Chapter 12: Developing Goals & Formulating a Contract

Guidelines for Selecting and Defining Goals

1. Goals must relate to the desired results sought by voluntary clients 2. Goals for involuntary clients should include motivational congruence 3. Goal should be defined in explicit and measurable terms 4. Goals must be feasible 5. Goals should be commensurate with the knowledge and skills of the practitioner 6. Goal should be stated in positive terms that emphasize growth 7. Avoid agreeing to goals about which you have major reservations 8. Goals should be consistent with function of the agency

Developing contracts - what is included

1. Goals to be accomplished 2. Roles of participants 3. Interventions or techniques to be employed 4. Time frame, frequency, and length of sessions 5. Frequency & duration of sessions 6. Means of monitoring progress 7. Stipulations for renegotiating the contract 8. Housekeeping items

Goals to be accomplished

1. Goals to be accomplished in relation to the target concern are ranked by priority, as goals provide the focus for working over the course of ongoing sessions 2. Can be expanded or modified as situations change & new information that has a bearing on the initial goals emerges

Methods of monitoring and evaluating progress

1. Identifying the specific problem or behavior to be changed 2. Specifying measurable & feasible goals 3. Matching goal & measurement procedures 4. Maintaining a systematic record of relevant information 5. Evaluating intermediate and final outcomes - A target concern that has been explicitly defined in measurable indicators informs you of the appropriate measurement & evaluation methods to be used

Interventions or techniques to be employed

1. Involves specifying the interventions & techniques that will be implemented in order to accomplish the stated goals 2. Requires a discussion with the client in which you provide an overview of the intervention & your rationale to elicit clients' reactions and to gain their consent

Eliciting minors' understanding of the goal & point of view of the problem & using this information to assist them to develop goals

1. Listening to the minor's narrative is a starting point in establishing an atmosphere in which goals or solutions can be developed - a narrative-oriented approach where open-ended questions are encouraged allows minors of all ages to tell their story based on their experiences & perception of the world in which they interact 2. Disruptive behavior by minors can be a way in which they act out or cope with very real ongoing stress or trauma 3. cognitions, perceptions, and feelings of young minors influence their self-definition and self-evaluation relative to the outside world

Feedback from clients regarding their progress

1. Maintain focus on goals & enhance the continuity of change efforts 2. Clients gain perspective in determine where they stand in relation not only to their ultimate goals but also to their pretreatment levels 3. Sustain motivation & to enhance confidence in the helping process and in the social worker 4. Can alert you to & allow you to address feelings or behaviors that can impede future progress and lead to premature termination 5. Can provide feedback on the efficacy of a goal or intervention strategy and whether an approach has yielded expected results within a reasonable period of time 6. Alerts you when clients might be ready to shift their focus to another goal or begin planning for termination if all goals have been achieved

Frequency & duration of sessions

1. More frequent sessions may be required in cases that need intensive support & monitoring 2. Agencies generally have guidelines for the billable hour, which tends to be 50 minutes 3. The duration of sessions is also influenced by the client 4. Frequency and duration of sessions are also influenced by settings requirements 5. Your contact is limited to the time that the person is an inpatient

Measuring with self-administered scales

1. Obtaining evaluative data 2. Quantify target problems - useful in measuring covert behaviors 3. Can be administered before implementing treatment, at periodic intervals thereafter to monitor progress, and at termination & follow-up to assess outcomes 4. Less likely to produce reactive effects 5. Transfer the data to a graph on which the horizontal axis denotes time intervals & on the vertical axis denotes the frequency or severity of target behaviors 6. Critical to use the same procedures & instruments used in obtaining the baseline measurements

Define goals explicitly & specify level of change

1. Paraphrasing or suggest rewording of a goal can help clarify meaning & specificity - enable you & the client to develop precise indicators to monitor & measure change 2. Specify what client expect to be different & the desired level of change 3. Engage clients in a discussion about their expectations for what would be different when their goals are achieved 4. If client is having difficulty - can prompt them by referring to needs & wants they identified during the exploration & assessment process & suggest that they consider the related changes 5. The goal & the level of change should be congruent with the client situation

