Effectiveness Of Social Work Intervention Research Articles

Short narratives as a qualitative approach to effects of social work interventions

In this article we want to contribute theoretically and methodologically towards a qualitative approach to effects of social work interventions. We develop a relational understanding of effects, based on actor-network theory combined with narrative analysis. The central actor-network theory concepts, actant and translation, are introduced, arguing that social work interventions and their consequences are evolving through current adaption (translation) in networks where human actors and non-human entities (actants) are ascribed agency in narrative accounts. This is done with reference to an empirical study of the content and consequences of employment efforts, seen from the perspective of cash benefit recipients. In this study, short narratives were used to trace changes in cash benefit recipients’ experience of work identity when they were participating in employment efforts. We argue that our approach to the effects of social work interventions is not limited to studies on employment efforts. It can also be applied in other fields of social work to gain knowledge from the point of view of primary producers of social work, that is clients and social workers.

Administrative case reviews: Improving outcomes for children in out-of-home care

For nearly three decades foster care review has been required and practiced in the United States. It is well established that foster care review was designed with the intent to reduce the time children spend in foster care and increase permanent placements for children. This article presents that foster care review, as practiced in Colorado, is a social work intervention and quantitative results of this study demonstrate that as an intervention, timely administrative case review is an effective social work intervention related to improving child welfare outcomes for the children and families served in Colorado. The major findings show that timely administrative case review and increased levels of review attendance (mother, father, Guardian ad litem's, and foster parents) are predictors of the child welfare outcomes of permanency and length of time in out-of-home care. Bivariate results indicate a median length of stay approximately 10.76 months longer for children who do not consistently receive timely case reviews. Additionally, the results show that timely care review moderates the underlying casework process related to caseworker contacts, demonstrating that a child's length of stay differs depending on the level of timely case review. In essence, the administrative case review process in Colorado is effectively achieving its goal and is an effective intervention for improving the lives of children in foster care.

Intervention Research in Social Work

AbstractThis article examines the role and importance of intervention research in social work, namely to induce change to intentionally isolate or eradicate risk factors, activate and mobilise protective factors, reduce or eradicate harm, or introduce betterment beyond harm eradication. Intervention research is the main tool to support social work in understanding the outcomes of its interventions. This article outlines core components of the intervention research process. It elaborates on some of the serious challenges in intervention research. It concludes that to a certain extent, intervention research is a matter of life and death for the social work profession; understanding the effects of social work interventions is of monumental importance to the social work profession; intervention research is the most important purveyor of evidence on how social work interventions work; and intervention research is a very complex, costly, and time-consuming enterprise that is replete with challenges.

Preparation for Contact: An Aid to Effective Social Work Intervention

This article proposes that a pre‐contact phase of work which helps prepare the worker/social work student for face‐to‐face intervention is a prerequisite for effective practice. It builds on the original work by Douglas and McColgan in which preparation for contact was placed in the context of the Diploma in Social Work Competence requirements. In this revised article links are made to the new degree in social work while retaining the framework which provides for examination of essential knowledge, skills and values which underpin effective preparation for a social work encounter. The article discusses the Preparation for Contact exercise and explores its value as a learning tool for social work students, its usefulness as an assessment tool for university tutors and agency practice teachers in relation to testing the student's ‘readiness’ for contact and its place in providing practice learning evidence in relation to requirements of the degree in social work.

The Role of Social Work in the ICU

The costs associated with Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are high and at times invasive ICU care may not be beneficial, particularly for those patients admitted to ICUs who have little hope of recovery. The process of clarifying medical goals for these patients is often facilitated by addressing psychosocial factors. Social workers in the ICU are uniquely qualified to assess and address many of the complex psy-chosocial circumstances and can clarify potential misperceptions, enhancing communication among patients (if capacitated), their families, and the medical team members. This can not only help improve quality of life for very sick and dying patients in the ICU and their families, but may also reduce the likelihood of decision-making conflicts from arising. Further studies need to be done to investigate the effectiveness of social work interventions in reducing family distress, avoiding care that is unwanted by patients, and demonstrating cost-saving benefits.

