National Association: Ethical Foundations of Practice Evaluation in Social Work
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As a social worker, you are required to follow certain ethical guidelines in the conducting of research, including evaluation—namely protecting research participants, obtaining informed consent, and ensuring confidentiality. But you must also consider the ethical obligation of evaluation itself. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) mandates that social workers engage in practice evaluation. But why? What is the purpose, and what are the professional and ethical obligations associated with evaluation?
In this Discussion, you answer these questions as you examine the ethics surrounding practice evaluation.
Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Chapter 1, “Evaluation and Social Work: Making the Connection” (pp. 3–30)
Chapter 3, “The Role of Ethics in Evaluations” (pp. 56–77)
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social WorkersLinks to an external site.. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
Review Sections 1.01 Commitment to Clients, 1.04 Competence, and 5.02 Evaluation and Research.
Define practice evaluation.
Explain how it differs from program evaluation.
Explain why a social worker must evaluate their practice, even if they are already using evidence-based interventions with clients.
If you were to conduct an evaluation with your chosen client from Week 1, describe at least one ethical standard that may pose a challenge and explain why. Refer to specific areas of the NASW Code of Ethics in your response. Be sure to include APA citations and references.
Review the Learning Resources on evaluation and ethics.
Reflect on practice evaluation, its purpose, and the professional and ethical reasons for a social worker to engage in practice evaluation.
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