School of Social Work Real Cases Project Evaluation and Evolution

As detailed in this document, the Real Cases Project includes informal and formal evaluation activities, with both quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies.

Accompanying the wide circulation of the guide in the Metropolitan New York Area is the launch an evaluation of the approach across classes, schools, faculty members, and students. The evaluation plan includes analysis of the implementation process and degree to which the Project achieves its goals. Findings will be widely disseminated, and used in further development of the project.

Evaluation findings and analysis will assist us to adapt and further develop this case study-centered approach. If evaluative findings show that the approach has merit, we will explore further evolution of the effort in the Metropolitan New York Area. The Real Cases Project is a large and currently local model for child welfare infusion. The Project can be adapted for use in other venues, and the case study based, multi-course approach can be a model for other collaborative, integrative initiatives in other fields. As other venues are interested in this approach, we will collaborate with partners in a multi-faceted dissemination strategy.

In developing Real Cases Project, we have taken the position that the effort to connect child welfare practice and social work education must be ambitious and creative, bringing together the theory and practice of all areas of the social work curriculum. The Real Cases approach promotes public child welfare as an important arena for professional practice, policy and research. We believe that students can apply what they learn by using child welfare-focused cases in studying other settings, and vice versa, in applying other case material to child welfare practice. It brings together diverse groups of faculty and draws inspiration and context from actual case studies from a public child welfare organization. The Project provides course-specific methods and resource materials for integrating public child welfare in social work education without altering existing curriculum. We look forward to continuing this important partnership.