Evidence-based Social Work: A Critical Stance

by Gray; Mel

• ISBN13: 9780415468237
• ISBN10: 041546823X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2009-06-17
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book provides a critical analysis of evidence-based practice in social work. It introduces readers to the fast changing research, policy, legislative, and practice context and illuminates how adopting the methodology and language of evidence-based practice fundamentally alters the conditions under which social work takes place.

Author Biography

Mel Gray is Professor of Social Work and a full-time researcher in the Institute for Social Well-being at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Debbie Plath is Senior Lecturer in Social Work in the School of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Stephen A. Webb is Professor of Human Sciences and Director of the Institute for Social Well-being at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xii
Introduction	p. xiv
New horizons in evidence	p. 1
Introducing the key concepts	p. 4
Evidence	p. 4
Evidence-based practice	p. 6
Evidence-based social work	p. 9
Evidence-based knowledge	p. 11
Contested knowledge: what the philosophers have to say	p. 13
Information- or evidence-based?	p. 16
A process of formalization	p. 19
Social work's reception of evidence-based practice	p. 22
Correcting some myths	p. 25
empiricism is the only way of knowing	p. 25
evidence-based practice is an epistemology	p. 25
if we provide the evidence, practitioners will apply it	p. 25
the proper pursuit of knowledge is always conducive to improved practice	p. 26
evidence-based practice is Only a medical model	p. 26
evidence-based practice exclusively involves applying evidence to decision-making	p. 26
Conclusion	p. 27
The 'gold standard' of evidence	p. 28
The hierarchy of evidence	p. 31
Randomized controlled trials	p. 31
Quasi-experimental studies	p. 34
Single-case (single-system or time-series) designs	p. 34
Cohort studies	p. 35
Case control studies	p. 35
Qualitative studies	p. 36
Practice wisdom and expert opinion	p. 36
Debating the hierarchy	p. 37
Systematic reviews	p. 39
Case examples	p. 41
Critiquing the systematic review: does it work?	p. 45
Meta-analysis for research synthesis	p. 47
Evidence for practice: The challenges of implementation	p. 48
Framing social work knowledge	p. 51
Positivist evidence-based social work	p. 53
When is a positivist approach appropriate?	p. 54
Limitations and prospects for a positivist approach to evidence-based social work	p. 55
Positivism and ethical responsibility	p. 57
Critical thinking, professional judgement and professional authority within a positivist perspective	p. 59
Pragmatic evidence-based social work	p. 60
When is a pragmatic approach appropriate?	p. 61
Limitations and prospects for a pragmatic approach to evidence-based social work	p. 62
Ethical responsibility and pragmatism	p. 63
Critical thinking, professional judgement and professional authority within a pragmatist perspective	p. 63
Political evidence-based social work	p. 64
When is a political approach appropriate?	p. 65
Limitations and prospects for a political approach to evidence-based social work	p. 66
Ethical responsibility and the political approach	p. 67
Critical thinking, professional judgement and professional authority within a political perspective	p. 67
Postmodern evidence-based social work	p. 67
When is a postmodern approach appropriate?	p. 68
Limitations and prospects for a postmodern approach to evidence-based social work	p. 69
Ethical responsibility and the postmodern approach	p. 70
Critical thinking, professional judgement and professional authority within a postmodern perspective	p. 70
Where to for evidence-based social work?	p. 71
A critical realist perspective for evidence-based social work	p. 72
Conclusion	p. 73
Globalizing the evidence	p. 76
USA	p. 78
Research-for-practice	p. 79
Empirically supported interventions	p. 82
Evidence-based practice	p. 86
Organizing the evidence-based practice infrastructure	p. 87
The Campbell Collaboration	p. 89
Programming the evidence	p. 93
Globalizing evidence	p. 95
Europe (including scandinavia)	p. 95
Asia-Pacific region	p. 104
Other international contexts	p. 108
Some commonalities across contexts	p. 109
Global mobilization of evidence-based practice	p. 109
Conclusion	p. 111
Forming the evidence network	p. 114
Adopting the talk?	p. 115
UK case study: from knowledge to production	p. 116
The Campbell Collaboration	p. 119
Centre for Evidence-Based social services	p. 123
Flying high with SCIE	p. 126
Barnett House, Oxford: from reformism to rapprochement?	p. 131
The Platt Review: hardening the evidence-based agenda	p. 132
Hardening the evidence network	p. 136
The Realpolitik of evidence	p. 138
Conclusion	p. 141
Making evidence a reality?	p. 144
Barriers to implementation	p. 147
Macro factors	p. 148
Micro factors	p. 150
Implementation or knowledge transfer?	p. 161
Conclusion
The practitioner perspective	p. 166
Mobilizing knowledge in action	p. 169
Research for practice	p. 169
Evidence-based practice is not just about what the practitioner does	p. 170
Critical appraisal works both ways	p. 172
The practitioner's perspective	p. 174
Arenas of evidence-based practice	p. 175
The policy arena	p. 175
The social service organization	p. 178
The multi-disciplinary practice arena	p. 179
Evidence-based teams	p. 179
Direct work with clients, groups and communities	p. 181
Evidence-based social work in action	p. 182
Pragmatic approach to social work	p. 186
'This ain't reality TV'	p. 188
References	p. 190
Index	p. 213
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