Why Evidencebased Social Work and how can we evidencebase our work

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Why Evidence-based Social Work and how can we
evidence-base our work?

• Peter Sommerfeld
• City of Helsinki
• September 2006

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Social Work as a Product of Secondary
Differentiation
Social Security
SW in Enterprises
Probation service
Soziale Arbeit
SW in psychiatric services
SW in School
Diakonie
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Why evidence-based social work?

• Visibility of our performance
• Jurisdictional claims have to be struggled for
• Visibility of the complexity of our work
• Change of the image of an activity no special
  competence is needed for/ against the
  underestimation
• Influence/ power to define the conditions of work
• For our clients!!!
• Improve the performance is a constant task for
  the profession!!!
• For our society
• Belief in a socially just and peaceful form of
  living together

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Structural Coupling of Politics and Social Work I
Society
Semantics (Ideas about social justice,
responsibility etc.)
Ressources
Politics
Social Work
Problem Solving
Secondary societal problems social exclusion and
cumulation of psycho-social troubles
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Structural Coupling of Politics and Social Work II
society
ressources
media of communication
politics
social work
quality evaluation needs assessment efficiency
problem solving
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From Trust to Accountability Professions in the
Process of Reflexive Modernisation
legitimacy
solutions
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From Trust to Accountability Professions in the
Process of Reflexive Modernisation
accountability internal control professionals/
evidence
new professionalism
reflexive modernisation
legitimacy
solutions
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Elements of a new professionalism

• Better performance
• Better problem solving
• Better accountability
• Mix of internal and external control
• More emphasis on internal control
• Built on knowledge and measurement
• Evidence is not only numeric data, evidence is
  also deep insight in complex correlations
  (coherent and intelligible theories!)

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Double challenge for a new professionalism

• The first challenge is to improve the performance
  or quality inside Social Work organisations
• The second challenge is to be accountable, i.e.
  to be able to show the improvement of the
  performance outside the profession (in politics,
  administration, society) along professional
  criteria, including the economic criteria of
  efficacy and efficiency

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Basic Q uestions

• How does knowledge come into practice?
• How can evidence be a useful orientation for
  professional decision making?
• How can the distance between creation of
  scientific data/knowledge production and practice
  be reduced?
• What form of data practitioners could probably
  use?
• How can accountability be assured in a
  professional (not in a managerial) way?

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Methods for the survey of dynamical and
systemical complexity
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Social Figuration Integration intoWorld of Work/
Problem Dynamics
economic system/ workplace
social integration partner et al
interference with unreal expectations father
projection without protective mother
efficiency rating as a central element
negligence of social relations (friends)
(activities)
unclear requirements/ rules
Sandra Bullock
internal retreat/ (safe zone)
relative close relation to unacquainted people
social (nearly-) isolation
keeping up appearances
no or insufficient feedback, possibly criticism
worth- and senselessness
partner demands more candour
Fear of failing
expectations of performance unaccomplishable
relationship less harmonically
ill/ depression
Trigger new job
Trigger marriage
attempted suicide (exit of system
dynamic) (relief)
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Process Sandra Bullock after exit clinic
Regular workload, constant feedbacks from boss
New boss
August
Okt. 2005
Break of negative escalations with RTM
New social contacts
April
März
Restart of work with reduced workload
sports
Confrontation with parents
choir
Designing a new home
Work on the separation of former partner
Januar
Psychiatric therapy Stabilization Strategies for
crisis Social re-arrangement
Dezember
exit
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Social Figuration Problem Solving Dynamic
help system (health)
patient PUK
psychiatrist work alliance pharmaceuticals strate
gy to break out of spiral new balance self
reference/external reference designed open/
active
economic system/ workplace
social integration partner et al
coordination
choir
boss individual (reduced) burden clarity intensiv
e coaching (feedback) autonomy
learning working on sample
old Friends
new acquaintances/ possibly love
Sandra Bullock
still little contact to customers
candour
distance to family
parting from girl-friend
challenges (holidays)
proximity-distance team
flat (aesthetics)
sport/ pleasure
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Complexity Resonance DiagramSandra Bullock first
6 months
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Complexity Processes and recurrence plot
Bullock, measures
Questionnaire Generalised Expectation of
Competence Sandra Bullock 1. 2.2.2005 Ø 1.7 2.
22.5.2005 Ø 2.8 3. 19.10.2005 Ø 3.2
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Complexity Processes and recurrence plot Sommer,
measures
Questionnaire Generalisied Expectation of
Competence Silvia Sommer 1. 11.7.2005 Ø
1.6 2. 1.11.2005 Ø 1.9
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Landscape of potentialities
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before entrance outside
institutioninside
(RE-)integration processoutside
family
family
coping tasks
school / education
school / education
work
work
In-patientFacilities
private social systems
private social systems
shadow world
shadow world
culture / leisure time
culture / leisure time
phase of critical instability
phase of critical instability negative escalation
help system
helpsystem
process steering social work
structural factors (i. e. position in society)
discourse (i. e. guilt, illness, victim of
violence)
personality variables (accoutrement, strategies)
phase in life, timed structure
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Essential Factors for positive Re-Integration

• Factors
• realistic vision,
• well-being,
• ability to experience self-effectiveness,
  competence experience
• sense in relevant social systems
• generates self-value and motivation!
• Stability terms! (material situation,
  developmental areas, protection)

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Consequences for Evaluation

• Build indicators along the known factors
• Build indicators along phases (generic
  principles)
• Build indicators along the patterns of the client
  and measure change
• Make assessments of the process (clients and
  professionals)/ Monitoring data
• Measure along social and psychic dimensions (for
  example f-sozu, GKE)
• Build scores
• Combine with qualitative data
• Use Real-time monitoring data in phases of
  intensive work
• Develop a perspective on time (realistic view on
  dynamics and on duration)

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Society
Semantic / Discourse
Functional Difference
Vertical Difference
Historic Dimension
Horizontal Difference
circular Causality
Consensualization Synchronization
Emergence
Concrete Action Systems
circular Causality
Consensualization Synchronization
Emergence
Help system (substitutional Inclusion)
Family
School / Studies
Private Social system
Economy / Work
Culture / Free time
Shadow worlds
Interactions and synchronized behavior of actors
in
circular Causality
Consensualization Synchronization
Emergence
Inner psychic structure of Individuals
Consensualization Synchronization
circular Causality
Emergence
Processing of States of mind and
respectivelyCognitions-Emotions-Pattern of
Behavior (Attractors)