Handbook Of Program Evaluation For Social Work And Health Professionals

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.

Revised editon of Program evaluation for social workers, 2012.

Advisory committees are used often in evaluation studies, yet this practice is little discussed or reported. This issue is the first full-length text devoted to the purpose, practice, and scholarship about this type of formal, structured advice. It includes case studies and analyses of these to answer such basic topics as: What is an evaluation advisory group (EAG)? Why (not) use an EAG? How to organize an EAG, and how to evaluate it? The reader will learn how to view the EAG as a structure of expertise, its use for political legitimacy, and as a response to a variety of constituencies. Guidelines on how to recruit, select, orient, train, monitor, assess, and evaluate EAG members are also included. This is the 136th volume of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Evaluation, an official publication of the American Evaluation Association.

This extensively revised edition reviews the latest research and practices in forensic social work. Readers learn to integrate socio-legal knowledge when working with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Noted interdisciplinary contributors review the most common forensic issues encountered in the field to better prepare readers to deal with the resulting financial, psychological, emotional, and legal ramifications. Using a human rights and social justice approach, the book demonstrates the use of a forensic lens when working with individuals, families, organizations, and communities that struggle with social justice issues. Each chapter features objectives, competencies, Voices From the Field, a conclusion, exercises, and additional resources. The book is ideal for MSW and BSW courses in forensic social work as well as forensic/legal courses taught in criminal justice and psychology. Practitioners working in a variety of settings who must have a working knowledge of forensic social work will also appreciate this comprehensive overview of the field. Key Features: Highlights working with various populations such as minorities, immigrants, veterans, the elderly, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, substance abusers, trauma survivors, and more. Reviews the field’s conceptual and historical foundation and pertinent laws to better prepare readers for professional practice (Part I). Introduces the most common forensic issues encountered when working in various settings, including health care, social and protective services, the child welfare system, the criminal justice system, school systems, immigration services, addiction treatment facilities, and more (Part II). Provides a wealth of practical guidance via case studies and interviewing, assessment, and intervention tips. Voices From the Field written by seasoned practitioners introduce common situations readers are likely to encounter. New to this Edition: Highlights the 2015 Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Policies and Accreditation Standards throughout the text. Greatly expanded coverage from 26 to 33 chapters with more information on health care, housing, employment, the juvenile and criminal justice system, adult protective services, and the dynamics of oppression. New Part III dedicated t

Nonprofit organizations are increasingly concerned with the need to demonstrate how social justice principles impact every aspect of their work. This isthe only textbook to explicitly integrate social justice principles into the management of a nonprofit organization. It provides students with theknowledge and skills required to integrate a social justice value system into their work as effective non-profit leaders. Using practical tips andillustrative case examples, the text explains the structure and processes of nonprofit organizations with a particular emphasis on social justice themes.The book is edited by an interdisciplinary team of prominent leaders in business, management, and social service, who together run the Fordham Center forNonprofit Leaders. They have assembled a group of expert authors who provide extensive coverage of the nonprofit leadership field. The book discusses the history of the development of nonprofit management up to the present day. It addresses legal and ethical considerations,organizational planning and staff management, finance, public relations, fundraising, public advocacy and volunteerism, program design and grantdevelopment, governance and board development, developing an international nonprofit, information technology, career development, and creating anonprofit/social entrepreneurship organization. Additional chapters address quality improvement, mentoring, and proposal writing, Included are plentifulcase studies and review questions in each chapter. The text is ideal for students and faculty in social service administration, human service leadership,social work management, public and community health, public administration, and health care administration and management. Key Features: Comprises the only nonprofit management text to integrate social justice themes Edited by an interdisciplinary group of authors representing the social service, social work, management, and nonprofit fields Includes illustrative case studies and review questions in each chapter Offers practical tips for integrating social justice agendas Provides PowerPoint presentations for instructors

The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Practice Research is the first international handbook to focus on practice research for social work. Bringing together leading scholars in the field from Europe, the USA and the Asia Pacific region, it provides an up-to-the minute overview of the latest thinking in practice research whilst also providing practical advice on how to undertake practice research in the field. It is divided into five sections: State of the art Methodologies Pedagogies Applications Expanding the frontiers The range of topics discussed will enhance student development as well as increase the capacity of practitioners to conduct research; develop coordinating and leadership roles; and liaise with multiple stakeholders who will strengthen the context base for practice research. As such, this handbook will be essential reading for all social work students, practitioners and academics as well as those working in other health and social care settings.

Over the course of 20 years and eight editions, the goals of the book have remained the same: to prepare students to participate in evaluative activities within their organizations, become beginning critical producers and consumers of the professional evaluative literature, and reap the benefits of more advanced evaluation courses and texts. The authors aim to meet these objectives by presenting a unique approach that is realistic, practical, applied, and user friendly. Unlike other textbooks on the market, Program Evaluation for Social Workers presents both program-level evaluation and case-level evaluation methods; assuming that neither of these two distinct approaches alone adequately reflects the realities of the field, the book demonstrates how they can instead complement each other. This integration of approaches provides an accessible, adaptable, and realistic framework for students and beginning practitioners to more easily grasp and implement in the real world.

This book offers a practical approach to conducting practice research in the field of human services. This evolving form of applied research seeks to understand practice in the context of the relationships between service providers and service users, between service providers and their managers, between agency-based service providers and community advocacy and support groups, and between agency managers and policy makers. Practice research represents a form of evidence-informed practice that involves a wide array of research designs and methods, in contrast to the narrower emphasis on experimental designs that characterizes evidence-based practice. The emerging principles and practices associated with practice research highlight: 1) including multiple, diverse stakeholders, 2) maximizing and negotiating participation, 3) promoting practitioner engagement in all phases of the research process, and 4) developing new identities for participants as research-minded practitioners and practice-minded researchers. The book is designed for researchers, practitioners, service users and students, and focuses on concrete experiences that illustrate the processes and activities involved in a specific, locally negotiated model of practice research. The book describes multiple practice research studies across an array of fields of practice in the human services, focusing on the research questions, designs, roles and relationships that have been developed in the context of a university-agency practice research partnership. These descriptions and stories are used to construct a comprehensive, detailed picture of the research process. Based upon these descriptions, the book synthesizes a set of broader principles and guidelines for practice researchers.