Performance Measurement in Social Work: The Challenges of Developing a Performance Measurement Instrument in Collaboration with Social Workers

• In Event: Impact and Performance Measurement

Abstract

Social work organizations increasingly need to demonstrate how and whether or not they are performing in an effective and impactful manner. To provide this evidence, performance measurement tools are being introduced into social work practices. This means a shift from a "trust me" to a "prove me" culture, putting pressure on social work organizations not only to perform well but also to document and communicate about it in a clear way. This has led to a growing interest in performance measurement among social work organizations, leading them to develop their own performance measurement instruments. However, research shows that social work organizations face difficulties in developing such instruments. Especially when they want to take into account the co-determination of social workers and their clients. Through participatory observations, this research offers unique insights into the challenges related to the development process of a performance measurement instrument in which a social work organization attempts to implement co-determination work into the instrument by actively involving social workers in the development process. The research reveals challenges at three levels: (1) conceptualizing performance, (2) operationalizing performance into a measurement instrument, and (3) implementing the performance measurement instrument in the social work practice.

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Authors

• Elien Mathys, University of Antwerp

• Peter Raeymaeckers, University of Antwerp