Evalution of Practice Paper

Evaluation of Practice Paper Third Edition

Therease T. Taylor
SW 4997 Integrative Seminar
Wayne State University
Instructor Lori Klein-Shapiro LMSW

EVALUATION OF PRACTICE

Abstract:
This paper will give a detailed description of the ways I provided service to my client during my
field education placement. I will explain the social work practice methodologies used in the
client's treatment plan. In this assignment, I will discuss the effective use of various skills and
techniques in individual treatment. The treatment I used was supported through evidence-based
research practice methods, scholarly articles, and journals. I will discuss topics that will show
how the use of appropriate social work communication can assist with obtaining a working
relationship between the social worker and client. I will be descriptive about agencys formal and
informal evaluation, the agencys feedback loop, values, ethics and outcomes in my evaluation.
Key words: Methodology, evidence-based practice, evaluation, and outcomes.

EVALUATION OF PRACTICE

Evidence-Based Treatment

Evaluating my practice as an agency social work intern was based on interactions with
my client and implemented interventions. My client Bertha Stewart (pseudonym) is a 70-yearold senior citizen who lives on the Southwest side of Detroit. Mrs. Stewart recently became one
of Detroits vulnerable senior citizens who lost her home because of delinquent property taxes.
Mrs. Stewarts husband passed a couple years ago to natural causes. She suffers from
hypertension, mild depression, and literacy issues she has difficulty reading and comprehending.
The methods, skills and techniques used in determining my clients interventions were through
proper agency methodologies and effective communication. In Mrs. Stewart case,
communication was important because of her difficulty to read written information. Mrs.
Stewarts husband maintained taking care of all the daily essential needs of providing for Mrs.
Stewart and their home. In the process of implementing interventions and using appropriate skills
and techniques the effectiveness still had challenges and imperfections that resulted in the
success of the intervention treatment plan.
After the assessment with Mrs. Stewart and discussing her case with the agency
coordinating team it was determined that there would be several interventions put in place to
assist Mrs. Stewart with her situation. The methods of intervention used in her treatment are a
form of evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice may be thought of as a process
undertaken by professionals wherein the scientific status of potential interventions is investigated
and a thorough explication of the results is shared with clients, so that practitioner and client

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together can select the most appropriate steps for addressing a specific problem (Edmond,
Megivern, Williams, Richman, Howard n.d).
The intervention began with the consent from Mrs. Stewart to allow volunteers that work
within the agency to assist with meeting her needs. This ensured there was no unethical dilemma
with breach of confidentiality. She was assigned a housing coordinator to assist with the issue
regarding her home loan application and to work with the housing coalition advocate for senior
citizens. Mrs. Stewart was given access to the agency resource room and library. Two volunteers
were introduced to Mrs. Stewart Robert who is over the volunteer transportation team; he will
make sure she has transportation to her medical appointments and handling official business
regarding her home. Next she was introduced to Erin who is the agency educational liaison she
will work with Mrs. Stewart and address her literacy issues. Erin will also educate Mrs. Stewart
on how to use and communicate through social media.
I located a wellness agency in Mrs. Stewarts community that has a grief counselor that
would be able to meet with her to talk about how the loss of her husband is affecting her. Mrs.
Stewart and I worked diligently to locate her oldest daughter to assist her with locating
confidential documents she will need in regaining ownership of her home. Mrs. Stewart qualified
for other assistance because she was a low-income single senior citizen living just above the
poverty level. I collaborated with outside agencies to assist Mrs. Stewart with applying for other
financial assistance for utility bills and food assistance. While the interventions were being
implemented Mrs. Stewart was present and in full participation with the team. She shared a
willingness to learn and become familiar with the processes of being independent. I observed
Mrs. Stewart becoming depressed and frustrated at times but she was able to collect her emotions
and not be consumed by them. This was a result of the stress and tension she was experiencing

