Research I. Week 14

First respond: D. Jones

Ultimately evaluations are significant when determining outcomes statistically. Evaluations show up for me in my agency when the employees physically completed training. The evaluations give the agency (GSS) an ideal of how the facilitator performs, how he or she presented the materials, and if the training is revelant. However, the program I work with is evaluated on a qualitative and quantitive platform by the agency audit department. The evaluation outlines how the program is performing and what the program needs to improve.

The opportunities for social workers to examine outcomes is to have an insight if the interventions are valid and, if not than to find alternatives. Social workers need to consider results whether they are in the community, residential, or the clinical field. As social workers, we are present to solve problems, and to problem-solve interventions needs to be implemented. All responses don't work the same for others or in specific settings, and social workers need to have the opportunity to examine the outcomes to know what works.

The challenges I foresee with examining outcomes is interpreting the findings and knowing how to identify the problem when the outcomes are not ideal. I do believe as time progress, I will improve and have a method on how to examine outcomes.

Second respond: K. Crandall

Evaluation and assessment are ethical principles of our core value of competency. It can become easy to forget that evaluation is just as important to the process as the intervention itself. However, in my current position I have had the opportunity to examine our program’s outcomes statistically, qualitatively, and informally. Statistically, I have assisted our director in tracking/presenting data on enrollment, graduation, and employment rates. This has been especially crucial for our funders and executive team to compare our outcomes to our previous program structure’s outcomes. We also use qualitative data from graduates and currently enrolled clients to assess effectiveness. I mentioned in my video last week the way that I informally check the effectiveness of the course I teach.

There are several opportunities for social workers to examine outcomes regardless of their field. In clinical, community organization, and organizational leadership there are opportunities to examine the outcomes of our agency and our interventions. These include examining policy change or lack thereof, agency growth (fiscal, enrollment, service provision, capacity), client engagement, and evidence based interventions.

The most challenging part of examining outcomes/evaluations is identifying the measurements and outcomes that need to be examined. While I am much better than I was before, I can foresee myself continuing to struggle with this.