SOCW 6311 Week 10 – Post Responses
Respond to colleagues from the perspective of an interested stakeholder for the program by doing the following:

· Provide a brief description of the role that you are taking.

· Provide an evaluation of the group research design that they have chosen, and criteria that your colleagues have generated (choice of outcome and method of evaluation) from the perspective of the stakeholder whom you have chosen.

· Provide support based on your evaluation

· Ask questions about the plan for research design and the questions that the evaluation plan will address from your chosen perspective.

Must contain at least 1 reference and citation. Can use the colleague’s sources

Colleague #1: Cincinnati Chili

RE: Discussion – Week 10

COLLAPSE

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In Plummer et al, (2014) the social worker is called to implement and evaluate a new training program for foster parents. The social worker will have some foster parents begin the training program immediately, while others will begin a year from now (Plummer et al., 2014). Other foster parents will utilize the existing parent training program (Plummer et al., 2014). To collect data on the programs, I would use a pretest-posttest design with a comparison group (Dudley, 2020). I would use this design to measure outcome differences from those who receive the existing program and those who receive the new program.

Criteria to be measured should be collected before and after the intervention or training program takes place (Dudley, 2020). Plummer et al. (2014) notes they are interested in reducing foster displacements, improving service quality, and improving parent skills and child wellbeing. I would measure all of this criteria by administering questionnaires on knowledge in parenting and foster care and tracking foster displacements. For example, for both the comparison and control groups, I would administer a foster care and parenting knowledge questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. Then, I would compare results to determine how knowledge improved for both the comparison and control group. The questionnaire would be administered online or by mail anonymously to alleviate any concerns regarding confidentiality and knowledge gaps (Dudley, 2020). The data would be collected online or by mail and analyzed by the social workers leading the program with supervisory support.

References

Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.) Oxford University Press.

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

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Colleague #2: Bison

RE: Discussion – Week 10

COLLAPSE

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Group Research Design & Data Collection Method

The group design method that I would choose for the foster family training program is a longitudinal pretest-posttest design with a comparison group. The longitudinal design is ideal because information will be collected at two or more different times. We will collect information one year into the training program being implemented at the first 3 sites, and then we will collect information again at the two-year mark once all 7 sites have implemented the program. A longitudinal design is also ideal because this design type is more likely to produce evidence how the intervention is impacting group members (Dudley, 2020). Using the comparison group (the 4 sites who will not receive the updated training until 12 months into the study) is helpful so that impacts of the old training and new training can be compared. Data will be obtained through surveys that include 5-point Likert Scale questions, documentation review, observation, and interviews.

Outcome Measurement

One of the specific outcomes that will be measured is how the new foster care training program will reduce the disruptions within foster placements (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014b). To measure this outcome, each site will track any kind of disruption to foster placement which should be documented by the social worker in client notes as well as tracked on a spreadsheet. The type of disruption should be indicated and tracked as well. Disruptions may be classified as maladaptive behaviors, emotional problems, educational problems, illness, or lack of resources for the parents (Vreeland et al., 2020). by the end of the year, we should have data that shows a pattern of which type of disruptions occur the most as well as the total number of disruptions of foster placement that occurred at each site. To gain a deeper insight to the disruptions, a random selection of foster parents will be interviewed. The interviews will be conducted by a third party agency to avoid bias.

Dudley, J.R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.) Oxford University

Press.

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies:

Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital

Source e-reader].

Vreeland, A., Ebert, J.S., Kuhn, T.M., Gracey, K.A., Shaffer, A.M., Watson, K.H., Gruhn, M.A.,

Henry, L., Dickey, L., Siciliano, R.E., Anderson, A., & Compas, B.E. (2020). Predictors of

placement disruptions in foster care. Child Abuse & Neglect, 99.