Community Assessment: Intervene and Evaluate

You will intervene by proposing an intervention, and coming up with a strategy for carrying out that intervention.  Generalist practice social work often requires actors to be flexible and ready to adapt to the needs or demands of the community.  Interventions that are effective for some problems today, might not be viable options for problems in the future.  As you discuss ways to intervene on macro/mezzo levels, you must also be prepared to evaluate their strategies for effectiveness, and in addition to being poised for change, have some insight on alternate strategies that might be useful in the future.  This will give you the opportunity to carry out the evaluation portion of this study.  For these reasons, KEY ASSESSMENT #2 not only looks at interventions, recommendations, and strategies for addressing unmet needs, but it also asks you to think about how those strategies will be evaluated, what their effective reactions would be, and how they would respond to ineffective interventions.  

Again, you will consider and utilize projects that you did earlier in the semester.  This assignment provides the student with an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge and skill in identifying an intervention method for the identified community from the Community Engagement and Assessment Assignment.  

Students will submit a 6-8 page (not including title page) research paper in APA format with responses to each of the following prompts:

1. What recommendations do you have for creating change or developing the community? Address specifically the following points: 

Explain your rationale how does the evidence concerning the need that you identified in Question 5 (see KEY ASSESSMENT #1) substantiate your proposed intervention as the best choice? 
What other forms of evidence did you rely on in making your choice? Reference any literature you identified to support your decision-making. VIIIb, VIIId. 
How does your understanding of theories of human behavior in the social environment inform your thinking about interventions that are appropriate to address the needs of the community? VIIIc. 
Were you able to consult with professionals from any other disciplines (think broadly: nursing/medicine/dentistry/pharmacy, education, early childhood education, criminal justice/law, and others) in considering interventions appropriate to this community? How did you ensure your intervention is not a duplication of another available resource/intervention in the community? VIIIe. 
If you attempted your chosen intervention but found it ineffective, what would you do next? VIIIa, IXa.

2. Describe the community organizing strategy you would employ to advance your community development goals. Address specifically the following points:

Who among the community would you engage with to advance your goals? Explain your rationale for selecting those individuals or groups. How would you attempt to engage with them? What would you do, if your efforts were not well received? VIa, VId.
What would you to do try to demonstrate to the members of the community with whom you are trying to engage that you have the best interests of the community at heart? Have you ensured you have not suggested a duplicated service or intervention? VIb. 
How does your understanding of theories of human behavior in the social environment inform your thinking about approaches for engaging with community leaders and members of the community? VIc. 
How might you benefit from interfacing with individuals from other professions in attempting to engage with the community? To whom would you reach out, and how would you seek their support and assistance? VIf. 

3. If you were to evaluate the impact of your proposed change or community development effort, how would you do it? Address specifically the following points: 

How, generally, would you evaluate the impact of your intervention approaches on the needs identified in Question 5 (See KEY ASSESSMENT #1)? Identify specifically the quantitative and qualitative indicators you might use as evidence of the impact of your community organizing and development efforts. How would you go about trying to collect this type of information?  IXb, IXd. 
How does your understanding of human behavior in the social environment inform your thinking about evaluating the impacts of your community organizing and development efforts? IXc.

4. What have your affective reactions or feelings about the process of assessing and considering engagement with this community been? What personal experiences or beliefs do you have that impact your emotional reactions? How would you manage your reactions, if you were working in a professional setting? VIe, VIIe.  
5. Brief conclusion (1-2 paragraphs)
6. Reference page