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being faced with possibly losing her home. Mrs. Stewart listened carefully to the information that
was provided to her by the coordinating team regarding her case. She asked questions when she
needed to and made sure she understood what was happening during the meetings and
consultations.
While continuing to comprise Mrs. Stewarts intervention plan she was in good spirits and
spoke positive about how her case was being addressed by the agency. I would give Erin
resource and leaflet information to go over with Mrs. Stewart on things that were happening in
her community. Mrs. Stewart also had the desire to have a social life so we connected her with
our senior assurance social committee who would contact her on a weekly basis for activities. As
part of the intervention exercise, activities, and socialization it can have a huge impact on her
well-being. Despite the proposed benefits of social capital, though, many communities lack those
things that foster better connection, like public places to gather or opportunities to engage in
meaningful work. Or worse, they suffer from high crime rates.
A senior who finds no welcoming place in the community may end up alone and at
home watching TV most days. And that can spell disaster for their physical and emotional
health (Suttie, Jill 2014). Mrs. Stewart does not have an extended family system that she is
connected to so she was starting to isolate herself on a daily basis. She would not go further than
her front porch or look out of her windows. According to Population Health Management
disease-related morbidity and functional decline, seniors often face loneliness, social isolation,
and depression, which can have additional negative influences on their health and overall quality
of life. These factors working in combination with chronic conditions and impairments can
seriously compromise seniors' health and well-being. Social interactions have been shown to be

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associated with positive physiological benefits that can promote better health outcomes
(Population Health Manage, 2013).
The social support and advocacy intervention Mrs. Stewart needed to overcome her
challenges of loneliness was implemented by the social worker and the wellness center that
shares the building with the agency. This intervention was a collaborative effort from both
agencies. After each session with Mrs. Stewart, I met with my supervisor to keep her updated on
the progress that was being made with the case. I would discuss in detail any concerns I had so
my supervisor could give me clarity on how I would proceed with handling any problems.
After each meeting with my supervisor and the other coordinators, I would leave feeling
fresh and reassured that my plan of intervention was on the right track with my client. The
agency director has her LMSW and the social worker works directly under her supervision. Any
concern she may have encountered with working with me during this case she would consult
with the director to ensure any issues was addressed appropriately. All the collaborative
interventions that were being put forth was in the best interest of Mrs. Stewart. There was a
relationship forming between the agency staff members and the client.
Each week at the end of each session Mrs. Stewart and I would first discuss any concerns
she had. She would bring to the table new ideas or talk about how things were transpiring
working with the agency coordinators and volunteers. I would talk about how she was feeling
and if she thought she was making any progress. I would let Mrs. Stewart know she had the
agencys support and encourage her to continue to think positive. I would reinforce the reasons
behind the strategic interventions that were implemented to assist her. I continued to use verbal
communication with Mrs. Stewart that she understood. I would use body language and written

EVALUATION OF PRACTICE
communication as well so she would be involved in all levels of treatment she was receiving.
The effectiveness of the intervention was seen in each session when we discussed the outcomes

from her appointments and housing meetings. She discussed one of the outside organizations we
collaborated with Detroit Southwest West Solutions. The organization submitted a request for
payment towards her property taxes to a program named Step Forward of Michigan. She did not
know this program existed and that they have been helping people with their property taxes for
the last few years.
The U.S. Department of Treasury established the hardest hit fund loan program in 2010
to provide targeted aid to families in states hit hard by economic and housing market downturn
(Step forward-About the Program, 2010). After summarizing our sessions, I could see that
progress was being made. The agency has high ethical standards and there is a process the
agency has to make sure that contact with clients is kept. Some clients cannot come to the agency
fortunately Mrs. Stewart is able to come for her individual treatment.
Program Treatment Evaluation
After a careful review of the case with Mrs. Stewart the aspects I would address
differently is I would have encouraged her to consider involving her children. In our sessions,
Mrs. Stewart would mention that her situation was not her family's worry and she did not want to
bring them into it. She felt that it was not their responsibility to take care of her or her finances.
Mrs. Stewart said she and her husband allowed their children to live without having to worry
about them. She did not want to interrupt them with her current situation before she had the
opportunity to gain some stability. She always feared that they would find out she could not read
and she would have a lot of explaining to do. Mrs. Stewart is a proud woman and feels that she

