Model for evaluating the effectiveness of social work. The problem of evaluating the effectiveness of church social activities was discussed at the PSSU. Essence of effective social work

Measuring the effectiveness of social work and types of scales. Give examples of use.

The concept and types of sociological research.

Sociological research- a system of logical and consistent methodological, methodical and organizational-technical procedures in sociology for obtaining scientific knowledge about social phenomena.

Sociological research- should be understood as the systematic application of scientific methods in order to study a certain fragment of social reality. Sociological research is carried out at all three levels of sociological science.

There are such types of sociological research as quantitative and qualitative.

Qualitative Methods sociology allow the sociologist to understand the essence of any social phenomenon, and quantitative- to understand how widespread (frequently encountered) this social phenomenon is and how important it is for society.

Quantitative methods:

sociological survey (questionnaire and interviewing)

content analysis of documents

observation

experiment

Qualitative methods:

· focus group

case study (“case study”)

ethnographic research

unstructured interviews

Due to the fact that social work is aimed at meeting the social needs of a person, it is legitimate to recognize the main criterion for the effectiveness of social work, as well as the defining criterion for the humanity of society, to fully satisfy the interests of an individual or various communities of people in all spheres of life. It should be noted that social interests are manifested in various spheres of public life: in the economy, politics, culture, everyday life, law, etc. In addition, they can be individual, collective, group, national, or characterize the whole society as a whole. Based on these features, one should approach the definition of criteria for social work. The criteria for the effectiveness of social work are diverse: quantitative and qualitative (level and quality of life, pensions, benefits, etc.); norms-goals, norms-conditions, norms-limits (living wage, limits of economic standards, etc.). As a generalized criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of social activity, social norms and standards are used, in comparison with which the results of achieving the goal are evaluated. In the absence of standards, it is impossible to establish whether the work of the staff is carried out effectively enough. If there is no standard, then any change in activity will be inexplicable. The absence of a standard makes it difficult to analyze all the data obtained in the study of the organization's activities.

The effectiveness of social work can be viewed both in terms of the results actually achieved, and as a ratio between the results achieved and the costs associated with providing these results.

In the works of domestic researchers the effectiveness of social work is considered as the maximum possible satisfaction of the social needs of clients under the given conditions at optimal costs. The social welfare of the population depends on the effectiveness of social work 2 .

There are different types of results:

Economic efficiency implies a comparison of results and costs in their monetary terms. With regard to social work, its measurement is relevant in connection with the increase in funding for the social sphere and the need to study its financial flows.

Organizational efficiency includes an assessment of personnel management, financial and material resource management, external relations, information in the organization, workflow.

Social Performance has not only a quantitative, but also a basic qualitative component, characterizing the degree of approximation of the result obtained to the given goal of social development. In contrast to the estimated economic efficiency in social performance, it is important subjective dimension, - evaluation of the results achieved by determining the degree of satisfaction of social needs and changes in the life situation of clients. A specific social benefit addressed to a specific social subject (individual, social group) is evaluated. For example, the results of working with an individual client may be an increase in the degree of his independence; activation of its internal resources; adaptation in society; various forms of rehabilitation and behavior correction; satisfaction of basic social needs.

Nominal scale. It is used to measure objects indicated by the name - gender, region of residence, belonging to a political party.

ordinal scale. Measures the level of agreement with the statement, the degree of satisfaction.

Interval scale. Measures age, income in interval values.

Relationship scale. Measures length of service, age, income. There is an absolute zero

What are the goals of church social ministry? Who should formulate them? What are the criteria for evaluating church social ministry? These and other questions were discussed by the participants of the seminar "Problems of Goal-Setting and Evaluation of Church Social Activities", which took place on June 30, 2016 at. The seminar was organized by the department of social work of the missionary faculty of PSTU together with. The seminar was attended by leaders and employees of diocesan social departments who came to Moscow for a pastoral internship.

Tatyana Zaltsman, head of the department of social work at PSTGU, noted that the topic of expertise and evaluation of social projects has recently become especially relevant for Orthodox socially oriented NGOs. In her opinion, church social workers do not always think about the goal-setting of their activities.

“If there is no goal, then it is impossible to draw up an action plan, it is not clear where the steps taken lead, the participants lose the desire to move forward,” Tatyana Zaltsman emphasized.

