Improving evidence-based social work practice with youths exhibiting conduct problems through structured assessment

Abstract

A key task in evidence-based case management of youth is the assessment of research-based risk and protective factors. In the present study we compare assessments of social workers using a structured assessment instrument with assessments of social workers not using such an instrument. Assessments of the exact same case—a vignette about a 14-year-old boy—conducted by 30 social workers using a structured assessment instrument and 30 social workers not using such an instrument were compared. The 60 assessments were also rated by independent researchers and senior social services managers, blind to whether an instrument had been used in the assessments or not. As hypothesized, using a structured assessment instrument resulted in the identification of a greater number of research-based risk and protective factors, and the assessments were rated as better in terms of general adequacy, quality, accuracy and potential treatment effectiveness, than when an instrument was not used. The present study demonstrates that social workers’ assessments of youth become more evidence-based, adequate and potentially more treatment effective when a structured assessment instrument is used as compared to when it is not.

En viktig uppgift i evidensbaserat arbete med ungdomar är bedömning av forskningsbaserade risk- och protektiva faktorer. I denna studie jämför vi bedömningar gjorda av socialsekreterare som använder ett strukturerat bedömningsinstrument med bedömningar gjorda av socialsekreterare som inte använder ett dylikt instrument. Bedömningar av samma klient—en vinjett om en 14-årig pojke—genomförda av 30 socialsekreterare som använde ett strukturerat bedömningsinstrument jämfördes med bedömningar genomförda av 30 socialsekreterare som inte använde ett strukturerat bedömningsinstrument. Dessa totalt 60 bedömningar skattades av oberoende forskare samt beslutsfattare i socialtjänsten, som inte kände till huruvida ett instrument använts i den enskilda bedömningen eller ej. Som vi förväntade oss resulterade användningen av ett strukturerat bedömningsinstrument i identifieringen av fler forskningsbaserade risk- och protektiva faktorer, och bedömningarna skattades som mer adekvata och korrekta, samt att ha högre kvalitet och potentiellt kunna bidra till effektivare insatser, än de bedömningar som genomfördes utan strukturerat bedömningsinstrument. Denna studie visar att socialsekreterares bedömningar av ungdomar blir mer forskningsbaserade, adekvata och potentiellt mer användbara i insatser när ett strukturerat bedömningsinstrument används i jämförelse med när ett dylikt instrument inte används.

Keywords:

• evidence-based
• practice/theory/methods
• risk
• youth justice

Nyckelord:

• evidensbaserat arbete
• praktik/teori/metod
• risk
• ungdomskriminalitet

Disclosure statement

The authors are the developers of the risk-need assessment instrument—ESTER-assessment—used in this study.

Notes on contributors

Anna-Karin Andershed is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Örebro University, Sweden. Her research focuses on the development of antisocial behaviour across the lifespan, risk and protective factors of conduct problems, development of interventions targeting antisocial behaviour and structured assessment of risk and protection.

Henrik Andershed is a Professor of Psychology and an Associate Professor of Criminology at Örebro University, Sweden. His research is focused on risk and protective factors of conduct problems, criminality and other psychosocial problems and also on the development, implementation and testing of assessment instruments in social work practice.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Research Council.