Discussion Questions
1. At the end of this program, you will be taking an exam for certification. It is important that you continually prepare for the ASWB exam throughout your coursework. Refer to the ASWB exam materials often to ensure you are prepared by the time you complete this program. One of the components of the exam addresses the relationship between policy and program evaluation approaches. Address the following prompts to investigate this aspect of social work: Describe the relationship between policy and program evaluation approaches such as needs assessment, formative and summative evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and outcome assessment. 1.Cost Benefit analysis: Involves comparing the explicit and implicit costs of taking an action versus expected benefits. The process of gathering that information may be enlightening because it may require the business to assign monetary value to factors that dont have explicit costs. The resulting analysis allows decision-makers to weigh all information and make rational choices (Beaver, 2023). Formative evaluation: is an ongoing process that involves collecting feedback and data during the development of a program, product, or service. The purpose of formative evaluation is to look at areas for improvement and makes the necessary changes to ensure the final product and/or service meets the primary goal/objectives. Formative evaluation is usually done during the early stages of development and is mostly used for decision-making and to improve the quality of the final product (Formative versus summative evaluation: difference, examples, challenges, and limitations, n.d.). Summative evaluation: is done at the end of the program, product, and/or service to determine its effectiveness and success rate in achieving its goals and objectives. Summative evaluation is sometimes conducted using predetermined criteria and involves collecting data through surveys, tests, or other methods to measure the outcomes of the program. Giving feedback on the overall effectiveness of the program. product, and/or service to inform decisions about its future is the main purpose of summative evaluation (Formative versus summative evaluation: difference, examples, challenges, and limitations, n.d.) Outcome assessment: is when a person evaluates the outcome of a patient over a certain amount of time. For example, a therapist might use outcome assessment to reflect on the progress that was made along with any challenges that could be anticipated if therapy is needed again (Melchert, 2011). Needs assessment: is a process for determining the needs, or gaps between a current and desired outcome. Its a part of strategic plan that will require needs from an assessment to help pinpoint how to accomplish your strategic goals (Asana, 2022). Policy evaluation applies to principles and methods to look at the content, impact, or implementation of a policy. Evaluation is the activity in which we develop an understanding of the worth, and utility of a policy. It also assess support and compliance with existing policies, inform future policies, and provide accountability for resources invested. The also operate at levels that can influence complex systems in ways that can improve the health and safety of a population. Program evaluation is the usage of research to measure the effects of a program in terms of its goals, outcomes, or criteria. (Brief 1: Overview of policy evaluation, n.d) 2. The relationship between policy and program evaluation approaches such as needs assessments, formative, and summative evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, and outcome assessment is as follows: Needs Assessment- According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that needs assessments, “Determines who needs the communication program/intervention, how great the need is, and what can be done to best meet the need. Involves audience research and informs audience segmentation and marketing mix (4 Ps) strategies” (Center for Disease Control, 2020). Formative Evaluation- Formative evaluation is when it is the development and implementation of a certain policy or program. This often has assessments that are always going and has a end goal for the policy or program by providing guidance to make recommendations to improve situations that occur early on. Summative Evaluation- Summative evaluation is one of the social work evaluation methods/ways used for programs that need to continually have budgets which is funded. This is one of the social work performance evaluation examples for programs and whether they should be continued or changed or adjusted in anyway. For example, it helps point out if whether or not goals have been met to reach success. Cost-benefit Analysis- Cost-benefit analysis often used at the macro level to compare programs that achieve different outcomes (for example, deciding whether to fund a specific program such as preventing child abuse and/or a substance abuse program) or to measure the value of a particular program. This also determines the the cost-effectiveness of a policy or program as well if it will be successful and attainable (Everest et al., 2023). Outcome Assessment- Outcome Assessment allows to measure the effect and changes that may resulting from a certain campaign. It looks into the extensive of communication program/intervention could be achieving based on outcomes of a specific target population. These outcomes ultimately are short-term or medium-term changes in program participants that may result directly from a program such as new knowledgeable and awareness, attitude change, beliefs, social norms, and behavior changes, and anything that measures to change a policy (Center for Disease Control, 2020). In conclusion, policy implementation evaluation examines the inputs, activities, and outputs that are geared towards the implementation of a policy. Therefore, it can provide important information about stakeholders outlooks and awareness, as well as any barriers to and facilitators of implementation. However, policy and program evaluations can be intertwined and be used in similar ways to be able to assess the importance of social work initiatives. Finally, any program can be evaluated using a logical tool when it comes to the assessment of different programs that intentions of outcomes are considered to be variables that can ultimately have problems for any outcome. This is why it is critical to understand the different laws, policies, and programs in the field of social work because social workers study the initiatives that were created to help populations to fulfill success. 