Preparing Social Workers for Evidence-Informed Community-Based Practice: An Integrative Framework

ABSTRACT

Social workers have an ethical obligation to the consumers and communities they serve to draw on practice-relevant research evidence in planning and executing interventions. A model for using evidence in social work practice is proposed, which rests on a foundation of competence in the common factors of helping relationships. The model integrates the use of evidenced-informed resources in executing a treatment plan created through a modified evidence-based practice process. This practice framework is presented, followed by a discussion of how relevant training can be incorporated into generalist and specialist educational curricula while fulfilling requirements of the Council on Social Work Education accreditation standards.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Genevieve Graaf

Genevieve Graaf, MS, MSW, is Doctoral Candidate, and G. Allen Ratliff, MSW, is Doctoral Student at University of California, Berkeley.