Predictors of Emotional Strain Among Spouse and Adult Child Caregivers

This study used data from the 1999 National Long Term Care Survey to examine predictors of emotional strain between spouse and adult child caregivers using the frameworks of role theory and the stress process model. Secondary data analysis examined if and how emotional strain differed between the groups and what the predictors of emotional strain were for each group. Common group predictors of emotional strain were elder's disruptive behaviors, caregiver's perceived overload, family disagreement, limitations on the caregiver's life, and utilization of personal coping strategies by the caregiver. There were predictors unique to spouse's emotional strain but elders' race and respite availability were unique predictors of adult child caregiver's emotional strain. Ways in which predictors of emotional strain can be used to design effective and efficient social work interventions are discussed.

Connecting Science to Intervention: Advances, Challenges, and the Promise of Evidence-Based Practice

The popularity of evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work is contributing to renewed interest in developing, testing, and selecting efficacious interventions for diverse client groups and problems. This activity affords a unique opportunity for social work practitioners, educators, and investigators to make significant strides in connecting science to social intervention. The integration of science and intervention is an important, yet elusive, goal in social work practice and research. ADVANCES IN CONNECTING SCIENCE AND PRACTICE Early Efforts Discussion of the connection between science and practice is not new. In an oft-cited paper dating to the early 20th century, Flexner (1915) grappled with the question of whether social work was a legitimate profession. He also noted the relatively weak integration between research and practice that characterized early social intervention. Social work pioneers such as Jane Addams (1911) suggested that systematic data collection and information processing were critical aspects of effective individual-level interventions and community practice strategies. The persistence of early advocates and subsequent interest in the growing number of empirically based treatments for mental health and other problems in the mid-20th century set the stage for later efforts to link research and practice. The effects of social work interventions on client outcomes became a focal point in the discussion of science and intervention during the 1970s. Several reviews of the treatment outcome literature in social work revealed few effective interventions for clients (Fischer, 1976, 1978). These findings, accompanied by similar results in criminal justice and other fields (for example, Martinson, 1974), called attention to the inadequate methodology used in outcome studies and, in general, highlighted the fragile link between science and practice. The disappointing results from treatment outcome reviews contributed to the endorsement of the scientist-practitioner model, a framework first adopted by psychology at a 1949 conference in Boulder, Colorado (Raimy, 1950). The scientist--practitioner framework encouraged social workers to rigorously evaluate the effects of intervention with clients by using research strategies associated with single-subject design (Barlow, Hayes, & Nelson, 1984; Jayaratne & Levy, 1979). In the 1980s most schools of social work offered or required graduate-level research courses in single-subject design. Many readers will likely recall their classroom or instructional experiences in the study and application of this methodology. The fact that nearly all social work graduate programs allocated instructional time to convey the scientist--practitioner model to students was a testament to the importance relegated to the framework. Unfortunately, the combined effects of past efforts to connect science and practice were largely unsuccessful. Evaluations of the scientist--practitioner model revealed that relatively few practitioners engaged in systematic practice evaluation (Kirk & Reid, 2002). Many practitioners suggested that the principles associated with single-subject design inhibited their ability to engage in effective and sensitive practice with clients. Investigators also found that most practitioners did not consider empirical evidence when selecting interventions for clients (Rosen, Proctor, Morrow-Howell, & Staudt, 1995). Recent Developments Proactive and concrete steps to integrate science and intervention in the past 20 years have produced greater advances in connecting science and practice. In 1988 the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) appointed the Task Force on Social Work Research to lead an investigation of the status of social work research. The task force examined virtually all aspects of social work research, including the productivity of social work faculty, the apparent lack of federally funded social work researchers, and the nature of advanced research training in social work doctoral programs (Task Force on Social Work Research, 1991). …

The Application of Self Psychology to Therapeutic Camps

Camp programs provide children and adolescents with vital opportunities to grow and are recognized as effective social work interventions. Children and adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are at risk to experience psychosocial difficulties, which may result in difficulty attending regular camps. Self psychology can increase our understanding of these children's camp experiences, because of its focus on the individual's subjectivity and interactions throughout the lifespan and in therapeutic relationships. This paper extends the application of self psychology to therapeutic summer camps with children who have learning disabilities, illustrated through examples. The paper concludes with practice principles.