3. The relationship between policy and program evaluation approaches is very important when it comes to assessing the effectiveness and impact of policies and programs. Needs Assessment: Needs assessment is the process of determining who needs the communication program/intervention, how great the need is, and what can be done to best meet the need. Formative Evaluation: Formative evaluation focuses on assessing the ongoing development and implementation of a policy or program, with the goal of providing feedback and recommendations for improvement during the early stages. Summative Evaluation: Summative evaluation occurs at the end of a policy or program’s implementation to determine its overall effectiveness and impact. Therefore, it assesses the outcomes and results achieved, comparing them against the intended goals and objectives. Cost-Benefit Analysis: Cost-benefit analysis is an evaluation approach that assesses the economic efficiency of a policy or program by comparing the costs incurred in implementing the policy or program with the benefits generated. Outcome Assessment: Outcome assessment focuses on measuring the effect and changes that result from the campaign. It also investigates to what extent the communication program/intervention is achieving its outcomes in the target population. The relationship between these evaluation approaches and policy development is frequently recurring and related to each other. They also provide evidence-based insights that inform decision-making, improve interventions, and contribute to the development of effective policies and programs. 4. Policy and program evaluation approaches are critical tools in assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of various government initiatives. Formative evaluations occur during the development or implementation phase of a policy. The needs assessment is the first step in policy and program evaluation. It is conducted during the formative evaluation phase to help identify the issues or concerns the policy or program is trying to address. It also provides the foundation for other evaluations by determining specific needs and target populations (Introduction to Evaluations, 2023). Summative evaluations are important to determine the success or failure of an initiative. Summative evaluations can be subdivided into the cost-benefit analysis, which is an economic evaluation that addresses efficiency by standardizing outcomes in terms of their value or cost; the outcome assessment, which measures specific results/outcomes of a policy/program; and the impact evaluation which assesses the overall effects of the program/policy (Introduction to Evaluations, 2023). The relationship between these evaluations is constant and interdependent. The needs assessment informs the program’s design, while formative evaluation ensures it is well-implemented. The summative evaluation and outcome assessment assess the programs impact and effectiveness, while the cost-benefit analysis helps gauge its economic viability. Together, these approaches provide a comprehensive framework for policymakers that assists them in making informed decisions about the development, implementation, and continuation of policies and programs that contribute to the improvement of public services (CDC, 2023) Questions 2 What strategies and techniques can social workers use to inform and influence organizational and social policy? What are advantages and disadvantages of various policy change strategies and techniques? 1. Some strategies and techniques that social workers use to inform and influence organizational and social policy is by having a sense of awareness so social workers can build a bridge to facilitate relationships between diverse stakeholders. However, policy advocates help build coalitions among people, businesses, and organizations with similar interests. Therefore, being able to share resources, contracts, and knowledgeable information, such groups can build a sufficient amount to persuade legislation. It is vital that social workers must be motivated/committed to advocate for human rights, as well as advocating on social justice (LATHOURAS, 2016). Furthermore, the advantages of various policy change strategies and techniques are that it helps build positive ways to promote change in an environment, and to be able to provide a framework for making decisions as well as taking action. Also, an effective policy helps build gaps of setting boundaries with having rules to follow. The disadvantages of various policy change strategies and techniques are that healthcare can impact individuals due to a specific policy change. Based on research, it states that, “Anyone who offers mental health coverage could no longer place limits on that coverage that differ from the coverage of physical conditions, with an exception for treatment of substance abuse” (Sloane, 2002). Therefore, this would be difficult for anyone needing such treatment from lack of healthcare. Therefore, such policy change affected mental health providers by ultimately being deteriorated for hundreds of inpatient facilities in over a decade according to research (Sloane, 2002). In conclusion, in the mental health field in is imperative that strategies and techniques are for the goodness of the individual who suffers from mental health. Therefore, when speaking of policy changes we need to be mindful of what communities, individuals, and/or a specific population it will target as well as the outcomes to any changes. Moreover, it is key to promote advocacy when you are a social worker by fighting for change on behalf of our clients as well as meeting clients where they are ethically and morally. 2. The strategies and techniques that social workers can use to inform and influence organizational and social policy re knowledge skills, and values to identify social problems, analyze their causes and consequences, propose solutions, and evaluate outcomes. The advantages of variou policy change strategies and techniques are it changes social conditions and real community development and keeps individuals from constantly haviing to reppeat efforts, and over the long term, it changes the minds and attitudes of people. The disadvantages are it is difficult to show the costs and incentives created by the original policy choice and how it affects decisions about future policy choices, aand it is also a challenging task.
