Evaluation of social services and social work services hold a distinct relevance in the actual political, economical and social context of Romania, which is "characterized by ill-timed and reductionist changes in social policies and social services without an informed estimation of the consequences of those decisions" (Personal Communication with Rodica Dinea, September 2010). Currently, the dominant state in the majority of institutions and organizations providing social services in our country is characterized by: overloading the staff with job duties, under the drastic reduction of wages; demoralization and semi-depression of human resources. Therefore, this thematic issue of the Social Work Review, focused mainly on the evaluation of social services, opportunities and risks that may be associated with it, is necessary and useful for all stakeholders from this field.
When this issue of the Social Work Review will see the light of printing, it will mark the 20th anniversary of reinventing in Romania the higher education of social work, at the University of Bucharest, at “Babes-Bolyai” University from Cluj-Napoca, and at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University from Iasi. The fact that this is the first thematic issue dedicated to the evaluation of social services by a Romanian journal, active in social sciences after 1990, can also be explained by the stage of development of social work and social services in our country, which are still in their youth.
The evaluation concept is used in the field of social services and social work with several meanings, among which we distinguish the following: evaluation as applied social research, evaluation as a function of program management or managerial and decision-making tool, evaluation as part of social work process - either the initial stage as needs assessment, either the final one as outcomes oriented evaluation – in the direct practice.
The actual volume of Social Work Review includes studies and articles focused mainly on evaluation of social services (in the limited sense of the word), but also in related areas such as evaluation of direct practice in social work and the evaluation of field instruction training of professionals in the universities. The notions of social service and social program are used interchangeably. In its limited acception, the essence of social services evaluation is “the use of social research procedures to systematically investigate the effectiveness of social intervention programs "(Rossi et al., 1999, p.4). This comprises both evaluation of primary and specialized social work services and other social service evaluations, in agreement with their definition and typologies stipulated by Romanian law in force, so as to the commonly known sense of the term in specialized international literature.
“Scoping diversity, both in epistemological and methodological terms, evaluation presents opportunities and challenges in overcoming the period of application of research in evaluation and in strengthening a body of theoretical and methodological knowledge able to structure a new profession, the one of an evaluator. Beyond the differences between quantitative and qualitative, evaluation of the programs, it seems to build a reconciliation land, a compromise enabled from practical needs and requirements to improve social programs. Discussions between the uses of qualitative versus quantitative methods have collected pros and cons arguments, with inconsistent directions of science: objectivity versus subjectivity, realism versus relativism, positivism versus constructivism. Therefore, there are various ways to address these challenges, either from abstract to concrete (at the ontological level methodology) or vice versa (of particular data to theories)" (Personal Communication with Ştefan Cojocaru, October 2010).
Evaluation of social services is an interdisciplinary domain, aspect reflected
in the content of this volume also. The authors of the articles included in this issue of the journal enrich the field of social services evaluation and the evaluation of social work practice by blending approaches based on their various professional specializations: social work, sociology, psychology, management, social theology, law, and public administration. The contents of this volume present and shade diverse perspectives on the evaluation of social services and social work practice: the research one, the evidence-based and evidence-informed one, political, legal, economic, ethical, and not least a cross-cultural perspective. The cultural diversity of the authors (originating from three continents and seven countries) and the approaches they present are certainly a strong point of this volume.
In the current issue of Social Work Review, the evaluation of social services is centered around the following key dimensions: theories and models of evaluation (i.e. models to assess social entrepreneurship); the use and utility of evaluation; creation and support of all organizational processes through evaluation capacity building (ECB), in order to increase the quality of evaluation and its use; research methodology of evaluation - the presentation of the diversity of its design, methods, techniques and tools for data collection and analysis, of the usefulness of different methodologies, methodological challenges and difficulties -; the section about practice of social services evaluation comprises both empirical research - evaluating the programs offered to certain vulnerable groups -, and research oriented on a broader context and implications at the community level of the delivery of public services in general and the social services delivery in particular. This area also includes examples of good practice from local and regional public administration, which resulted in improving the quality of social services and increasing their efficiency.
In an era of responsibility, accountability, performance and transparent use of public money and also in the complex and dramatic crisis from Romania, shown at the political, economic and social level, social services and social work can expect not only to survive, but to produce performance, using the evaluation process as an adjuvant in their development. Surely social services evaluation is not only an opportunity for social development, but it entails some risks, depending on who and how is using it. The consequences of evaluation are destructive when evaluation becomes false-evaluation or pseudo-evaluation and when evaluative abuses are made.
In response to actual social needs, the impact of social services can and should continue to be positive, improving the quality of life of the beneficiaries in local and county communities and preventing serious imbalances in society as a whole. To achieve such desirable outcomes, the organizations and institutions providing social services need to become innovative, to promote new and undiscovered projects, to initiate and develop entrepreneurial leadership, the one who must perform different responsibilities and tasks in comparison with the leadership focused on the current operation, routinely.
Bibliography:
Rossi, P. H., Freeman, H.E., Lipsey, M.W., (1999), Evaluation, A Systematic Approach, 6th Edition, Thousand Oaks/London/New Delhi, Sage Publications
„Babeş-Bolyai” University Cluj-Napoca, Sociology and Social Work Faculty, B-dul 21 Decembrie 1989, No.128, 400604 Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Tel: + 40-264-424674, E-mail: ncneamtu10@yahoo.com or ncneamtu@socasis.ubbcluj.ro
