Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

The first steps toward narrowing the gap between research and practice are recognizing that one exists and educating oneself and others. Social workers must realize the benefits and eliminate the misconceptions surrounding evidence-based practice. In the Bradley episode featured in the resources, the social worker combines her assessment of Tiffani Bradley’s individual situation with her knowledge of research to evaluate her supervisor’s recommended intervention. Now that the social worker has recognized a gap, she/he needs to access potentially relevant information for a specific case and critically analyze for its applicability to that case. This week’s Assignment allows you to practice these critical next steps in the Bradley family case. Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

To prepare for this Assignment, review Episode 4 of the Bradley family case study. Develop a list with 2–3 researchable questions that you could use to find evidence about the efficacy of 12-step programs or other treatments for substance abuse in adolescents. Then go to the NREPP searchable online Registry and follow the instructions in the Using the NREPP Database document located in this week’s resources. Search for two evidence-based interventions that would be appropriate for Tiffani Bradley. Be sure to explore the sections related to quality of research, readiness for dissemination, replications, and costs. Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

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Submit a 2- to 3-page paper that includes the following:

· Summaries of the two interventions and their respective research regarding effectiveness

· Recommendations for Tiffani’s social worker that address the following:

o Factors to consider when choosing between the two interventions

o The social work skills that the staff would require to implement the intervention

o The training required to implement each intervention

· An evaluation of the usefulness of an evidenced-based practice registry based on your reaction to the experience, in which you address the following questions:

o Would you, as a beginning researcher, have enough knowledge to benefit from using the NREPP registry? Why or why not?

o How might the research that you conducted increase your confidence in the intervention with Tiffani?

o Is the information provided enough to make a decision regarding interventions? Why or why not? Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

· Appropriate APA citations in your writing

References (use 3 or more)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n. d.) NREPP: SAMHSA’s national registry of evidence-based practices and programs. Retrieved October 8, 2013, from http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/

Whittaker, J. K. (2009). Evidence-based intervention and services for high-risk youth: A North American perspective on the challenges of integration for policy, practice and research. Child & Family Social Work, 14(2), 166–177.

Document: Week 1: Using the NREPP Database Handout (PDF)

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013a). Bradley family episode 4 [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Assignment 2: Human Services Organizations as Systems
Social workers use the person-in-environment approach to understand the relationship between individuals and their physical and social environments. This ecological perspective is a framework that is based on concepts associated with systems theory. Systems theory guides social workers when they assess how factors in the environment such as school, work, culture, and social policy impact the individual. Although social workers commonly use the systems approach to focus on the individual, they may apply this approach to human services organizations as well. Human services organizations exist within the context of the social, economic, and political environments, and any type of change in one aspect of the environment will influence the organization’s internal and external functioning. Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

For this Assignment, consider how administrators of human services organizations may apply systems theory in their work. Also, consider what you have discovered about the roles of leadership and management and how these contribute to an organization’s overall functioning.

Assignment (2 pages in APA format):

· Explain how systems theory can help administrators understand the relationships between human services organizations and their environments.

· Provide specific examples of ways administrators might apply systems theory to their work.

· Finally, explain how leadership and management roles within human services organizations contribute to their overall functioning.

References (use 3 or more)

Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage. Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices

Mulroy, E. A. (2004). Theoretical perspectives on the social environment to guide management and community perspectives: An organization-in-environment approach. Administration in Social Work, 28(1), 77–96.

Mulroy, E. A. (2004). Theoretical perspectives on the social environment to guide management and community perspectives: An organization-in-environment approach. Administration in Social Work, 28(1), 77–96. Accessing Information About Evidence-Based Practices