The Use of Traditional Chinese Culture and Values in Social Work Health Care Related Interventions in Hong Kong

This column presents information about traditional Chinese values and of thinking and how such values and understandings may affect or hinder a Western approach to social work practice. We suggest approaches that practitioners can use to adjust their practice to acknowledge and build on cultural values in ways that are therapeutic in health and mental health settings. We examine primarily relevance of traditional Chinese culture and practices to effective therapeutic techniques among Chinese population in Hong Kong that is imbued with this culture. (We acknowledge that not all Hong Kong Chinese, who constitute 95 percent of Hong Kong's population follow this traditional way of life.) USING TRADITIONAL CHINESE CULTURE TO IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTIONS The following examples describe some of cultural and behavioral characteristics of traditional patients and their families and indicate how these characteristics can be used to facilitate successful social work practice in health and mental health settings (Chan, 2001). Value Placed on Learning Because many Chinese people put considerable emphasis on academic achievement, social workers can design courses or programs that are educational in nature. Traditional Chinese come to classes more readily than to less formal groups because they are more willing to learn in a formally structured environment (Ho, 1986). Instructions using a cognitive--behavioral training approach have been found to generate good responses (Leung, 1997). In counseling groups for cancer patients, as well as anxious or depressed single parents and divorcees, programs were packaged in form of training classes (Chan et al., 1996; Law et al., 1998). The participants were active in doing their home-work assignment and participated actively in learning breathing exercises and acupressure points during classes (Chan & Chow, 1998). Such psychosocial-educational intervention may be more facilitative for a traditional Chinese population than an emotion-focused intervention (Chan & Chow). Use of Culture and Tradition To prevent clients from feeling a loss of face, social workers may use a consultation approach, which involves older family members and parents as consultants instead of clients (Bond & Hwang, 1986). Chinese people, who are pragmatic, willingly participate in collective problem solving if they are not seen as the client but as helpers. A bereavement center in Hong Kong invited bereaved husbands to share their experiences as men with focused goal of helping a female social worker understand men in grief. These widowers were then more willing to share their feelings because they felt that they were contributing to social worker's ability to help other bereaved men. If social worker can show a sincere appreciation of individual's pride in Chinese ethnicity and respect for Chinese cultural norms, clients often show a beneficial therapeutic effect. Respect for Rituals Traditional Chinese families continue to participate in family rituals and celebrate major Chinese festivals. Such practices enhance family interactions that legitimize showing of concern for one another during such events as illness or death of a family member. Families may go as a group to sweep graveyard of ancestors twice a year and make wishes in public for good health for all family members. Death rituals can be used also to reduce pain of bereavement and hasten recovery (Chan, 1998a, 1998b; Chow, 1995; Yang, 1995a, 1995b). During major festivals such as full moon dinner, dragon boat festival, end of year gatherings, and Chinese New Year, there are family meals and social exchanges of gifts and good wishes. Such gatherings may be an important source of information for social work diagnosis involving health and mental health problems. …

Social Constructivist Practice With Youth

Social constructivism is an important and creative perspective for helping social workers in their work with adolescents. This paper demonstrates how theoretical orientations and clinical techniques that adhere to a social constructivist perspective can be integrated with the developmental realities of adolescence to provide effective social work interventions. Fundamental assumptions are discussed and are related to problems of practice. Case studies are utilized to demonstrate social constructivist principles in clinical work with adolescents.