Written contracts

1. Provide space for entering the particular concerns or problems of a client situation and for listing the expected intervention outcomes 2. Tangible reference to the commitment between themselves & their clients - safety plans - both client & social worker signs

Roles of participants

1. Role clarification especially pertinent with involuntary clients who have a mandate plan 2. Affirms the mutual accountability & commitment of all parties including that of the agency involved 3. Socialization about the purpose of contract roles may be required & especially important with certain clients

Two experts in goal development decision-making process

1. Social worker: assist the client to specify, prioritize, & define goals in measurable language; help clients assess feasibility, identify potential barriers, & become aware of the resources & strengths related to goal attainment 2. Client: foremorel expert in articulating what he would life to be different - social justice aspect of client's involvement

Time frame, frequency, and length of sessions

1. Value time-limited contracts b/c they make a distinction between talking & actual change, and within this particular time frame the focus is on a specific concern 2. The helping process relies on the time frame being brief

Goals must relate to the desired results sought by voluntary clients

1. acknowledge their feelings as a natural process

Environmental Conditions

1. attributes that influence the capacity to attain goals irrespective of client motivation: attributes such as age, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, & structural inequality 2. tensions that can be characterized as interpersonal or interfamilial 3. stressors resulting from a lack of resources & constant stressful environmental interact 4. current or historical trauma & other daily living conditions that can have debilitating psychological effects which can hinder the goal developmental process 5. experiencing depression 6. recognize person-in-environment interactions insofar as they affect and influence the capacity of people to make decisions about their lives

Jointly select appropriate goals

1. can make suggestions about goals for the clients consideration, explaining your reasoning and making reference to their priority concern 2. stress that the final goal decisions is theirs to make

Goals should be defined in explicit and measurable terms

1. clarify what the desired outcomes are, under what circumstances they are to be achieved, and by whom 2. specify monitoring and measurement procedures 3. "What are the indicators that will inform you & the client when the goals have been accomplished?"

Professional values & goal tensions

1. client goals that are incompatible with your values 2. you can rely on the ethical principles that frame the professional nature of the client-soical worker relationship - your personal values shouldn't dictate how you work with clients

Factors influencing goal development

1. client participation 2. involuntary status 3. values & beliefs 4. resources & supports 5. environmental conditions

Process of negotiating goals

1. determine client's readiness for goal negotiation 2. explain the purpose & function of goals 3. jointly elect appropriate goals 4. define goals explicitly & specify level of change 5. determine potential barrier to goal attainment & discuss benefits & risks 6. Assist clients in making a clear choice about committing themselves to specific goals 7. Rank goals according to client priorities

Reciprocal goals

1. develop in conjunction with all parties involved 2. all involved agree upon exchanges of different behaviors & to act or respond to each other in a different manner 3. quid pro quo - each person to modify his or her personal behavior contingent upon the other person's making a corresponding behavior change

Case progress notes

1. documentation is essential for maintain focus and for recording, monitoring, and measuring progress 2. both strengths & obstacles are recorded, as well as tasks for both the client and the staff 3. the form may also be adapted to specify action steps or objectives rather than tasks, depending on the words used in your agency 4. serves an important function of tracking progress relative to the status of a goal, indicating whether it has been completed or partially completed

When secondary supervision is not an option

1. explain to clients the limitations of your competence with refried to their goal 2. must evaluate whether developing goals in an area where you lack expertise places the clients or others at risk - should be aware of whether undertaking an alternative arrangement and engaging in practice beyond your scope poses a risk to you - ethical & legal to engage in practice that is commensurate with you scope & competence & to refer client who require service beyond your competence or that of your agency to a qualified professional

Client participation

1. goal pursuits begin with a client identifying a concern, need, or want 2. involuntary - goal that is promoted or assigned by someone other than the client 3. summarized & clarify what the client has said so that you have an opportunity to explore options before reaching a decision about a priority goal

Goals for involuntary clients should include motivational congruence

1. goals have been articulated & defined by another party, most often the court 2. conversation about goals should include how to meet the goals as well as an exploration of goals that the client may have themselves

