Client Satisfaction and Empowerment Through Social Work Intervention

Abstract

This study examines the utility of satisfaction questionnaires in gauging the effectiveness of social work services in a paediatric hospital setting. Participants completed an empowerment scale before seeing a social worker. Approximately four weeks later, participants completed the empowerment scale again, at which time they also completed a satisfaction questionnaire. The difference between the pre- and post-test empowerment scores was compared with the satisfaction scores, and the influence of some demographic and intervention variables was examined. The results indicated that there was no significant relationship between participants' reported level of satisfaction with the social work service provided and the change in participants' empowerment scores before and after intervention. Most demographic and intervention variables tested did not yield any significant associations with satisfaction or change in empowerment. However, it was found that those who received both counselling and practical assistance (rather than only one or the other) and those with a higher level of education were more likely to report an increase in their level of empowerment after receiving social work intervention. This study lends further support to the contention that satisfaction questionnaires alone may not provide reliable information with regard to the utility and effectiveness of paediatric hospital social work intervention.

Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment of Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Examining the Differences Between Public Assistance Recipients and Nonrecipients

“…The FES has been adapted and used in several studies (Florian & Elad, 1998;Walsh & Lord, 2004), including research with women who were battered (Itzhaky & Porat, 2005). The original scale has demonstrated reliability and validity with a kappa coefficient of .77 and alpha coefficients ranging from .87 to .88 for each of the subscales (Koren et al, 1992).…”

The relationship between subjective outcome evaluation and objective outcome evaluation findings: evidence from China

“…There are several possible explanations for the divergent findings. First, the lack of significant findings might be due to the use of measures without sound psychometric properties [23]. Second, the non-significant findings reported in previous studies [36,37] may be due to the use of a small sample size.…”

“…Shek [22] pointed out that, although subjective outcome evaluation was commonly conducted in human services settings, the utility of such data is not clear in some studies [23]. On the one hand, there are criticisms that subjective outcome evaluation findings are misleading because the related scores are commonly high and overall satisfaction is not equivalent to program effectiveness.…”

Familles de jeunes enfants présentant des incapacités intellectuelles : étude des besoins et du sentiment d’appropriation du pouvoir

“…ex., dans le plan d'intervention sur les différents domaines de développement de l'enfant) (Graves & Shelton, 2007;MacMullin, Viecili, Cappadocia, & Weiss, 2010). Ainsi, certains auteurs (Walsh & Lord, 2004) montrent que si les professionnels offrent une faible diversité d'informations aux parents, ceux-ci ont de la difficulté à se sentir compétents et confiants, et à agir comme principaux acteurs dans les choix et les décisions les concernant.…”