The seminar participants shared their opinion on the goals of church social service and proposed various criteria for evaluating its effectiveness. As indicators of effectiveness, the priests named the expansion of the parish community, the involvement of wards and volunteers in active parish life, and the development of parishioners' initiative in parish life. At the same time, everyone agreed that the goals of social service are determined by the specifics of a particular area of social activity. The leaders of the diocesan social departments noted that it is important not to forget that the social service of believers is an expression of faith and service to Christ Himself.

The seminar was attended by 15 priests - heads and employees of diocesan social departments, who came for a pastoral internship organized by the Synodal Department for Charity from June 30 to July 5.

As part of the internship, its participants will get acquainted with the work of the Synodal Department for Charity and the main projects of the Orthodox Aid Service "Mercy". On Tuesday, the chairman of the Synodal Charity Department, Bishop Panteleimon of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, will meet with the priests.

This is already the fourth pastoral internship in social service. Previously, pastoral internships were held in Moscow on September 3-7, 2015, January 27-31, 2016 and May 17-24, 2016.

Efficiency - it is one of the main characteristics of human activity. It is the most important category of economic science, as it characterizes the effectiveness of all social production. The national economy is considered efficient if the needs of all members of society are most fully satisfied with these limited resources.

The ratio of the goal and the result gives an idea of the effectiveness of the work. It is no coincidence that the definition: efficiency is the degree of realization of the goal, which can be expressed by the formula

where E F - efficiency; R is the result; C is the target.

The better the result and the lower the costs, the higher the efficiency. In the definition of efficiency, there are necessarily elements: goal, result, costs, generally accepted norms. The main thing in this list is the goal and the result, which represent the beginning and end of the activity.

Characteristically, the efficiency of a market economy is its state in which it is impossible to increase the degree of satisfaction of the needs of at least one person without worsening the position of another member of society.

The peculiarity of social work is that its effectiveness depends on the degree of socio-economic assistance to those who turned out to be that “other” member of society who found themselves in a situation of economic risk.

The meaning of the word "efficiency" is usually defined as "effectiveness, productivity". But it can be more precisely defined depending on the type of activity.

Efficiency (effect - from the Latin effectus - performance, action) is the result of an action, a consequence of actions; means, reception, etc.

The essence of the effectiveness of social work is expressed in the ability of the state and society, the system of social protection of the population or its individual elements to respond positively and respond to the needs and needs of the population, especially its socially vulnerable part. Therefore, the concept of "efficiency" of social work can be expressed as the maximum possible achievement of the goal of meeting the needs of the population (the client of the social service) at optimal costs. In other words, the effectiveness of social work reflects the characteristics of the result of purposeful activities to achieve the goal.

Social work is a holistic system that includes the subject, content, means, management, object and linking them into a single whole functions and goals.

The initial goal of social work is to study the social needs of various categories of people. After the needs have been studied and assessed, the possibilities and methods for their satisfaction have been identified, a goal arises for social workers: the protection of the social interests of people, in the first place, who are not able to independently provide for their existence.

An important goal of social work in a market environment is to unleash the creative abilities of people, thanks to which they gain independence in solving their problems.

There is a widespread not entirely correct opinion that social work is aimed at providing material and financial assistance to those in need, establishing guardianship over the weak. Indeed, today in Russia it is the main activity of state and public bodies of social protection of the population. However, if social work is limited only to such goals, it will contribute to the development of dependency among the needy, which is quite widely manifested today.

The world practice of social work shows that the main thing is to stimulate initiative, creativity, create such conditions for those in need in which they could find a way out of a difficult situation, could, relying on social support, gain the ability to independently provide for their needs.

Creating conditions for self-support is the conceptual goal of social work.

Achieving the above goals with logical inevitability should lead to the establishment in society of the spirit of humanity, mutual respect, exactingness and assistance, which can be considered as the ultimate goal of social work. In this case, its ultimate goal merges with the goals of other types of social activity: economic, legal, cultural, etc.

It is clear that the goals of social work are not realized immediately, but by solving smaller tasks that make up the content of its goals.

The goals and objectives of social work are always specific. They are caused by the real needs of real people. In determining the goals and objectives of social work, it is important to proceed from these living needs. Social work based on real needs can be highly effective.

