Social Technology for Providing Social Assistance to Families with Children: Implementation Experience and Evaluation of Effectiveness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2023.5.2406Keywords:
social work, case work technology, assessment, effectiveness, family and children, risk prevention, social technology implementationAbstract
The article presents the study of the effectiveness of casework technology aimed at restoring the family’s ability to independently cope with difficult life situations and satisfying the child’s basic needs. The evaluation is implemented in a mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology and employs a model of technology management assessment in terms of W. Trochim. A qualitative assessment of the technology was carried out using semi-structured interviews with case managers and supervisors. The quantitative stage included a statistical analysis of family monitoring data obtained during the implementation of the technology in six selected Family and Child Care Centers in Moscow. The authors estimate correlations and descriptive statistics for various indicators and test proposed monitoring scales for internal consistency using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient.
Analysis of the interviews allowed to identify the main components of the technology’s success and barriers that may stand in the way of its successful implementation. The advantages of the analyzed technology include systematicity, consistency, coherence, internal consistency of the stages, high accuracy and quality of the provided diagnosis of family problems, the potential for early identification of risks of a crisis situation in the family, the emergence of tools understandable to a specialist, the possibility of formalizing, organizing and archiving case work. Barriers to the successful implementation of the technology are associated with the high workload of supervisors, including large volume of paperwork, lack of support and mentorship for supervisors, and the complexities of the technology description language, which at the same time creates the potential of its optimization. The quantitative data obtained indicate the presence of positive dynamics in the state of families in general, including a reduction in the risk of child abuse in the family.
Acknowledgments. The study was conducted by the HSE International Laboratory for Social Integration Research and commissioned by the Taganka Children's Fund (within the framework of a project supported by the E. and G. Timchenko Foundation).
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