COURSE SUMMARY
The ability of professional social workers to determine whether their interventions are achieving the desired impact has gained increasing importance. This applies as much to practitioners in macro as in micro practice. While the debate continues about the extent to which evidence can be marshalled to adequately inform practice, social workers are obliged to arm themselves with the knowledge and skills to enable them both to make informed decisions about their choice of intervention and to ensure that empirical data is included in their evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of the intervention.
The course will introduce students who intend to work with individuals, families and other small groups to the concept and process of evidence-based practice and the debates about its emergence and use. It will develop students' knowledge and skill in the use of the single system design to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of interventions at micro and mezzo levels.