Types of Goals

1. goals may be further categorized by both type & function 2. goals may be shared or reciprocal depending on the systems or subsystems involved

Program objectives

- general statements regarding the outcomes that are expected for all services recipients who are involved with an agency's program 1. Inform how organizational resources are utilized to target a specific need or population or respond to a particular social problem 2. directly related to outcomes sought by funders or a purchase of service agreements 3. within agency, client goals & program objectives are often used interchangeably to articulate expected outcomes for service recipients

Goals with minors tend to work best when they provide

1. A sense of self-direction 2. Incentives that are linked to goals 3. A sense of their ability to achieve goals 4. Involvement in establishing evaluative measures 5. Regular feedback about performance that honors their progress 6. Praise for their efforts & goal attainment 7. The opportunity to talk about how they accomplished a goal, their level of satisfaction with their performance 8. Opportunities for them to measure their progress and praise themselves 9. Strengths & protective factors

Self-anchored scales

1. Baseline data be obtained for covert behaviors, such as thoughts, feelings, or an emotional state 2. Goals that involve altering feelings 3. Denote various levels of an internal state - ask the client to imagine experiencing the extreme degree of the given internal state & to describe what they experience 4. Quantifies internal states in a unique manner for each client 5. Client keeps tallies of the targeted behaviors

Measuring overt behaviors

1. Behaviors are observable - frequency counts 2. Quantify behaviors and make it possible to ascertain ultimate outcomes of change efforts 3. When baseline measures focus on current overt behaviors, repeated frequency counts across specified time intervals are typically used - time intervals should be those during which the highest incidence of behavioral excesses occur or the times in which desired positive behaviors are demonstrated - important to obtain measures under relatively consistent conditions

Criteria for developing clear goals with minors

1. Emphasize the change in behavior that is expected (waiting your turn to speak) 2. Define the conditions in which the behavior change is observed (in the classroom) 3. Clarify the expected level of goal performance within a specific timeline (listen without interrupting while others are talking)

Ranking goals according to client priorities

1. Ensure that beginning change efforts are directed toward the goals of utmost importance to clients 2. Help so goals are more manageable, emphasizing those that have a greater consequence 3. Up to the social worker to help clients focus their efforts by sorting out what is a priority for them so that they do not feel overwhelmed and become frustrated

Setting goals

1. Ensure that you and the client are in agreement, where possible, about outcome to be achieved 2. Provides direction, focus, & continuity to the helping process & prevents wandering off course 3. Facilitates the development & selection of appropriate strategies & interventions 4. Assists you & the client in the monitoring progress 5. Establishes the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a specific intervention & the helping process

Monitoring progress with quantitative measurements - advantages

1. Establish indicators, and monitoring tells both the client & you when goals have been accomplished when the court mandate has been satisfied and when the relationship can be terminated 2. Substantiate progress, justify coverage, & used in reports for court 3. Provides evidence of change, assuring them that they are not destined to remain forever involved with the social worker or agency 4. If interventions are not achieving results - explore the reasons for lack of progress & negotiate a different goal plan or intervention

Involving clients in monitoring & evaluating progress

1. Explain the way in which evaluative information is to be obtained so that they understand & are receptive to the methods that will be used 2. Empowerment & collaborative nature of helping relationship 3. Balance of power 4. Progress should be consistent with the agreement or treatment plan 5. Progress should be monitored every 2 to 3 sessions

Determine potential barriers to goal attainment & discuss benefits & risks

1. Exploring potential barriers to achieving goals moves to another level & includes feasibility 2. Identifying barriers to goal attainment can improve the likelihood of a positive goal outcome 3. Clarifying benefits can enhance a client's commitment & sustain his efforts 4. Reviewing potential obstacles & risks is intended to help clients think in advance about events or situations that might influence their ability to attain their goals 5. Might find out that goal isn't feasible

