Planning and Contracting Chapter 12 Techniques and Guidelines for Direct Practice.

Planning and Contracting

Chapter 12

Techniques and Guidelines for Direct Practice

Introduction

• Planning is the bridge between assessment and intervention.

• It begins with specifying goals the client hopes to achieve, then identifying what changes need to be made to achieve those goals, selecting from among alternative change strategies the interventions most likely to reach the goals, and establishing timelines for completing those actions.

Introduction

• Action without a clear plan is a recipe for failure.• Effective planning places a special demand on

the creativity of the social worker and the willingness of the client to consider alternative courses of action.

• The worker should base the planning decisions on hard facts and objective evidence that was collected during the data collection and assessment phase.

Introduction

• Once a plan has been developed, it is important for the worker and clients to develop a contract (i.e., an agreement between the worker and client that spell out the activities to be conducted by each, along with a timetable for action during the intervention phase).

• A contract can be written, oral, or even implied agreement, although the more specific the contract, the more likely it is to prevent misunderstandings.

Introduction

• A contract should delineate the following:– Problems or concerns to be addressed.– Goals and objectives of the intervention.– Activities the client will undertake.– Tasks to be performed by the worker.– Expected duration of the intervention (in weeks or

months).– Schedule of time and place for interviews.– Identification of other persons, agencies, or

organizations expected to participate and clarification about what they will be expected to contribute to the change process.

Techniques and Guidelines for Direct Practice

• When working with individuals, families, and groups during the planning and contracting phase, the social worker should pay particular attention to the principles of maximizing client participation and self-determination.

• It is the clients who must live with the outcome resulting from the plans selected and the accompanying interventions.

Techniques and Guidelines

• The worker should recognize that the client should have the following rights:– Make decisions and have input concerning

the intervention goals and objectives, as well as the general approach to be used to reach those goals.

– Know what approach the worker proposes to use, the likelihood of success, and if there are any anticipated risks or adverse effects associated with the proposed intervention.


• Rights (continue):– Know how long the intervention will last and/or

about how long it will take to achieve the agree upon objectives.

– Know how much time and money will be required of the client.

– Know any consequences for terminating the intervention against the advice of the social worker or agency.


• Rights (continue);– Know what rules of confidentiality apply and

who else will have access to information about the client’s participation and the outcome of the intervention.

– Know how the success of the intervention will be evaluated.

– Know about appeals or grievance procedures that can be used to challenge a decision made by the social worker or agency.

Planning Activities

• Some of the most critical decisions a social worker must make occur as part of planning. These can have lifelong consequences for a client.

• One possible mistake is to move too quickly toward selecting and planning an intervention after having spent too little time clarifying the client’s problem or concern and exploring possible options on how to improve the client’s situation.

Planning Activities

• A related error is to make decisions on the basis of untested assumptions without probing for underlying factors that may contradict the client’s or the worker’s presumption about the nature and cause of the client’s presenting concerns.

• Mistakes may result when the worker considers only a narrow range of alternative strategies for change due to hurried decision making, laxness, or rigid interpretation of agency policy.

Contracting Activities

• The best plans are of little value if there is not clear agreement and understanding about how they will be implemented.

• The greater specificity about who will do what, when, and how, the greater the chances of the plan being fully implemented.

• The discipline of carefully developing a contract is often reassuring to clients, while also encouraging the social worker to rethink steps that may have become routine.

Selecting Target Problems and Goals

• A goal is a desired end toward which an activity is directed.

• This goal should logically flow from prior data gathering and assessment that examined both the client’s strengths and resources and his or her problems and needs.


• Goals of interventions include:– Learn a skill or acquire needed knowledge.– Make an important decision.– Gather information needed to make a plan or make a

decision.– Assess a problem or concern.– Make a plan.– Change a behavior.– Alter attitudes about self or about some other

person(s).


• Goals of interventions (continue):– Gather information about availability of certain types

of services or programs.– Become linked to or enrolled in a program or service

provided by some agency or professional.– Rebuild a damaged relationship.– Change the way life circumstances or a life event is

perceived or interpreted.– Achieve a more satisfactory adjustments to an

unchangeable condition or situation.


• The worker and client must devote considerable time to the task of priority setting in order to decide which of the client’s many problems and concerns should become target problems for intervention.

• Until those decisions are made, they cannot formulate a feasible intervention plan.


• The following steps will help the client and worker set priorities:– The client identifies and lists what they see as

problems or concerns.– The social worker offers their

recommendations and explains why they also need to be considered (mandated problems).

– The problems and concerns are reviewed and sorted into logical groupings or combinations so that interrelatedness is identified.


• Priorities (continue):– The client examines the list and selects the

two or three problems or concerns of highest priority.

– The worker selects the two or three items they consider to be of highest priority.

– Together the client and worker discuss the concerns identified in steps 4 and 5 and examine them against the following criteria:


• Criteria:– Which ones weigh most heavily on the client’s

situation?– Which ones, if not addressed and corrected,

would have the most negative and far-reaching consequences for the client?

– Which ones, if addressed and corrected, would have the most positive effects on the client?


• Criteria (continue):– Which ones are of greatest interest to the

client?– Which ones can be addressed and corrected

with only a moderate investment of time, energy, or resources?

