Examining Best Practices in Macro Social Work
Examining Best Practices in Macro Social Work
SWU411
March 8, 2013
Abstract
The concept of “best practice” is widely used in business management, healthcare, and in the social work field to mean the most efficient and effective way of doing things: ways that use the minimum of resources and yet return the optimum results. In the context of professional social work, often there are built-in tensions between the pressure for efficiency and the need to respect the individuality of clients and to work at their pace. Social workers must take into account the complexity and the difficulty of tasks where there are no straightforward actions which could promote the welfare of one person or group without possibly causing harm, or restricting their own or other’s rights and freedoms. Best practice does not mean that the process or outcomes are perfect, nor that there are no constraints on what can be accomplished, but it should indicate that by having utilized evidence based practices (EBP), the best that could be achieved given a specific situation, with a specific set of people and circumstances, resulted.
Examining Best Practices in Macro Social Work The concept of “best practice” is widely used in healthcare, business management and in the social work field to mean the most efficient and effective way of doing things: ways that use the minimum of resources and yet return the optimum results. There is a danger that, in social work, the best practice goal can easily become a functional—but too utilitarian—concept. In the context of professional social work, often there are built-in tensions between the ongoing pressure for efficiency, frequently due to a lack of resources and funding, and the need to respect the individuality of one’s clients and to work at their pace. Social workers must take into account the complexity of individual emotions and understanding, along with the difficulty of tasks that they and their clients are to perform where
SWU411
March 8, 2013
Abstract
The concept of “best practice” is widely used in business management, healthcare, and in the social work field to mean the most efficient and effective way of doing things: ways that use the minimum of resources and yet return the optimum results. In the context of professional social work, often there are built-in tensions between the pressure for efficiency and the need to respect the individuality of clients and to work at their pace. Social workers must take into account the complexity and the difficulty of tasks where there are no straightforward actions which could promote the welfare of one person or group without possibly causing harm, or restricting their own or other’s rights and freedoms. Best practice does not mean that the process or outcomes are perfect, nor that there are no constraints on what can be accomplished, but it should indicate that by having utilized evidence based practices (EBP), the best that could be achieved given a specific situation, with a specific set of people and circumstances, resulted.
Examining Best Practices in Macro Social Work The concept of “best practice” is widely used in healthcare, business management and in the social work field to mean the most efficient and effective way of doing things: ways that use the minimum of resources and yet return the optimum results. There is a danger that, in social work, the best practice goal can easily become a functional—but too utilitarian—concept. In the context of professional social work, often there are built-in tensions between the ongoing pressure for efficiency, frequently due to a lack of resources and funding, and the need to respect the individuality of one’s clients and to work at their pace. Social workers must take into account the complexity of individual emotions and understanding, along with the difficulty of tasks that they and their clients are to perform where
References: Bricout, J. C., D. E. PoIlio, T. Edmond & A. McBride. (2008). Macro practice teaching and curriculum development from an evidence-based perspective. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 5(3/4), 597-621. doi:10.1080/15433710802084334 Chaskin, R. J. (2001). Building community capacity: A definitional framework and case studies from a comprehensive community initiative. Urban Affairs Review, 36(3), 291-323. Retrieved from http://uar.sagepub.com/content/36/3/291 Ferguson, H. (2003). Outline of a critical best practice perspective on social work and social care. The British Journal of Social Work, 33(8), 1005-1024. EBSCO. Retrieved from