Involuntary clients & committing to specific goals

1. Facilitating the client to commit to a goal may need to occur in incremental stages 2. The social worker affirms & respects her feelings, yet emphasizes the potential benefits of the classes to the client 3. Focus on the possible benefit of stress relief 4. Involuntary status does not diminish the right to self-determination, yet it is your ethical responsibility to make these clients aware of the risks associated with their choices & help them work through their concerns

The rationale for contracts

1. Final discrete activity of phase 1 of the helping process; it identifies the work to be accomplished through the change-oriented strategies by which goals will be attained 2. Key points summarize the purpose & focus of your work with clients as well as ensure mutual accountability 3. The contract clarifies the role of the client & social worker as well as establishes the conditions under which assistance is provided

Housekeeping items

1. Financial arrangements where required are a functional part of agreement 2. Explore matters of inability to pay 3. Having an agreement about schedules & keeping appointment 4. Clients should be able to rely on your being available & attentive to their concerns

Receptivity of Clients to Measurement

1. Found that client preferred being involved in the evaluation of their progress 2. Preferred the use of a type of systematic data collection over the reliance on social worker's opinion as the sole mean of evaluating practice effectiveness 3. Practitioners were able to accurately assess clients' feelings about different types of evaluation procedures

Good-faith contract

The parties involved agree to change their behavior independently of one another

Working with minors- utilitarian ethics

What is the reason for the behavior? What is the overall outcome that I am seeking?

Explain the purpose and function of goals

When clients understand the purpose & function of goals, they are more likely to appreciate their significance

Discrete general tasks

consist of one-time actions or changes that resolve or benefit problems ex: obtaining a needed resource, making a major decision, or making a change in one's environment ex: registration for classes

"Cookie cutter" case plans

consist of program objectives and requirements that are applied uniformly to all individuals or families

Applying goal selection and development guidelines with minors

decisions about goals are influenced by the minor's developmental age, cognitive, and moral ability and capacity to give consent

Quantitative measurements

embodies the use of procedure that measure the frequency and/or severest of target problems

General tasks

instrumental strategies to further partialized goals - serve as the basis for the subsequent development of objectives, steps or specific tasks - indicate the particular action steps to be taken to achieve goals - entail multiple objectives, action steps, or specific tasks

Ongoing general tasks

involve actions that are continuous and repetitive and rely on incremental progress toward the ultimate or global goal ex: attending classed on a regular basis

Ethical persuasion

involves a conversation of mutual respect between you and the client in which alternative goals are explore and advantages and disadvantages of a goal decision are reviewed

Covert goals

involves changing thoughts or feelings

Baseline measures

measurements taken before implementing change-oriented interventions - provide a baseline against which measures of progress and measures at termination and follow-up can be compared - single-subject design - most practical way in which you can track & evaluate progress over a period of time

Secondary supervision

provide you with access to a qualified professional, making it possible for you to contract for goals beyond your scope under the professional's guidance - generally restricted to a specific case

Task/objective

represent the incremental action steps taken toward the desired outcome & within a designated time frame

Overt goals

requires action

SMART goals

specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, timely - providing focus & direction to the work to be completed by social worker and client

Goal statement

the agreement that becomes the focus of the work to be completed by the social worker and client

Goals function best when

they are linked to a specific concern or problem & have clear performance standards

Focus for change

typically involves interpersonal subsystems & interaction with the social & physical environment

Reframing

useful technique for reducing reactance, facilitating a workable agreement, and increasing the client's motivation

To avoid "one-size-fits-all" with program objectives

you should selectively include program objectives in the case goal or treatment plan as they pertain to & fit with the unique situation of each client, much as how priority concerns and goals are linked

Contracts

Tools that detail the agreement between you & the client - might be referred as service agreements, behavioral contracts, or treatment plans

Feasibility of involuntary clients' mandated case plans

1. Can the required goals be attained within the time limits? 2. When the client expresses frustration is this views as a lack of motivation or opposition? 3. What is the level of progress that would satisfy the court mandate? 4. Does the client have the resources or knowledge to achieve the goal? 5. Are there interpersonal, interpersonal, or environmental barriers to goal attainment? 6. What opportunities & challenges are there in the client's relationship? Need to assess cookie cutter & kitchen sink goals b/c they can add to the tension & distress that a client experiences Ethical responsibility to increase the likelihood that a client with your help is able to achieve program requirements or mandate goals Assume responsibility for helping the client to partialize & prioritize the various goal requirements

