Current research curriculum in many graduate social work programs focuses on the use of individual measures which are unique to each client and which are developed in collaboration with that client. At the same time, there is increased interest on the part of governmental and other funders in impact and outcome evaluation of publicly funded services. Social workers are often the professionals responsible for oversight of programs in public health arenas such as HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and substance abuse. State agencies require considerable data collection about clients and services provided. For many workers, the time required to complete this reporting is seen as an intrusion into service delivery.
This paper will discuss a model for training social workers in research which focuses on program level outcome evaluation using client level data. It will also discuss strategies for involving social workers in assurance of the quality of data collection. This two prong approach has the potential to improve the abilities of local programs and of state agencies to use existing data bases for analysis of service outcomes and trends in public health areas. A current evaluation project using statewide client-level data for HIV services will be used for illustration.
Learning Objectives: Following the session, participants will be able to:
Keywords: Social Work, Evaluation
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.