Evidence-based social work: a critical stance

The purpose of this article is to place evidence-based practice within its wider scholarly contexts and draw lessons from the experiences of other professions that are engaged in implementing it. The analysis is based primarily on evidence-based medicine, the parent discipline of evidence-based practice, but the author also draws on evidencebased nursing and evidence-based social work in the United Kingdom. It was found that the experiences of other practice professions have a great deal to offer social work practice. Similar to medicine, nursing, and our British colleagues, U.S. social work practice will benefit from increased research activity, more widespread availability of reviews of research, on-line resources, and many more training opportunities. Similar to nursing administrators, social work administrators have the responsibility to allow social work practitioners the time and training to become familiar with research relevant to their practice.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) continues to be a widely debated and tentatively accepted movement in social work. Although there is a great deal of discussion of evi-dence-based practice within the professional literature, mainstream social work seems to be generally unaltered by this movement. This paper explores the history and evolution of social work knowledge development and the relationship between social work knowledge and practice in the context of the evidence-based practice movement. Evidence-based practice can be a useful framework to guide social work toward meeting the challenges of the profession, more effectively helping our clients and being better positioned to confront social problems. Adopting evidence-based practice will not be easy; there are a number of challenges, implications and choices that need to be considered. Critically considering evidence-based practice in the field of social work will put us in a better position to evaluate how we practice, and challe...

2009

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a relatively recent incarnation in social work's long history of valuing evidence as a basis for practice. Few argue with the ethics and usefulness of grounding practice in empirically tested interventions. Critics of EBP instead focus on how it is defined and implemented. Critiques include what counts as evidence, who makes decisions regarding research agendas and processes, and the lack of attention to context. This essay reflects on such critiques and suggests that social work, as a profession that values human diversity, equality, and self-determination, is well situated to shed light on such debates about EBP. As a profession that supports a person-in-environment perspective, we must examine not only the theory but the practice of EPB in academic, institutional, and societal settings. It is also argued that, owing to our professional mission, it is not enough to acknowledge the risk of oppression and harm; we are obligated to take them seriously and include such potential for harm in our assessment of so-called best practices. Keywords: Evidence-based practice, Social work ethics, Social work profession, Standards of Evidence, Social work values, Research, Research Ethics

PRAXIS, 2007

Evidence-based practice (EBP) continues to be a widely debated and tentatively accepted movement in social work. Although there is a great deal of discussion of evidence-based practice within the professional literature, mainstream social work seems to be generally unaltered by this movement. This paper explores the history and evolution of social work knowledge development and the relationship between social work knowledge and practice in the context of the evidence-based practice movement. Evidence-based practice can be a useful framework to guide social work toward meeting the challenges of the profession, more effectively helping our clients and being better positioned to confront social problems. Adopting evidence-based practice will not be easy; there are a number of challenges, implications and choices that need to be considered. Critically considering evidence-based practice in the field of social work will put us in a better position to evaluate how we practice, and challenge us to do better.

Social work practitioners must act every working day in the face of uncertainty. This uncertainty arises in part because knowledge is often difficult to locate or sometimes lacking regarding: the systems context the population being served; the particular client system; the set of problems the client system is experiencing; as well as the various interventions that could be selected. It seems reasonable to explore ways to reduce the experience of uncertainty, and narrow, if not eliminate, the knowledge gaps that arise in such situations. The generic idea of evidence-based practice has been advanced for some time as an approach to support practitioners in their day-to-day work. This article has two foci. First, it will briefly and selectively review attempts to make social work practice more evidence based. Second, it will describe one stage in the evolution of a Web-based service ( Information for Practice [IP]). IP is a long-term project with the mission of keeping practitioners informed about news and new scholarship in the field, so that they can more easily make their practice more evidenced based. KEYWORDS best practices, clearinghouse, evidence-based practice, evidence-informed practice, grey literature, knowledge dissemination, literature review, open access, practice guidelines, translational research