Assist clients in making a clear choice about committing themselves to specific goals

1. Clients rate their level of commitment on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 represents "extremely uncertain or uncommitted" & 10 represents "optimistic, eager to start, and totally committed" 2. If hesitant - explore the basis for misgivings or reservations, also explore the extent to which a concern is causing the problem

Means of monitoring progress

1. Comparing ratings from one session to the next & over a period of time provides a rough estimate of progress 2. When a narrative progress review is a part of each session, it can serve the function of monitoring progress (goal & task form) 3. Frequency may be negotiated with the client 4. Devoting some time at least every other session to review progress is advisable

Qualitative measurements

1. Consistent with narrative & social constructivism approaches 2. Provide a more complete picture of the contextual conditions & dimensions in which changed occurred 3. Useful with minors - personal stories & subjective 4. Process of data collection - more open-ended & allow clients to express their reality & experience, frame of reference, or cultural realities 5. Descriptive information change can be expressed in graphs, pictures, diagrams, or narratives 6. Ensure credibility, dependability, & confirmability 7. Require systematic observation & may involve multiple points of triangulated observations

Stipulations for renegotiating the contract

1. Contracting within a brief time frame assume that when goals are met, a change or significant reduction in the target problem will occur 2. Contracting continue during the entire helping process 3. Renegotiating a contract with clients can occur when their circumstance change or new facts emerge and the process evolves 4. The contract should be continually reviewed & updated to ensure its relevance & fit

Guidelines for obtaining baseline measures

1. Define the target measurement in clear & operational terms 2. Be sure your measures relate directly and specifically to the goals targets for change 3. Use multiple measures & instruments when necessary 4. Measures should be obtained under relatively consistent conditions 5. Baseline measures are not relevant when clients present with discrete goals (they did it or not)

Definitions & specifications of the behavior to be changed

1. goals should be tailored to individual needs - participation is important so minor can have insight about potential barriers to goal achievement 2. partialize goals & tasks/objective so that they are more manageable and progress is observable 3. use visual aids, metaphors, stories, & games to facilitate goal development and encourage the use of creative metaphors to facilitate motivation 4. language used must be familiar & relevant to the minor 5. reactions to developing goals tend to be situation specific 6. Minors develop scripts about themselves, the social environment in which their relationships are formed, and their styles of problem solving 7. Understanding & emphasizing with the biological, social, & psychological stressors experienced at this stage of developments 8. Resourceful solutions can be especially useful - solutions that allow them to save face & feel empowered & involved

Prioritizing & partializing mandated goals

1. involve developing a definitive plan that focuses on the requirements of greatest significance 2. may require you to act as a mediator between client & county 3. advocacy on behalf of client

Goals should be consistent with the functions of the agency

1. it is appropriate for you to assist them in obtaining the needed services by making a referral to an appropriate agency 2. useful to make the call to the agency while the client is with you

Involuntary status

1. might be hesitant to cooperate in a process in which they may perceive themselves as having limited power & control with regard to goal decisions 2. response may be highly charged & emotion focused, with a presentation of self based on their perception of your authority 3. social distance (caused by perceptions of race, class, and/or cultural difference) between you & the client as well as your privileged status as a professional 4. bring attention to the context of the potential dynamics - begin by inviting involuntary clients to tell their story so that they feel heard, understood, & involved - gain an understanding of their perception of the problem 5. supporting their self-efficacy & using facilitative skills - build trust

Retrospective estimates of baseline behaviors

1. most preferable method b/c of time 2. Ask the client to estimate the incidence of the behavior across a specified time interval, which may range from a few minutes to one fay depending on the usual frequency of the target behaviors

Strategies for developing goals with involuntary clients

1. motivational congruence 2. agreeable mandate 3. let's make a deal 4. getting rid of the mandate