Camps as Social Work Interventions: Returning to Our Roots

ABSTRACT This article argues for restoration of the value of camping programs as effective social work interventions. Therapeutic camp programs provide a unique intervention through which vulnerable children and youth may make gains in their emotional and social functioning while having fun with peers. An evaluation of a camp program for children and adolescents with learning disabilities and psychosocial problems offers a compelling illustration of how camp can provide an effective context for social group work interventions. Evaluative findings are presented, along with campers' and parents' impressions of the program. Therapeutic camp programs link new approaches with enduring social work principles that reflect social work's roots.

Effective practice: Social work's long history of concern about outcomes

Many social workers may believe that their profession has been behind the eight ball in practice research. They may see that the thrust for measuring effectiveness and the learning of research skills that has occurred over the last decade is a new direction for the profession. An examination of social work history in Britain and the USA indicates that an interest in assessing the effectiveness of social work interventions, an ‘empirical’ approach to practice, has existed almost in parallel with the development of the profession. This paper examines social work's interest in effectiveness research within the context of its history and reflects on its record of practice evaluation. It does not attempt to engage in the debate about the value of empirical research or evidence based practice in social work. It makes the assumption that assessing the effectiveness of their practice is a valuable and achievable task for social workers. An awareness of social work's history in assessing the effectiveness of its practice can provide useful guidelines for future research practice.

Family health: an emerging paradigm for social workers.

The profession of social work has, since its inception, stressed the importance of the family system in social treatment. Even though the family has always been central to effective social work intervention, the framing of the family system from a family health perspective is new to the field. The goal of this paper is to present the empirical grounding of family health and the implications of this emerging paradigm for social policy. Family health is built on the biopsychosocial model and emphasizes the importance of the role of the family system in the social functioning of individuals. Family health is defined (Pardeck and Yuen, 1999, p. 1) "as a state of holistic well-being of the family system. Family health is manifested by the development of, and continuous interaction among, the physical, mental, emotional, social, economic, cultural and spiritual dimensions of the family which results in the holistic well-being of the family and its members."

Evaluation Research on the Effectiveness of Social Work Intervention on Dialysis Patients

ABSTRACT The research reported in this article examined the effectiveness of a dedicated, timed, recurring Master's level social work intervention with patients new to dialysis. Study participants were evaluated for depression and levels of adjustment when first beginning dialysis and three months later. A control group received standard, mandated social work services while the experimental group received an additional counseling component. The experimental group showed statistically significant changes over time in lowered levels of depression and maladjustment.

The feminizing of neglect

This paper is concerned with understandings of neglect in child care social work. It is a theoretical discussion in which the social construction of neglect is examined through an analysis of the relationship between ‘care’ and neglect. In particular, I explore the gendered nature of ‘care’ and the possible feminizing of its correlate, neglect. I consider the links between gender, race and caring, and how these interact in ‘achieving’ femininity, and go on to look at the relationship between ideas of care and the ‘natural’ mother. This, in turn, is linked to a discussion of social work responses to neglect. I argue the need for feminist analyses of neglect as a significant area of abuse – analyses that can parallel the important insights that have been offered in relation to other areas of child abuse, and can contribute to the development of effective social work intervention strategies.

Voices of Homeless Parents

Homeless families with children comprise approximately 40% of homeless people and the fastest-growing group among the homeless. However, the pain and suffering faced by homeless parents, especially single mothers, as providers for and protectors of their children has yet to be documented and understood. In this paper, we illustrate the frustrations, guilt, confusion, and hope of 50 homeless parents staying at three homeless shelters in two large northeastern cities. We hope that a clear understanding of these parents' subjective experiences of homelessness will contribute to the evaluation and improvement of the effectiveness of social work interventions for homeless families.

