This key textbook explores how good social work practice draws upon relevant and current research to ensure that interventions are as effective as possible. Social workers are increasingly required to demonstrate their knowledge of the research and evidence that underpin the daily decisions they make and actions they take and it is therefore vital that they are not only up to date with the latest research, but that they have the tools and understanding to successfully apply this to their practice. Written by leading experts in the field, this text book provides a step-by-step guide to implementing research in to every day social work practice. This is essential reading for any one taking a research module on Social Work programmes, at undergraduate and postgraduate level, or practitioners wishing to advance their own practise and deliver the best possible service they can.
Within the context of the growing demands for ethical, legal, and fiscal accountability in psychosocial practices, Evidence-Based Practice for Social Workers: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Third Edition provides a coherent, comprehensive and useful resource for social workers and other human service professionals. This fully updated text teaches readers to 1) conduct clinical assessments informed by current human behaviour science; 2) implement interventions supported by current outcome research; and 3) engage in evaluation as part of daily practice to ensure effective implementation of evidence-based practices. Sample assessment/evaluation instruments (contributed by leading experts) allow practitioners and students to better understand their use as both assessment and evaluation tools. Case studies and sample treatment plans help the reader bridge the gap between clinical research and everyday practice. Overall, Evidence-Based Practice for Social Workers provides practitioners and students with a thoroughly researched yet practice-oriented resource for learning and implementing effective assessment, intervention and evaluation methods for a wide array of psychosocial disorders and problems-in-living in adults, children and families.
Social workers play a crucial part in contemporary society by ensuring that individuals are able to address, overcome, and manage obstacles in their daily lives. In an effort to better serve their clients, many practitioners have turned to evidence-based practice. Evidence Discovery and Assessment in Social Work Practice provides practitioners with the tools necessary to locate, analyze, and apply the latest empirical research findings in the field to their individual practice. This premier reference work provides insights and support to professionals and researchers working in the fields of social work, counseling, psychotherapy, case management, and psychology.
Which Evidence-Based Practice Should I Use? A Social Worker's Handbook for Decision Making provides readers with a step-by-step guide for applying the original evidence-based practice (EBP) model to carefully select interventions from the research base for individual clients. Readers learn how to obtain and integrate information from three key components--the best available evidence; clinical expertise; and the client's characteristics, values, and preferences--to support their choice of an effective intervention for the client. The text employs problem-based learning and case method approaches to teach readers how to access intervention literature; how to evaluate what is "best evidence"; what the research endeavor represents and who it excludes; how to rely on the expertise of the practitioner community; and how to consider the client's view of the problem. Ultimately, readers are guided to select an EBP for a client and write a case paper that articulates the steps they took and the reasoning for their selection. Filled with brief lectures, reflection questions, activities, and case examples, Which Evidence-Based Practice Should I Use? is an ideal text for social work practice and research courses and for mental health practitioners who wish to sharpen their skills for using the evidence base.
School Social Work: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Practice offers school social work students and veteran practitioners a new framework for choosing their interventions based on the best available evidence. It is the first work that synthesizes the evidence-based practice (EBP) process with recent conceptual frameworks of school social work clinical practice offered by leading scholars and policymakers. Many other books on EBP try to fit empirically validated treatments into practice contexts without considering the multiple barriers to implementing evidence-based practices in places as complicated and multi-faceted as schools. Additionally, there are vital questions in the literature about what the best levels for intervention are in school social work. Responding to the complexity of applying EBP in schools, this volume offers a conceptual framework that addresses the real-world concerns of practitioners as they work to provide the best services to their school clients. For each domain of school social work practice, the authors critically review interventions, presenting the current research with guidelines for addressing such implementation issues as cost, school culture, adaptations for special populations, and negotiating multiple arenas of practice. In addition, the chapters are grounded in the process of evidence-based practice, illustrating how school practitioners can pose useful questions, search for relevant evidence, appraise the evidence, apply it in keeping with client values, and monitor the results. Written by four school social work scholars with over four decades of theoretical, research, and practice experience, this volume will be relevant to both research faculty studying school social work interventions and students learning about school social work practice.
The social worker's guide to integrating theory and practice Applying Theory to Generalist Social Work Practice teaches aspiring social workers how to apply theory in real world practice. Fully aligned with the Council on Social Work Education's 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, the book links theory to practice with clear, concise instruction including a discussion of evidence-based practice. Twelve commonly-used theories are thoroughly explained, with discussion of the strengths and limitations of each, and applied to real work with individuals, groups, families, communities, and organizations. The book includes case studies and first-person contributions from practicing social workers to illustrate the real-world scenarios in which different concepts apply. Critical thinking questions help students strengthen their understanding of the ideas presented. Tools including a test bank, PowerPoint slides, and an instructor's manual are available to facilitate classroom use, providing a single-volume guide to the entire helping process, from engagement to termination. Practice is a core foundational course for future social workers, but many practice texts focus on skills while neglecting the theoretical basis for social work. Applying Theory to Generalist Social Work Practice fills that gap by covering both skills and theory in a single text. Examines the applications of prevailing social theories Covers the most common theories used in micro, mezzo, and macro practice Helps readers understand well-established approaches like strengths perspective, humanistic and client-centered, task-centered, and solution-focused brief therapy Shows how to apply major theories including ecological/system, cognitive/behavioral, conflict, empowerment, narrative, crisis, critical, and feminist An effective social worker recognizes the link between theory and practice, and how the two inform each other to culminate in the most effective intervention and most positive outcome for the client. Applying Theory to Generalist Social Work Practice provides students with a roadmap to the full integration of philosophy and application in social work.
Social work professionals must demonstrate their effectiveness to legislators and governments, not to mention clients and incoming practitioners. A thorough evaluation of the activities, ethics, and outcomes of social work practice is critical to maintaining investment and interest in the profession and improving the lives of underserved populations. Incorporating the concerns of a new century into a consideration of models for practice research, this volume builds on the visionary work of William J. Reid (1928-2003) who transformed social work research through empirically based and task-centered approaches-and, more recently, synthesized intervention knowledge for framing future study. This collection reviews the task-centered model and other contemporary Evidence-Based Practice models for working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. Essays demonstrate the value of these pragmatic approaches in the United States and international settings. Contributors summarize state-of-the-art methods in several key fields of service, including children and families, aging, substance abuse, and mental health. They also evaluate the research movement itself, outlining an agenda for today's sociopolitical landscape and the profession. This volume inspires practice research to prioritize evidence as a base for the profession.
The role of evidence-based practice is one of most central and controversial issues in social work today. This concise text introduces key concepts and processes of evidence-based practice whilst engaging with contemporary debates about its relevance and practicality. Evidence-based Practice in Social Work provides both an argument for the importance of evidence-based practice in social work and fresh perspectives on its controversies and organizational prerequisites. It gives an accessible overview of: Why evidence-based practice is relevant to social work. The challenges that the realities of social work practice present to models of evidence-based practice. Concepts of evidence-based practice as a process and professional culture. The role and nature of evidence. How evidence-based practice can be implemented and the importance of the organisational context. The globalization of evidence-based practice, including issues of cultural diversity and adaptability of evidence-based interventions. Controversies and criticism of evidence-based practice. Written by internationally well-respected experts, this text is an important read for all those with an interest in the area, from social work students to academics and researchers.
