Structured assessment in child and family social work

practitioners’ experiences and viewpoints on ARVOA©-method and need for improvement of the method and its implementation

Authors

• Elina Aaltio Helsingin yliopisto

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.129753

Keywords:

child and family social work, structured assessment, implementation, evaluation research

Abstract

Service user’s situation is assessed in different stages of child and family social work, especially when assessing the need for child welfare, in the beginning of a child welfare client relationship and when drawing up a client plan. In Finnish child and family social work, structured assessment tools are rarely being used while such tool have been developed and evaluated in other countries. In Finland, the only tool, i.e., ARVOA© -method, that has been developed and disseminated in this service context has not yet been evaluated.  This study explored practitioner’s experiences and viewpoints of the tool in two social work organizations, in which the tool had been implemented. In Spring 2022, six focus groups interviews were conducted involving 27 practitioners. Research participants worked in assessment, family social work, and open and out-of-home care in child protection. The aim was to understand how this tool had been implemented, what were its benefits and disadvantages according to practitioners, what were the barriers and facilitator affecting its use, and what kind of needs for improvement were identified. According to the findings, ARVOA©-method was not in routine use. Some practitioners did not use it at all, while others considered it useful for example in conversations or as a check list. Inadequate training, support and guidance impaired the implementation. Most of the interviewed saw the tool potentially beneficial, but they also identified several needs for improvement. Based on these and previous research findings, quality improvement initiatives in social work should pay more attention on refining new methods and planning their implementation before their wider dissemination. Ideally, structured assessment tools may increase assessment’s accuracy and quality. However, it must be first guaranteed that the content of these tools is well justified, and they are feasible in everyday practice.