Domestic violence and child abuse: developing social work practice

This paper takes as its starting point the report produced by the Social Services Inspectorate (1995), entitled Domestic Violence and Social Care, which seeks to alert social workers to the links between domestic violence and child abuse and urges the profession to respond more effectively to these two interconnected forms of violence. Having examined the research findings which provide evidence for these links, the theoretical and service delivery contexts in which these two forms of violence have been studied and conceptualized by the social work profession, both in the United Kingdom and in the United States, are identified. Studies of the social work response to domestic violence are discussed and some of the difficulties experienced by social workers in responding effectively to the needs of families where both forms of violence are experienced are considered. In particular, the issues of ‘invisible’ men and ‘trapped’ women and children are explored. It is argued that effective social work intervention which challenges these stereotypes will require additional resources and the article concludes with a consideration of whether the Messages from Research report might herald a shift in the approach to child protection that would promote the allocation of resources to this area of work.

A Primer for Social Work Research on Disaster

ABSTRACT This paper offers to schools of social work a conceptual framework and specific tactics intended to position them for much-needed research roles in response to natural or technological disasters. Based on experience gained in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Miami, Florida in 1992, potential research themes, needs and opportunities are identified, along with policy, organizational, and resource barriers to investigation encountered in the post-disaster context. The necessity of advance preparation for disaster research is emphasized, along with strategies for readiness. Design and methodology are discussed, and specific approaches are recommended regarding framing questions, becoming immersed in the multidisciplinary disaster services research community before the fact, research design, instrumentation, and data collection process and administration. Based on Breznitz and Goldberger (1982), Derogatis (1982), Elliott (1982), Lazarus (1984), and Sarafino (1990), a stress-mediation theory is suggested for its capability to guide disaster-focused social work research at micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Pivotal research questions are posed, suggesting a disaster research agenda for social workers. Areas of inquiry best understood as exploratory and best approached with qualitative techniques are discussed, along with specific suggestions for the design and implementation of qualitative disaster research. Areas of inquiry best seen as descriptive of populations and explanatory of biopsychosocial phenomena are identified, along with recommended survey and quasi-experimental designs and recommended preparatory work to enable expedient sampling, instrumentation, and data collection. Investigation of the effectiveness of social work interventions in the post-disaster milieu is encouraged, along with feasible and methodologically sound quasi-experimental designs. Measurement of critical variables and instrumentation are discussed, along with ethical issues unique to the disaster context, the necessity of effective inter-organizational and interdisciplinary collaborations, and accessing the “national and international disaster research community” for input on funding, design, and methodological conundrums that impact this fast-moving, emotionally-laden, frequently chaotic research environment.

Outcome evaluation in host organizations: a research agenda.

The organizational context in which social work is practiced is viewed as an important factor in evaluating the outcomes of social work interventions. In host organizations, the context includes forces outside the department. The author offers a framework for developing a research agenda aimed at assessing the effectiveness of social work interventions in those organizations. The author demonstrates such an agenda with reference to hospital social work. Different types of outcomes and the relationships between them are considered at both the correlational and causal levels of knowledge. Examples of research assessing these outcomes are presented, and the implications of various types of findings are considered.

Evaluating Social Work Practice in a Medical Setting: How Do We Meet the Challenges of a Rapidly Changing System?

Social work's response to a rapidly changing health care system requires an empirical approach to practice. However, most empirical studies that evaluate social work services emphasize productivity and efficiency instead of effectiveness. This article examines the following ques tions : (a) What is the nature of contemporary social work practice in a medical setting? (b) What accounts for the effectiveness of social work interventions? (c) Does the currentpractice ofsocial workers meet the demands of a changing health care system? Social workers in a large metropolitan hospital collected data on 60 cases. Descriptive data regarding the types of presenting problems, nsk factors that complicate these problems, interventions, and obstacles to service delivery are presented. Regression analyses showed that the obstacles were the strongest predictors of the overall outcome of the cases. The authors discuss the implications of the rapidly changing medical system on social workers' activities.