A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SOCIAL SERVICE EVALUATION

Carl F. Brun, Wright State University

Evaluation is one of the most useful resources social work agencies and practitioners have to guide their operations. However, many practitioners find the language of evaluation too difficult to understand and feel uncomfortable putting evaluation methods to use. Carl Brun has created a guide to evaluation that assists the reader in determining the major components of an evaluation, while simultaneously helping the reader to perform evaluations through reflective and procedural journal activities. A Practical Guide to Social Service Evaluation demystifies the evaluation process so that practitioners can reap the benefits in their own evidence-based practice.

Emphasizing theory-driven evaluation, Brun uses his extensive experiences as a practitioner, administrator, educator, and evaluator to apply research skills to agency evaluations. Conscious that there are many different types of evaluation, the book organizes each chapter according to the Evaluation Decision-Making Model. This helps the practitioner to determine what the best methods of evaluation are to clarify and operationalize practice approaches and interventions for any situation. A Practical Guide to Social Service Evaluation also highlights how ideological values of clients and agencies influence evaluation decisions and implementations. Professor Brun draws the practitioner’s attention to those values in evaluation that are supported by the National Association of Social Work, and he terms these the SCREAM values. These include: assessment of evaluation participants’ Strengths, respect for stakeholder and participants’ Culture, conducting evaluation feasibly within one’s Resources, administration of Ethical evaluation procedures, reaching a written Agreement among stakeholders on the scope and activities of the evaluation, and measuring Multiple system level results.

Unlike other evaluation manuals, which focus purely on theory, A Practical Guide to Social Service Evaluation uses literature reviews and logic models, as well as complete case studies, to help social service practitioners connect theory to planning and evaluation. Carl Brun breaks down the complex process of evaluation; practitioners can now easily and successfully integrate evaluation into their program approach and operations.

Contents

Preface

Glossary

References

Index

Appendices

About the Author

Carl Brun is associate professor of social work at Wright State University. He has an AM from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Brun served as an evaluator for over fifteen social service evaluations, including small, private agencies and state-wide public agencies. He has published numerous articles, co-authored research and evaluation reports, and is a member of the American Evaluation Association.

2005, Paper, 320 Pages, ISBN 978-0-925065-82-7, Price $36.95