Evaluation, social justice and social work

Abstract

Evaluation is one of the management techniques associated with recent public sector reform in Australia. Everybody seems to be doing evaluations, being evaluated or involved in evaluation.

We are told that evaluation will inform decision making, thus resulting in a fairer distribution of resources and contributing to a socially just society. In this article the author questions this assumption. Reflections about the development of program evaluation and the concept of social justice are shared. The author believes that social workers should take a critical and active stance in relation to evaluation, and offers some practical suggestions.