Competency Nine
Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
As a social worker, evaluation is the step in which we can determine if our interventions are successful or need to be re-evaluated. I have done this through my practicum by consistently re-evaluating the needs and status of my clients’ interventions. Because this is an ongoing process, I plan to continue to think of evaluation throughout the different stages of my clients’ participation.
Practice Behaviors
9.1: Select evidence-based evaluation strategies according to their efficacy with specific client systems.
Field Evidence: As part of my practicum work, I did a literature review evaluating the research that SAU did alongside the work that other states have done with the right to counsel and social work case management. This literature review looks at best practices and evaluates the benefits of clients having both types of assistance. Please see the literature review below.
The Right to Counsel and Social Work for Those Affected by Housing Instability
Academic Evidence: In my Advanced Administrative Practice: Administrative and Leadership Skills I was tasked with creating an employee evaluation form for our non-profit Friends Helping Friends. Evaluation is dire when working on any level from macro down to micro to ensure the interventions are working as hoped by practitioner and client. My evaluation form can be viewed below.
9.2: Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of practice outcomes across systems.
Field Evidence: As part of my work with the EPI, I helped with the transcription of client and court watcher interviews for data evaluation. These transcriptions were vital in the research and determining the efficiency of the EPI as a program. Please view one of the transcriptions below.
Academic Evidence: In our Advanced Clinical Practice: Clinical Assessment, Psychopathology, & Psychotherapeutic Skills we did a self-evaluation of our skills. My group was a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder group and my self-evaluation can be viewed below.
Group Therapy Skills Self Assessment
Skills Used: While completing these practice behaviors, I was able to demonstrate analysis, research, and oral and written communication skills.
Knowledge Presented: From my Advanced Social Policy course, I was able to apply knowledge to my personal research on client’s right to counsel and evaluate the efficiency of a combination of this service with case management services. I also was able to apply knowledge from my Advanced Clinical Practice courses to evaluate my skills and improve for future practice as a clinician.
Values Presented: Many social work values apply to the demonstration of this competency, I think that service is one of the most important as evaluation is a key factor in delivering the best service to our clients on any level. Integrity is another extremely important value that I demonstrated as it is hard to be honest about self-evaluation but it is a necessary step to improving for our clients as advanced practitioners.
Cognitive Processes: Through modification (synthesis domain) of interventions used with clients, we are able to mutually agree on the best way to address their needs as they change and morph. Evaluation (evaluation domain) of ourselves and our interventions we are able to continue growing and finding best practices to benefit our clients and maintain life-long learners.
Affective Processes: Through clarification (organizational domain) we are able to continuously evaluate the way interventions are working and adjust to best suit our client’s needs. We are able to draw conclusions (characterization domain) and improve continuously throughout our work together.
Theoretical Foundation: Explanatory Coherence Theory states that when one is trying to understand, several hypotheses are drawn from. This is applicable to evaluation because we have to be honest about the results of our work with clients and ourselves. We can have hypotheses but it is important to stay open-minded and honest about our evaluations to be the best practitioners possible.