After considering these criteria, the three problems of highest priority are selected.

Consider who in the client’s support system will either assist or sabotage the change effort.

The Problem Search

• The problem search can be viewed as a mini contract or an agreement to spend a couple of sessions trying to determine whether a problem exists and if so, whether it should be addressed.

• It is used when the client has been referred by an authoritative agency or by their family but does not acknowledge the existence of a problem or the client has requested a specific agency service but, in the worker’s opinion, it is desirable to help the client expand that request or redefine the presenting problem.

The Problem Search

• The social worker moves these four steps:– Explain why you are suggesting a further

exploration of the client’s situation.– Solicit the client’s thoughts and feedback on

the proposal.– Set up a plan for a future meeting.– Identify two or three topics to be discussed.

Using Checklists in Goal Selection

• This tool is a list of possible intervention goals from which the client can select ones that are relevant to their situation.

• A worker familiar with the problems and concerns of a particular client group can easily construct a goal checklist.

• A goal checklist can also be translated into a format for evaluating client perceptions of the progress achieved during an intervention.

The Client Needs Checklist

• A needs list is a tool used to guide case management activities related to a certain category of clients.

• A needs list reminds all involved of the many concerns that should be addressed in a service plan.

• The client needs list is especially useful when the case-planning activity is being performed by a multi-agency or a multi-disciplinary team.

Formulating Intervention Objectives

• Unless there are clear objectives for an intervention, the helping process will flounder and its evaluation will be impossible.

• Although the terms goals and objectives are often used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing.

• A goal is usually a broad and rather global statement.

• An objective is more specific and written in a manner that allows and facilitates measurement and evaluation.


• A properly written objective will answer a five-part question:– Who…– Will do what…– To what extent…– Under what conditions…– By when?


• When developing an objective, it is important not to confuse input with outcome.

• Positive language should be used whenever possible, the words used should describe what the client will do, not what the client will not do.

• It is important that objectives be formulated in behavioral language- using words that describe observable actions in terms of their frequency, duration, and intensity.


• A timeframe is an essential part of an objective. An objective should not take more than a few weeks to accomplish.

• The client needs to see evidence of progress.

• In working toward a single goal, a client may need to achieve several objectives, and in order to achieve objectives, they may need to complete numerous tasks.


• A properly developed objective meets the following criteria:– It usually starts with the word to, followed by

an action verb.– It specifies a single result or outcome to be

accomplished.– It specifies a target date for its

accomplishment.– It is as specific and quantitative as possible

and hence, measurable.


• Objective criteria (continue):– It is understandable by the client and others

who will be contributing to or participating in the intervention.

– It is realistic and attainable but still represents a significant challenge.

– It is agreed to by both client and worker without pressure or coercion.

– It is consistent with agency policies and with the social work Code of Ethics.

Written Service Contracts

• A written service contract is a document that specifies the desired outcome of the service(s) to be provided, the key actions that will be taken to achieve this outcome, and the major roles and responsibilities of those involved in this effort.

• Except in those cases in which the contract is written into a court order, a service contract is not viewed as legally binding.

• These contracts are also known as service agreement, case plan, treatment plan, intervention plan or individual family support plan.


• A service contract should answer the following questions:– What is the desired outcome of the worker’s

and/or agency’s service to the client?– What is to be done by the client? By when?– What is to be done by the client’s significant

others? By when?– What is to be done by the worker and other

agency staff? By when?


• Service contracts (continue):– What services are to be obtained from other

agencies? By when?– What events will trigger a reassessment of the

client’s situation and/or a revision of the service contract?

– What are the consequences, if any, for not adhering to the plan?

Making Use of Informal Resources

• When possible and appropriate, the intervention plan should utilize the informal resources available within the client’s social support network, such as their extended family, friends, neighbors, church groups, and service clubs.

• Informal resources can provide emotional support, material assistance, physical care, information, and the mediation of interpersonal conflict.


• Many people prefer the use of informal resources over formal ones, for several reasons:– No stigma is attached to informal resources.– Informal helping is available 24 hours a day, seven

days a week, at no cost.– One does not have to be categorized, labeled,

diagnosed.– Informal helping involves a reciprocal relationship

rather than the expert-client relationship that is so often a part of the professional helping process.


• A self-help group is usually considered to be an informal resource.

• Another important informal resource is the natural helper, an individual who has often resided in the community for a long time and is known for their ability to help others.

• Other natural helpers include respected elders, religious leaders and healers.


• When considering the appropriateness of looking to informal resources as a source of help and assistance for a client, the social worker should keep the following guidelines in mind:– The goal of practice is to help clients improve

their social functioning.– The client’s social support network should

always be viewed as a potential source of assistance.


• Guidelines (continue):– Some individuals are reluctant to join a

support group or self-help group because they do not want to admit that they have a problem.

– The ethical and legal codes concerning confidentiality need not be a barrier to the use of informal resources.

– Do not attempt to professionalize informal resources.

Planning and Contracting Chapter 12 Techniques and Guidelines for Direct Practice.

Documents

intervention goals

intervention phase

social worker

proposed intervention

introduction planning

client participation

direct practice slide

guidelines rights