May 1st was the first of a four-day Advanced Social Work Evaluation Symposium. All advanced standing and 2nd year students participate in this course that guides students in conducting a direct practice evaluation within their field placement. IV-E scholars looked at their own direct practice work within their specific field placement settings to learn to evaluate their interventions with clients and families.
Here are a few examples of IV-E projects:
Getting to High School Graduation
Long-term outcomes for former foster youth without a high school diploma are troubling. The social worker employed an A-B design to monitor the impact of specific interventions on a 20-year-old former foster youth’s academic motivation and success.
An Evaluation of Client Engagement in Child Protection
This project took place in a county child protection unit to provide supervision to an African-American youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in out-of-home placement who is difficult to engage. This intern used a B design to measure how reflective listening, support, and services change the client’s feelings of being heard and supported in the client-worker relationship.
Practice Evaluation Project: Mental Health & Child Protection
This evaluation project focused on families and children involved in the child welfare system. The intervention attempted to increase parents’ willingness for their children to participate in a mental health screening. A second meeting with the parents was provided to give information/education about the screening.
Improving Prospective Adoptive Parents Support System
This evaluation project took place in a county adoption program to monitor pre-adoptive parents’ attitude regarding support systems. The social worker employed an A-B design to monitor how psycho-education conducted throughout the home study process improved the parents’ knowledge and utilization of their support network.
The symposium will continue over the next week in Peters Hall at the U of MN School of Social Work:
- Saturday, May 3, 8-11am
- Thursday, May 8, 8:30-10:40am
- Saturday, May 10, 8-10am
For more information on this course or the symposium, please contact Melissa Mendez at mamendez@umn.edu.