An essential indicator of the concept of "the effectiveness of social activity" should also be accepted as a generally accepted norm or ideal. Ethical norms (respect for old age, compassion for the sick, reverence for the mother, etc.) serve as a criterion for the moral health (or ill health) of society. And social work is aimed at supporting them.

Striving for the ideal is an indicator of the effectiveness of all social activities, including social work.

Social work has always needed an objective assessment of the assistance provided to clients. In 1978, in the USA, C. Wood published a review of works on the effectiveness of social activity. She concluded that social work was ineffective. But at the same time, she was able to identify six principles on which success in working with a client is based. According to K. Wood, practitioners should:

1) be able to accurately formulate the problem;

2) carefully analyze the problem and those factors that contribute to its occurrence, hinder the solution or, conversely, favor it;

3) assess with the client to what extent the problem can be resolved;

4) set tasks, discuss the terms of the contract with the client;

5) plan actions;

6) evaluate the progress made by the client.

In 1981, E. Mullen, speaking at a symposium organized by the National Association of Social Workers, named four factors that prevent social workers from proving the effectiveness of their efforts:

1) difficulties in specifying the goals of the assistance provided. In this regard, he recommended that social workers learn to set goals that are measurable;

2) the complex nature of the problems facing the social worker;

3) changing the priorities of funding organizations. Research topics are more often dictated by the availability of financial resources than by the pressing needs of studying a particular set of issues;

4) the need to pay more attention and funds to the development of research work in the field of efficiency.

E. Mullen came to the conclusion about the dependence of efficiency between the end result and the abilities of the employee, the specifics of the department and relations with the client, the characteristics of the clientele and the method of intervention.

In 1982, W. Reid and P. Hanahan again raised the question of efficiency. They came to more comforting results. For the first time, a large-scale review of the results of social work testified to its effectiveness.

Evidence-based criteria are needed to objectively assess the effectiveness of social work. A criterion is a sign on the basis of which the effectiveness of social work is evaluated, a measure of its effectiveness.

It should be noted that social interests are manifested in various spheres of public life: in the economy, politics, culture, everyday life, law, etc. In addition, they can be individual, collective, group, national, or characterize the whole society as a whole. Based on these features, one should approach the definition of criteria for social work.

The traditional way to study the practical effectiveness of social work is to collect data on all cases related to the research topic and analyze their results using an integral assessment method or using statistical calculations. Integration involves the study of materials and the derivation on their basis of an overall assessment.

Practical methods for determining the effectiveness of social work include:

Statistical analysis, when, on the basis of statistical data, trends in the development and results of social work are established;

Benchmarking, i.e. comparison of data of the same type to determine the degree of achievement of the goal;

Socio-demographic analysis of the dynamics of mortality and fertility, changes in the level and quality of life, etc., which makes it possible to judge the effectiveness of social policy;

Purposeful observation of changes in the life support of the client as a result of the work carried out with him;

Sociological research that reveals the opinion of clients about the effectiveness of social work;

Mathematical modeling, which helps to identify the most effective models of social work, etc.

The most fruitful way is to determine the effectiveness of social work by comparing the results obtained with previously put forward goals and established social norms.

The criteria for the effectiveness of social work are diverse: quantitative and qualitative (level and quality of life, pensions, benefits, etc.); norms-goals, norms-conditions, norms-limits (living wage, limits of environmental standards, etc.).

As a generalized criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of social activity, social norms and standards are used, in comparison with which the results of achieving the goal are evaluated.

Social standards are the estimated values of the costs of working time, material and monetary resources used in social practice. These include consumption standards, systems of social guarantees, protection, support of the population, etc. For example, the formation of a system of social guarantees is associated primarily with the definition of their criteria. Social norms can serve as such criteria, i.e. the minimum necessary in a given period of time human needs for material goods and services.

Consumption standards are economic indicators that characterize the level of consumption of food and non-food products by the population.

The most important social standard in relation to social security is the subsistence minimum budget. Each period of time corresponds to a certain minimum of material security necessary to maintain normal human life. For example, the rationale for the minimum size of pensions, on the one hand, should be based on calculations of the normative consumer budget, and on the other hand, be linked to the minimum wage. In this case, certain requirements (norms-limits) must be observed:

The minimum wage must be higher than the minimum pension;

The growth rate of the minimum pension should not be higher than the growth rate of the minimum wage.

