RESPONSE 1

Respond to at least two colleagues with your views on what makes this form of assessment specific to social work.

Colleague 1: Tiffany

If I had to work with children I would use open-ended questions as one of my evidence-based tools. I would use open-ended questions because using this evidence-based tool may get the social worker a  broader answer than just asking the client closed-ended questions. The client may add more to open-ended questions and gives them more room to expand their answers thus the social worker being able to find more information out about their clients. I also think using a genogram helps the client tell their story. This will be able to let the social worker learn more about the extended family including values, morals, and cultural beliefs of the family. Genograms help guide the client in telling their story and who plays what significant role in that clients life. This technique is a learning tool for the social worker in regards to learning family roles, values, cultural beliefs, etc.  

McCormick, K. M., Stricklin, S., Nowak, T. M., & Rous, B. (2008). Using eco-mapping to understand family strengths and resources. Young Exceptional Children, 11(2), 17–28.

Woolley, M. E. (2013). Assessment of children. In M. J. Holosko, C. N. Dulmus, & K. M. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions (pp. 1–39). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Colleague 2: Brandi

Description of the Importance of Using Multiple Evidence-Based Tools:

Assessment is used to describe an assortment of activities and processes in the social sciences and human services that involve gathering information about a client(s) and the presenting circumstances leading to an evaluation, determination, or plan of action focused on that client or client system. In social work practice, some aspects of assessment are driven by the practice setting, the population being served, and the practice model being applied by the social worker (Holosko, J., M., Dulmus, N., C., Sowers, M., K.). When assessing children, you’re able to accumulate all information needed to help that child you’re servicing. Utilizing multiple evidence-bases tools when assessing in social work is imperative. Quantitative assessing involves numbers and statistics in order to come up with the exact information needed. Open-Ended questions are utilized to answer questions using one’s own knowledge. Ecologically is designed to find reactions of childhood and genetics.  

The use of an eco-map in assessment and explain the different systems you will account for in your assessment of a child:

Eco-maps have been used in multiple ways by early intervention providers and rehabilitation specialists and within the clinical practice of social workers, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (Bailey & Simeonsson, 1988; Mattaini, 1995). It shows the personal and social relationships of one’s       environment.  The eco-map represents the family within the context of significant relationships with their individuals and institutions (Horton & Bucy, 2000).

Holosko, J., M., Dulmus, N., C., Sowers, M., K. (12/2012). Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families: Evidence-Informed Assessments and Interventions, 1st Edition. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781118419359/

McCormick, K. M., Stricklin, S., Nowak, T. M., & Rous, B. (2008). Using eco-mapping to understand family strengths and resources. Young Exceptional Children, 11(2), 17–28.

***Each response needs to be at least ½ page***