Using an example, or examples, with which you are particularly familiar, critically discuss the following: Social work is now catching up with its EBP but some still disagree about its value in social work practice- Arthur Gwagwa In critically discussing the above hypothesis, this essay evaluates cross-cultural and cross -disciplinary literature with a particular emphasis on social work, whilst specific examples are drawn from statutory adult mental health. In the course of the discussion, the emergence of EBP in medicine from North America and its tentative reception into social work in the late nineties is critically discussed. Its subsequent watersheds are evaluated and chronicled. Particular emphasis is paid to its cross-jurisdictional uneven and asymmetrical growth as well as its adoption and adaptation to local cultural conditions. The skeptism, methodological tensions, conceptual issues, barriers and promoters that have been on its route are critically examined. Attention is also given to the extent to which it has diffused into both cross -cultural social work policy and practice. Through a critical evaluation of reviewed literature, this essay aims both to establish a consensual academic baseline, and examine the points of and reasons for dissension whilst at the same time heralding tentative cross-cultural future trends. To that end much reliance is put on the leading works in this area as fully set out in the appended annotated bibliography. The essay concludes that although reviewed literature advance different views of EBP, taken together, they all provide a balanced baseline that EBP is currently in inception stage in social work practice. Whilst the social work task force report (DOH, 2009) provides a political and policy contextual framework within which EBP could sit and take strength, it is too early to express optimism. However, the fact that EBP has been adopted at policy level will fundamentally affect practice (Gray et al, 2009). It should be debated further rather than prematurely dismissed because its potential benefits outweigh objections to it (Gibbs & Gambrill, 2002). From reviewed literature it is apparent that EBP is currently being used to shape policies mainly by western governments especially in light of the current competitive economic climate (Gray et al, 2009). For example, Stanhope & Solomon (2008) highlight how scientific approaches have been driving the benchmarking and modernisation of public services in the UK and the Mental Health reform in the USA. Despite some misgivings about it, EBP is part of a wider movement to generate uniformity and quality control by streamlining processes in major world economies and appears to be sitting well with the current UK welfare to workfare agenda (Webber, 2008).

Clinical Social Work Journal, 2014

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is increasingly emphasized in social work, yet effective approaches for translating research evidence into social work practice remain elusive. Despite a growing body of evidence describing effective interventions with a variety of populations, social workers continue to encounter substantial challenges with incorporating knowledge gained from these intervention studies into their routine practice with clients. This paper presents the current research outlining the known barriers and promoters to using EBP in social work clinical practice. Because social workers practice within the context of organizations, we consider the barriers that exist at both the individual and organizational levels that affect clinical social work practice. In addition to addressing the various challenges to incorporating research evidence into practice, we will also discuss a variety of emergent opportunities accompanying the move toward EBP that can be leveraged by clinicians in their social work practice with clients.

2004

Social Work. Evidence-based knowledge and policy are phrases that require explanation. The reader may wonder how the two terms evidence-based and knowledge differ and what new meaning emerges when they are joined. The reader may also wonder how the phrase of evidence-based knowledge dif-fers from the more common evidence-based practice term. Edward Mullen begins by explaining and defining these terms. He also provides an histori-cal context for this recent emphasis on evidence-based policy and practice. It is hoped that by strengthening its evidentiary base, social work will increase its capability to achieve outcomes that are valued by citizens and society at large. In the third paper the framework for outcomes measurement that is designed for social work policy and services is described. Social work requires a framework for conceptualizing outcomes measurement so that the profession can focus clearly on the work to be done in outcomes measurement. This framework should distinguish...

Research on Social Work Practice, 2007

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) has received increasing attention in social work in the past few years, there has been limited success in moving from academic discussion to engaging social workers in the process of implementing EBP in practice. This article describes the challenges, successes, and future aims in the process of developing a university-based institute for evidence-based social work. Aspects of the development include attempting to address concerns and critiques through developing an inclusive model of EBP; engaging community agency partners as active participants in the process; developing collaborative research projects with community partners to further the research evidence available for practice; conducting systematic reviews; finding means of disseminating review and research findings broadly in order to effect social policy revisions and lead to the development of effective programs and practices; and training agency personnel and social work students in the process of EBP and conducting practice evaluation research.

After reading this chapter, the reader will be able to: