advance practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Advanced generalist practitioners synthesize theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Advanced generalist practitioners integrate qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness. Advanced generalist practitioners:
- Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes in rural settings;
- Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other culturally responsive, interprofessional frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes for rural clients and constituencies; and
- Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in rural contexts.
Competency #9 In Practice
As a social worker, I recognize the importance of evaluations in formulating best practices. I have a responsibility to not only serve my clients well but also to collect information to improve my clinical skills and technique. Therefore, I will utilize evaluation tools in my practice by collecting client feedback via a sealed letter delivered to my supervisor and collecting information to gather input from the youth and family on treatment direction monthly during our Youth and Family Review and Consent. This feedback will inform my treatment direction for that client and their family and give me insight into what I can improve about my practice.
9.1 Select evidence-based evaluation strategies according to their efficacy with specific client systems
Class Evidence: In my advanced administrative practice class, I worked on a group Program proposal that has an evaluation plan incorporated into the paper on pages 38 to 39. In this evaluation plan, we detail steps that would be taken to evaluate the information gained by participants in each of the five different areas: sexual health education, housing, finances, education, and employment. We selected various evaluation methods depending on the subject, questionnaires for sexual health education pre and post-psychoeducational, and phone surveys to follow up on the other dimensions to gauge rates of employment, post-secondary educational involvement, housing status, and facilitate a financial wellness survey. There is also a logic model on pages 95-97 that details the specific outcomes we would expect to see at the short, medium, and long-term milestones of this program implementation. This plethora of carefully selected evidence-based evaluation strategies for a specific client system and detailed plan of how it could be implemented shows how I demonstrated the competency of evaluation in this program proposal.
Field Evidence: One of the items I used weekly in my internship with Youth Villages was this Rating of Outcome Scale/Caregiver Rating of Outcome Scale, ROS/CROS. This item measures how a youth is doing with their general well-being, doing socially, and with tasks they need to accomplish, and their caregivers’ perspective on these three items as well. The questions ask the youth and caregiver to utilize a 10-point Likert scale to respond, and if the child is under 12, it will instead use a range of smiley faces and ask the same questions with simplified language. Not only does this evidence-based evaluation strategy help us synthesize and track progress over time, compiling these three items into helpful visuals like this graph, it also provides a quantitative component. My favorite aspect of this evaluation tool is the conversations it starts, helping the family zoom out a little bit from the immediate behavior problems to think about how the youth has been doing more generally, how this compares to last week, and what the difference, good or bad, has been. I then can type additional comments the family may have into the document. This piece of our overall program model helps ensure that our clients are moving holistically in a positive direction.
9.2 Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of practice outcomes across systems
Class Evidence: In an Advanced Clinical Practice for Individual and Family class, I worked in a pair to create a Case Conceptualization utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and evidence-based practices to create a case history and treatment plan for a fictional client. We outlined SMART goals for the client and provided tangible ways we could track and evaluate her progress by maintaining medication adherence, monitoring her sleep schedule and relationship satisfaction, and taking notes to identify triggers for her manic episodes to stabilize her quality of life with Bipolar Disorder. We presented this project to our class and received feedback on what was done well and what could be improved. By receiving feedback from various social work students and our professor, I was able to not only evaluate this project myself but glean the insights from a panel of social workers. After this presentation, I evaluated my own learning and competency in this assignment through a reflection paper, Case Conceptualization Self-Assessment paper. In this paper, I summarize the approach we used in this treatment plan and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of our project. I identified that cultural competency needed to be improved on in this project, something which was highlighted by our peers, and that the words we used to describe the difference in beliefs on mental health practices were important. By using a two-fold approach of verbal group evaluation and individual written evaluation, I selected an effective evaluation strategy for my learning as a social worker in my evidence of the case conceptualization self-assessment paper, and for ensuring best practice for this hypothetical client.
Field Evidence: We create a new treatment plan for our clients and their families every two weeks. The first part of this treatment plan is an update page, which includes an evaluation of their progress and any struggles in the last two weeks of treatment. This update page succinctly communicates progress, struggles, new information, and recent behaviors to our licensed program expert. It justifies treatment direction with recent behaviors the youth has demonstrated and clinical insight that explains the connection I see between behavior and the conceptualized driver. Each treatment cycle I evaluate the progress made, report to my clinical supervisor and licensed program expert and use that information to inform further interventions. Every month, I go over this information with the family, fill out a form called Youth and Family Review and Consent, and make sure they are informed and aligned with what we have been and will be working on in sessions. These evaluations as our interventions span from connecting families to resources, interpersonal problem solving, and reframing negative thoughts. By evaluating the efficacy of these interventions with all my clients and their families, we determine through practice outcomes if we are working in the right direction. Youth Villages follows up with families after discharge to see if progress has been maintained. This information is available online; you can view one of those summaries here.