Partializing Goals

1. partialize goals into manageable parts 2. consistent with social work commitment to empowerment, especially in facilitating clients' ability to make decisions and to achieve desired outcomes

Values & beliefs

1. paying attention to & respecting the values & beliefs of each client is consistent with the principles of valuing the unique reality of the persons & their situations 2. ignoring views & goals aspiration can disrupt the goal development process & may lead to ethical conflicts 3. clients tend to make choices & express values that are consistent with their circumstances & worldview as well as their perception of the resources available to them 4. their perspective that should guide the goal decision 5. should respect & support self-determination - may look for opportunities to provide clients with information or to suggest more ambitious goals then they envision 6. exploring the extent to which these cultural distinctions are pertinent to the clients you are working with

Resources & Supports

1. personal motivation, skills, & strengths are among the eminent resources that facilitate the development and pursuit of goals 2. what resources& support are needed and available that can enhance the capacity of the client to pursue a desired outcome? 3. resources - family & supportive kinship network - the extent to which the family, culture, or social networks can be involved should be explored - decision to include family should be made by client - respecting the client's preference be it based

Avoid agreeing to goals about which you have major reservations

1. professional values & goal tensions 2. referrals as a resource 3. ethical and legal tensions

Ethical & legal tensions

1. responding to the legal choice may be unjust & undermine your ethical obligation to the client 2. the feasibility of goals can also be influenced by both legal & ethical concerns 3. social worker may be required to act as cultural interpreters & advocates in legal matters

Referrals as a resource

1. self-reflection questions 2. tension between self-determination & your reservations poses an ethical dilemma for which you will need to seek supervision or consultation 3. tensions can occur when the evidence-based practices that an agency has implemented are incompatible with what an individual client wants/needs 4. if determined referral is best - explain the reason for referring the client to another professional and to obtain the client's consent

Goals should be stated in positive terms that emphasize growth

1. should highlight the benefits or gains to the client as a result of their attainment 2. psychologically, positive goals that have clear performance standards enhance motivation and mitigate conscious or unconscious opposition to change

Informative event or critical incidence

A qualitative method that may be used to measure and monitor change - Seeks to determine whether intended or unintended gains can be attributed to a particular event or action - Event or action referred to as therapeutic effects, turning points, or logical analysis effects - Individuals are ale to put their feelings and thoughts into words

Getting ride of the mandate

Appeal to the client's desire to be free of the restraints imposed by a mandate or referral source - appeals to the client's motivation

Motivational congruence

As a social worker you work on target goals that are personally meaningful to the client & also satisfy the requirements of the mandate - goals are more likely to succeed & result in longer-lasting change when they are meaningful to the client than when motivation & commitment are focused on escaping a sanction or gaining a reward - goal selection & definition should include their view of the problem in addition to the problem description in the mandate - give opportunity for involuntary clients to express their opinion of problems or situations that result in the mandate - describe in expressions of anger, frustration, fear, and even outrage - what are the agency's goals for this clients?/ what are the client's goals & values?

Let's Make a Deal

Bargaining strategy - private concerns of the involuntary client are combined with the problem that predicate the mandate or referral

Legal mandate or case plan

Details the concern on which the contract is based and the expected outcome - can include concerns & goals that are important to the client

determine client's readiness for goal negotiation - voluntary client

Determining whether they are prepared to identify specific goals may begin with a summary of their priority concerns - essential to determine b/c clients can be at different starting points & have varying levels of confidence

Readiness of involuntary clients

Educating clients about the purpose & function of goals may be the first step in creating an atmosphere in which a discussion about what is required by a mandate can occur 1. The mandate - review the mandate & specify what is expected 2. Specificity - explain the intent of goals provides specificity & indicates that the client is able to retain some control lover his life 3. Level of freedom - gives the client a choice by which he can feel motivated & empowered, ensuring participation 4. Client's viewpoint - contextual meaning is important 5. Involving client in setting goals 6. Measuring progress - clarifies for the client the focus of the mandate & the importance of demonstrating progress to prevent further action by the court