The subsistence allowance and targeted social assistance should also be linked to the cost of the subsistence minimum budget. It should be borne in mind that an objective assessment of the effectiveness of social work is impossible without relying on scientifically based conceptual approaches. Let's consider some of them.

The problem-oriented approach emerged in the practice of social work in the early 1970s and has remained largely unchanged to this day. It provides limits on the use of criteria such as:

Clarity of identification and definition of a social problem;

Evaluation of the possibility of solving the problem;

Setting time limits for problem resolution, etc.

With this approach, the assistance provided is directly related to the problems of clients and their conscious attitude to the problem. The goal and program are clearly formulated and agreed with the client. Thus, the client is seen as a consumer who has the right to decide what services he wants to receive, and to know what the social worker intends to do for this. The relationship between the client and the social worker to resolve the problem is formalized in the form of a contract, on the basis of which the results of their joint activities to achieve the goal are evaluated.

An indispensable condition for achieving results in social work should be the scientific development of social programs and their evaluation in terms of effectiveness. The purpose of evaluating social programs is to obtain information that can be used to improve their effectiveness. Five models can be distinguished for evaluating social programs:

Outcome model - all achievements of the program are evaluated;

The goal model fixes attention only on the results within the declared goals;

System analysis examines the degree of positive and negative impact of other organizations and environments on social programs;

The cost analytical model uses costs to determine their impact on the outcome of the program, which characterizes its effectiveness;

The discrete model serves to correct programs based on prescribed standards. The purpose of evaluation here is to observe the extent to which staff and program managers adhere to standards.

However, in the practice of developing and implementing social programs in Russia, there is clearly an underestimation of the final results, economic efficiency in terms of cost recovery.

In foreign practice, along with traditional ones, researchers have proposed and begun to apply such methods for evaluating effectiveness, such as:

Meta-analysis, which involves the systematic selection of studies and the subsequent study of their effectiveness, and not just statistical significance; performance is usually determined by subtracting the mean derived from the control group from the mean from the experimental group and then dividing the resulting difference by the standard deviation of the control group. Efficiency is some average value;

Evaluation of clinical performance (or practical performance, practical improvement). Social workers believe that clinical indicators should take precedence over statistical ones, since the latter do not always indicate significant clinical (or practical) improvement. Unfortunately, clinical indicators do not have precise criteria, which makes their use difficult.

Assessment of clinical performance involves identifying the degree of positive changes in the client's life as a result of social impact.

Professional social workers contributed to the spread of the "single client" method, based on taking into account the specific relationship between the results of social work and the client's personal characteristics, such as age, source and severity of the problem, motivation in favor of change.

This method is effective for assessing both the final and intermediate results, as it allows the client to express his opinion in the course of medical and social rehabilitation, treatment of various types of antisocial behavior, etc. In addition, it allows you to accumulate basic information, check the reliability of data, standardized tools that make it possible to quickly evaluate the effectiveness of using a statistical method, meta-analysis, etc.

The growing use of computer technology has stimulated the development of quantitative analysis. Computers have facilitated the application of statistical methods by eliminating time-consuming calculations and made it possible to process data quickly and accurately.

A computer system for accumulating a database coming from social services has great potential in terms of creating new forms of research on a contingent of clients, a set of services, and increasing the efficiency of social work.

Other methods are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of social work: the measurement method, an integrated approach. We should not forget about epistemological (experiment, analysis, synthesis, etc.) and axiological (axiology - the study of the nature of values) criteria for the effectiveness of social work.

It should be noted that the evolution of social ideas gradually developed criteria for assessing the socio-economic development of mankind. They are embodied in the criteria of economic efficiency and social justice.

The criterion of economic efficiency characterizes not only the level of development of productive forces, but also the ability to foresee and prevent the consequences of anthropogenic changes that are dangerous for human life and health.

The criterion of social justice evaluates the quality of social (in particular, economic) relations from the standpoint of ensuring welfare, freedom and other human values without prejudice to the same interests of other people.

In the conditions of market relations, the connection between the primary (extending to the economically active population) distribution of social benefits with the criterion of economic efficiency, and the final (taking into account those who are out of production) with the criterion of social justice, is strengthened.

In a civilized legal society, over the past century, the importance of the social criterion as a criterion of social justice and the social orientation of the economy has been steadily increasing.