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can overcome her obstacles without her childrens help. She had a good relationship with her
oldest daughter but once her daughter moved away to a different state they didnt talk as much
anymore. She was willing to rekindle their relationship if we locate her daughter.
I know she felt strong about her issues I believe if I had more time to work with her this
is something we could have built a rapport on, and she would have accepted that involving her
children would allow her to overcome those fears. I also think that the family social contact
could be good for her because she was still experiencing mood swings with depression from loss
and grief. I would have like to start working with Mrs. Stewart earlier so she would not have had
the feeling of being overwhelmed. She had to take on many burdens and learn new ways to
function in her new lifestyle as an independent single elderly woman. Some of her issues could
have been addressed before others reached their peak.
Mrs. Stewarts intervention plan included formal and informal support. The formal
support was Bridging Communities Inc. and other government-affiliated agencies she applied for
assistance through the Department of human services, Social Services, Step Forward Michigan,
Detroit Area Agency on Aging, and Michigan Community Wellness Center for Senior Citizens.
Her informal support is the volunteers, the clergy at her church and the community center staff
where she socializes. In my evaluation, Mrs. Stewart has a network of formal support but
minimal informal support. If she had more friend or family involvement this would strengthen
her informal support unit. Mrs. Stewart works well within the limits of her support system she
recognizes that her formal support will assist with mending bridges for her in the future.
There was always an open dialog of communication with Mrs. Stewart and the team at
Bridging Communities that assist her in her effort to become mentally, physically and

EVALUATION OF PRACTICE

emotionally stable. The social worker has an open line of communication with the resource team
that is assisting us with Mrs. Stewart intervention plan. Everyone involved worked efficiently to
reconcile the issues that the client was having and the main goal was stabilization. In our team
meetings, we would discuss Mrs. Stewart case and I welcomed any suggestions that may assist
her with reaching her goals and staying in her home
Case Outcomes
The intervention that was designed for Mrs. Stewart worked for her in many areas. In the
beginning, she displayed passive behavior and did not express much excitement about her life.
She was experiencing signs of depression and she lacked interest in doing activities. Mrs.
Stewart had enough energy to come into the agency to inquire about a home loan application.
She expressed that her home was the only place where she could find joy and if she could have
some repairs done it would definitely take a burden off. When I met with her she always dressed
nice and she appeared to keep herself up well. When she spoke it was soft and slow but not with
confidence. Mrs. Stewart displayed pastimes attitude and did not express resilience.
After our first couple of sessions, Mrs. Stewart started to open up more and discuss her
circumstances. She said that it does not show on the outside but in the inside she is happy that
she came into the agency for assistance. She expressed how she never imagined being faced with
losing her home. In our discussions, she would explain everything in detail so I could understand
her situation and her desire to be self-sufficient. It was my duty to explain to Mrs. Stewart that
we are here for her. There are times in life when situations happen and someone needs to step in
to assist us with abrupt problems. I explained in her case she seemed like she was doing the best
she could do and we exist in the community to help in situations like hers. Mrs. Stewart was

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always on time for her sessions and made every effort to provide the necessary documentation to
the team as needed. When we needed her consent to move forward with paperwork or other
documentation she agreed with no problem. If we left messages for her she would respond back
in a timely manner. As we moved forward with the intervention plan she expressed that the
volunteer services was a tremendous help. She told me transportation was a big problem for her.
When she had doctors appointments she would have to take the city bus. She also expressed
how she was enjoying the social media learning process. The intervention goals for Mrs. Stewart
in my opinion were measurable and realistic. The most important factor is that
Mrs. Stewart felt that her interventions were good for her. She admits that socializing
with the agency staff members, the volunteers, and the other community resources have had a
huge impact on her life. There was a decrease in her depression episodes and now she had
someone to talk to about missing her husband. The process with getting her home back is going
well and she was able to submit her loan request for her home repairs. We were able to make
contact with Mrs. Stewarts oldest daughter Dana but she was not able to make the transition
back to Michigan. Mrs. Stewart did not allow this to be a barrier for her, we located her daughter
and they are communicating by phone and social media. This was a case that required the entire
team's undivided attention. The outcome was successful because the methodologies, evidencebased practice and the effectiveness of the intervention were for the benefit of the clients
situation.
Ethics
The Values and Ethics of Bridging Communities were upheld by the director and social
worker exceptionally well. I did not experience internal ethical dilemmas that would have had a

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11

negative effect on Mrs. Stewart or my field placement experience. Bridging Communities is not
a large agency, but it has a huge impact. Everything I have learned in my social work courses I
was able to witness during my field placement. In this evaluation of practice, the setting was
appropriate for the services that are being provided to the clients. The feedback loop is positive
and the director was is very approachable. The agency operates with dignity and integrity in all
they do for the community they service.

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