Social workers are increasingly faced with the demands of evaluating their own programs and practice to maintain accountability to funding agencies, secure funding, and remedy a number of social problems facing our society. One of the nine basic competencies required by the social work accreditation agency is to be able to conduct evaluations. Evaluation is a critical area of practice for demonstrating accountability to clients, communities, numerous other stakeholders, and funding and regulatory agencies. Social Work Evaluation, Third Edition, offers a straightforward guide to a broad range of social work evaluations at both the program and practice levels. Author James R. Dudley's seven-step approach to evaluation makes use of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed research methods to provide oversight and address important issues at the planning, implementation, and outcome stages of a program or practice intervention. His unique focus on involving clients in the evaluation process ensures that social workers consistently improve their capacity to impact their clients' well-being and remain accountable to them and others they serve. Case examples from the extensive evaluation experience of the author and others illustrate a wide range of logic-based methods discussed throughout the text for real-world application. This comprehensive text effectively aims to enhance student and practitioner skill sets to meet these demands of a changing field.

"Thyer and Myers have written an easy-to-read primer on the topic of empirically evaluating the outcomes of social work practice. This resource, for social work students--graduate and undergraduate-- and for social work practitioners, presents outcome studies using both group-research and single-case designs. Unlike other books dealing with the topic of evaluating practice which use theoretical cases, Thyer and Myers use real-life examples of evaluating social work practice, ranging from those fairly low on the scale of internal validity to those that are pretty rigorous. The book begins with a refresher on evaluation research, provides a balanced approach to both single-system and group-evaluation designs, and closes with a discussion of ethical issues, myths, misconceptions, and practical cinsiderations in evaluation"--Back cover.

Evaluation is crucial for determining the effectiveness of social programs and interventions. In this nuts and bolts handbook, social work and health care professionals are shown how evaluations should be done, taking the intimidation and guesswork out of this essential task. Current perspectives in social work and health practice, such as the strengths perspective, consumer empowerment, empowerment evaluation, and evidence-based practice, are linked to evaluation concepts throughout the book to emphasize their importance.This book makes evaluation come alive with comprehensive examples of each different type of evaluation, such as a strengths-based needs assessment in a local community, a needs assessment for Child Health Plus programs, comprehensive program descriptions of HIV services and community services for the aged, a model for goals and objectives in programs for people with mental illness, a monitoring study of private practice social work, and process evaluations of a Medicare advocacy program and a health advocacy program to explain advance directives. Equal emphasis is given to both quantitative and qualitative data analysis with real examples that make statistics and concepts in qualitative analysis un-intimidating.By integrating both evaluation and research methods and assuming no previous knowledge of research, this book makes an excellent reference for professionals working in social work and health settings who are now being called upon to conduct or supervise program evaluation and may need a refresher on research methods. With a pragmatic approach that includes survey design, data collection methods, sampling, analysis, and report writing, it is also an excellent text or classroom resource for students new to the field of program evaluation.

Over thirty years of input from instructors and students have gone into this popular research methods text, resulting in a refined ninth edition that is easier to read, understand, and apply than ever before. Using unintimidating language and real-world examples, it introduces students to the key concepts of evidence-based practice that they will use throughout their professional careers. It emphasizes both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research, data collection methods, and data analysis, providing students with the tools they need to become evidence-based practitioners.

First published in 1994, this text is designed to be used by graduate-level social work students in courses on evaluation and program design. Over the course of 20 years and 6 editions, the goals of the book have remained the same: to prepare students to participate in evaluative activities within their organizations; to prepare students to become critical producers and consumers of professional evaluative literature; and to prepare students for more advanced evaluation courses and texts. Grinnell, Gabor, and Unrau aim to meet these objectives by presenting a unique approach that is realistic, practical, applied, and user-friendly. While a majority of textbooks focus on program-level evaluation, some recent books present case-level evaluation methods but rely on inferentially powerful -- but difficult-to-implement -- experimental baseline designs. This text assumes that neither of these approaches adequately reflects the realities of the field or the needs of students and beginning practitioners. Instead, Program Evaluation for Social Workers offers a blend of the two that demonstrates how they can complement one another. The integration of case-level and program-level approaches provides an accessible, adaptable, and realistic framework for students to more easily grasp and implement in the real-world.

This text presents both the quantitative and qualitative methods and focuses on teaching students how to skillfully apply the full range of research designs, methods and strategies to evaluation of social work in all domains of social work practice. The book provides a framework for the integration of systematic inquiry with practice that can be used by all social workers. The authors have created a model called, "evaluation practice" that provides the evidence-based structure within which diverse social work theories and skills can be organized, examined and verified.

Evaluation and Social Work Practice offers a comprehensive treatment of the central issues confronting evaluation in social work that links theory and method to practical applications. Evaluation is an integral part of social work and social care provision, for both practice and service delivery. Evaluation can improve effectiveness and increase accountability and help develop new models of practice and service delivery. The authors argue that evaluation should not just be applied to practice but should be a direct dimension of practice. Appealing to the student, researcher and practitioner, Evaluation and Social Work Practice will become the standard reference source on evaluation in social work. XX

This book equips readers with the essential knowledge and skills to undertake effective assessments and appropriate interventions with confidence. In part one the authors unpick exactly what assessment is, outline the assessment toolkit, apply this to practice and discuss the ins and outs of the development of a clear care plan. Drawing on activities, case studies and service user perspectives part two guides readers through the application of different intervention methods in varied contexts with diverse service user groups. This book focuses on key issues such as resilience, professional values and ethics, complexity and reflective practice, helping students not only get to grips with all the essential theory but also to develop to emotional and professional intelligence.

"Essential Skills of Social Work Practice: Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation, third edition, by Thomas O'Hare, PhD, MSW, is written for advanced BSW and beginning MSW students who intend to work primarily in the mental health field. The book consists of three parts. Part I covers foundation concepts, including linkages among assessment, intervention, and evaluation; the relationship between research and practice; and essential ethics in social work practice. Part II addresses essential practice skills used throughout social work practice: supportive and relationship-building skills, cognitive-behavioral skills, and case management skills. Part III describes how these essential skills are combined as evidence-based practices targeting specific problems and disorders, including major mental illnesses, substance abuse and personality disorders, couples in conflict, and both internalizing and externalizing disorders in children and adolescents. The chapters focusing on disorders of children and adolescents emphasize family-based interventions. The final chapter addresses the profession's transition to evidence-based practices and related challenges given that their adoption is now expected in professional mental health practice"--