The effectiveness of social work is a multifaceted phenomenon. The content and technology of its definition largely depends on the position of which science and for what specific scientific and practical purpose social work is considered. . Determining the criteria for its effectiveness is important for both scientific and practical activities of social services. In the first case, they serve as an important tool for studying the effectiveness of the provision of social services to the population, in the second case, they are a system of guidelines aimed at achieving concrete and effective results in social services that are adequate to the real needs and needs of various categories of the population, and therefore can act as standards of social service, system of standards.

These criteria may contain quantitative and qualitative indicators, i.e. indicators of the effectiveness of social work should be comprehensive. On the one hand, they represent a system of normative criteria reflecting the effectiveness of this process, on the other hand, a system of indicators reflecting the state of social service clients (individuals, families, social groups). Therefore, the effectiveness of social work can be determined on the basis of both general and specific criteria, and the general ones serve to assess its effectiveness as a whole, and the specific ones - to evaluate specific social services, certain types and methods of social work, the activities of individual specialists and institutions.

The criteria of social work are determined by the goals and objectives of the provision of social services and the degree of their implementation. In this case, the following points are of fundamental importance. The goals of social work can be considered at the level of society, individual regions, settlements, districts and microdistricts, at the level of population groups and individuals. These goals should take into account the socio-economic, moral-psychological, environmental and political situation that developed under the conditions of the political and economic reforms of the 1990s. They must be inextricably linked with an objective assessment of the country's and regions' recovery from the crisis and the stabilization of the social status of various categories of the population.

It is quite obvious that the criteria for the effectiveness of social work, firstly, are intended to become an expression of the effectiveness of all types, forms and methods of social services for various categories of the population, and secondly, they must show how productive the activities of institutions (centers) and, in general, social services in modern conditions for reforms in Russia. Thirdly, the criteria and indicators should reflect the degree of effectiveness of the management and management of the entire process of targeted and systematic social work with the population and individuals in need of professional social assistance.

There are two views on the effectiveness of social work. The first is related to the assessment of the ratio of the achieved results (effects) and the costs associated with ensuring these results. The key problem with this approach is to measure (describe) the results (or effects), as well as costs. Since the costs can be assumed, planned, to the extent that the effectiveness of social services can be expected, planned, actual (actually achieved).

Another approach is to evaluate the effectiveness of social work. Here, the opinions, judgments, conclusions, statements (about someone, about something - more or less specifically) of the subject who evaluates the effectiveness of social work matter. In other words, it is important to choose the information sources of the assessment (managers, specialists, field social workers, clients served, representatives of regulatory authorities, the media, etc.), i.e. it is necessary to keep in mind, first of all, the informational and subjective meaning of the concept of “assessment of the effectiveness of social services”. In this sense, evaluative information coming from specific people was, is and will be subjective. The more subjects involved in the evaluation process, the more (ceteris paribus) it will tend to be more reliable. It is, moreover, the process of revealing opinions, judgments, conclusions, statements using certain forms and methods. Here we are dealing with the procedural and organizational meaning of the concept of "assessment of the effectiveness of social services", that is, in order to evaluate something or someone, it is necessary to organize the evaluation process (collection and processing of evaluation information), develop and apply certain evaluation procedures. Various assessments coming from different subjects and having passed a certain procedure or assessment process are converted into the results (outcomes) of the assessment. In other words, we receive the final evaluation information, on the basis of which certain conclusions are drawn, appropriate measures and actions are taken, and efficiency improvement programs are developed.

An important concept is also the subject of performance evaluation or something specific that can be evaluated in the process of social work. The analysis carried out showed the presence of a variety of main subjects for assessing effectiveness, the possibility of determining more detailed subjects and relevant methods. The logic of determining the main subjects of assessment is as follows. There are various structures in the system of social protection of the population of the Russian Federation. They are characterized by a certain level of organization of labor of personnel providing social work with certain categories of the population. Ultimately, the activities of various structures, with their level of labor organization and staff qualifications, ensure one or another quality of social work and its effectiveness.

§ 3. effectiveness of social work

Efficiency is one of the main characteristics of human activity. It is the most important category of economic science, as it characterizes the effectiveness of all social production. The national economy is considered efficient if the needs of all members of society are most fully satisfied with these limited resources.

where is the EF efficiency; result; C goal.