Goal & task form

Enables you and your client to evaluate tasks or action steps as instrumental strategies to goal attainment as well as evaluate the status of the goals

Agreeable Mandate

Entails a search for common ground that bridges the differing views of the involuntary client & the court - involve reframing the definition of the problem in such a sway that it adequately addresses the concern identified in the mandate or referral source while simultaneously responding to the concerns of the client - when a client has intense feelings about his behavior, self-reflection can be an intermediate step to goal selection

Goals should be commensurate with the knowledge & skills of the practitioner

Ethical responsibility to the client and to the profession that you engage in practice within the scope of your knowledge, ability, & skill level

Ecomap

Examines the relationship between a family & other social system, identifying areas of tension or conflict as well as potential resources - may be used pre- & post-intevention to graphically track change in the tension or conflict lines that were identified as target problems

Contingency contract

Quid pro quo Identifies a desired behavior change on the part of all parties involved. It fulfillment to the other parties' behaviors

In defining explicit goals & ongoing general tasks - identifying the level of desired change

Goals: involve ongoing behavior, growth is potentially infinite so it is desirable to determine the extent of the change or the scope of the solution sought by the client or mandate Advantage: you & the client mutually agree to the ends sought by the latter Social work role: assist each participant to develop a goal that is consistent with his expected & desired level of goal attainment

Oral contracts

Include the same provisions as written but lack the formality, sterility, & finality of a written contract - questions of informed consent

Child safety plan

Intermediate or short-term behavioral & treatment plans related to a specific incident or behavior may be developed - specifies that a parent call a relative when his frustration reaches a point at which the potential for hitting the child exists

Is the minor voluntary or involuntary?

Involuntary: may be hesitant to participate and set goals; minor's feelings should be recognized as valid relative to their self-definition, especially within their peer or reference group Voluntary: might feel that seeking help portrays they as being less adequate in the context of their peer relationships

Measurement of progress

Involves the precise definition of the problem and what is to be changed, and it clarifies the observation to be made that indicate progress toward the identified goal

Goals must be feasible

Motivated by self-direction: clients are capable of accomplishing the goals that they set for themselves - important that you affirm their sense of self by exploring the feasibility of selected goals 1. How can I affirm clients' goals & reinforce and support their motivation without participating in a potential situation in which they could become discouraged? 2. How can I assist clients to partialize goals and to develop incremental tasks or objectives so that their goals can be realistically achieved? 3. What are realistic & measurable expectations as to what can feasibly be achieved within a give time period?

Monitoring progress & evaluation

Ongoing review of the status of goals & related tasks or action steps is necessary in order to determine their effectiveness relative to changing the target concern

Combining methods for measuring & evaluating

Quantitative measures provide statistical data & qualitative methods enrich the data with descriptive information

Reactive effects

Represent a source of contamination that confounds the effect of the interventions being tested

"Everything but the kitchen sink" case plan goals

including everything possible to fix the client without prioritizing the goals or assessing their feasibility

Evaluating your practice

The process not only informs you & the client about the effectiveness of a strategy but also provides you with evaluative information about your own practice 1. Is the client making progress toward a goal? 2.Is what I am doing with the client working, and if not, what changes do I need to make? 3. Do I need to consult with a supervisor? 4. Is my practice consistent with the ethical standards and principles of the profession of social work?

YAVIS

Young, articulate, verbal, intelligent, and successful, and most often voluntary in their contact with helping professionals - resulting in discrimination

Stage of development - minor, power

Younger minor - sensitive to power, have a tendency to want to please, & are especially conscious of how they are evaluated by others Older minor- tend to be fiercely protective of their identity, independence, and autonomous locus of control - be aware of the characteristic behavior associated with the developmental stage

Behavioral contrast

generally specify goals, the action required, expected outcomes, contingency rewards, and consequences

Without client participation

goals may be developed that are counterproductive to his needs, cause stress, & potentially reinforce a sense of marginalization that mirrors the experience of oppression & inequality

Shared goals

help in common & agreed upon by members of the system - all participants agree to act or behave in certain way