Assessment
Authors: Badger Karen 
Published: February 2014

Although assessment generally yields a written product, it also is a process that employs a systematic method through which information is gathered, reviewed, and then applied in conjunction with theory to gain a better understanding of the subject of focus. Assessment is essential to social work practice no matter the social worker’s role, the nature of the interaction or practice setting, client population, or phase of the helping process. It is used to gather evidence to understand presenting problems, to evaluate progress and outcomes, and to assess the effectiveness of interventions and programs. Assessment is also an integral part of social work education and consists of appraisal of student learning and the effectiveness of curricula, pedagogy, and programs in preparing students for social work practice. Assessment in social work practice is threaded throughout all of its activities and employs a plethora of models and frameworks. Assessment is a core activity in social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. Initial assessments (also referred to as terms such as diagnostic, intake, or psychosocial assessments at an individual or family level) are utilized to gain a comprehensive understanding of a client’s circumstances, difficulties, and assets and to determine a subsequent course of action or intervention plan. The scope of this initial assessment may be narrow or broad, depending on factors such as the client system (individuals vs. communities), the role of the social worker, and the purpose of the assessment. Work with individuals traditionally includes a bio-psychosocial assessment—and more recently bio-psycho-sociocultural-spiritual assessment. Other types of assessments in social work practice with groups or communities are those that gather data related to need, risk, assets, strengths, and capacity-building. Although it is usually initiated at the point of engagement of the social worker, assessment should be thought of as a dynamic and occurring throughout the helping or change process to account for new developments and emerging considerations and conducted in partnership with the client. Assessment in social work is also employed to measure progress toward goal achievement and final outcomes, often referred to as practice evaluation. Both practice and social work education utilize formative and summative assessment approaches in order to appraise program or intervention impact as well as student learning. Formative and summative assessment may utilize similar data collection methods but are differentiated according to purpose and use of the data. Formative assessments are developmental and used to shape and enhance student learning, interventions, or new programs. Summative assessment focuses on the end product—or impact of a program or intervention and outcomes achieved. Ideally, both formative and summative methods of assessment are employed in practice and education. Both can involve feedback from clients, staff, etc., as well as use validated measures or assessment artifacts and can be used to shape intervention or education efforts.