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 AssessmentsinSocialServices
ByJaneGilgunSummary
 Assessmentinsocialservicesisacomplexprocessthatrequiresdisciplinedinquiryintofourmainareas:behaviors,meanings,resilienceprocesses,andresponsesofothers.Althoughcomplex,disciplinedinquiryleadstogentleconsiderationofhowserviceusersviewtheirownsituationsandthemeaningstheyattributetotheirownbehaviorsandtotheeventsintheirlives.Thisarticleprovidesaschematicormentalmapthatguidestheinquirywecallassessmentandthatalsohelpstoorganizecomplexinformationthatwerequireifweareto provideeffectivesocialservices.
AbouttheAuthor
JaneF.Gilgun,Ph.D.,LICSW,isaprofessor,SchoolofSocialWork,UniversityofMinnesota,TwinCities,USA.Shedoesresearchonfamiliesandchildrenwhohaveexperiencedadversities,howpersonsovercomeadversities,themeaningsofviolencetoperpetrators,andthedevelopmentofviolentbehaviors.ProfessorGilgunhasmanyarticles,books,andchildren’sstoriesavailableonscribd,Kindle,andiBooksforavarietyofe-readersandmobiledevices.
 
 AssessmentsinSocialServices
Understandingserviceusers
isessentialforeffectivepractice.Serviceprovidersattempttounderstandthroughaprocesscalledassessment.Assessmentmeansto“sitbeside,”suggestingthatprovidersandserviceusersareequals,eachinourownwaysseekingtopromotethebestinterestsofserviceusers.Asaprocess,assessmentrequiresdisciplinedinquiryintoaleastfourgeneralareasofserviceuserfunctioning.Theseareasarebehaviors,meanings,resilienceprocesses,andresponsesofotherswhoarepartofserviceusersystems.Bydisciplinedinquiry,Imeanthoughtfulattentiontothedetailsandmeaningsofthesefouraspectsofindividuallives.Throughdiscipline,weapproachservicesusersbelievingweknownothingaboutthemwhenwebegin.Weextendinvitationstoserviceuserstospeakwhileweprovideasmuchofasenseofsafetyaswecan.Wegivewell-timedcommentsandaskwell-timedquestions.Weobserveservice-useraffect,howtheysaywhattheysay,andwhentheyareafraidandnot.Wepayattentiontowhatisgoingonwithinusanddisciplineourselvesnottospeakaboutourselvesexceptwhendoingsopromotesserviceusers’interests.Mostlywelistenwithanopen-heartedandquietbenevolence.Assessmentisacomplexprocessthattakesplaceovertime.Thefourareasofserviceuserfunctioningareakindofmentalmaporschematicthatguidesusinourinquiriesandalsohelpsustoorganizethelargeamountsofinformationourinquiriesgenerate.
Behaviors
Weseektounderstandbehaviors.Whathappened?Whatisthesequenceofevents?Forexample,Jackieputcrackercrumbsinherparents’bed.Herfatherhither,andhermotheryelledather.Jackieyelledbackandranoutofthehouse.Jackiereturnedat8pm,anditwasdarkoutside.Herparentsweresoworriedabouther,theyyelledatherwhenshegotbackandsenthertobedwithoutsupper.Theygroundedherfortwoweeks.Jackieiseightyearsold.Asdisciplinedandrespectfulpractitioners,wecanempathizewiththeparentsandwithJackie,althoughwedon’tyetknowwhatactionscamebeforetheprecipitatingcrackercrumbincident.So,weafterweofferempathyforthedilemmathatparentsandchildarein,wegentlyinquireaboutwhathappenedbeforetheprecipitatingevent.Asserviceusersopenupthescenesoffamilylife,wegetabiggerandbiggerpictureoftheindividualandfamilyissuesandrelationshipsandtheeventsandrelationshipsthataffectfamilylife.
 
Soon,wehavecomplexunderstandingofaparticularsequenceofevents.Anynumberofothereventsandrelationshipscontributedtotheparticularsequencethatbeganourinquiry.Itisthetaskofserviceproviderstodevelopthisdeeperunderstanding.Ecomapsandgenogramscanhelpascanmanyothersourcesofinformationthattypicallygointounderstandingotherpersonsinsocialservices.Often,aNEATSassessmentcanbehelpful,whereserviceprovidersseektounderstandtheneurobiology,executivefunction,attachment,trauma,andself-regulationissuesinthefamilyinbothdevelopmentalandecologicalperspectives.TheNEATSisbothsimpleandcomplex,asisassessmentingeneral.Whatisimportantisanyassessmentisdisciplinedinquirythatcoverseachareaofclientfunctioningwell,whileserviceproviderskeepananalyticstancethatinvolveshearingclientsandholdingbackontheirowninterpretationsuntiltheyhavebroughttogetheragreatdealofinformation.
Meanings
Whiledevelopingunderstandingsofbehaviorsandsequencesofevents,wealsogetasenseofthemeaningseventshavetoindividualsinvolved.Eachpersonwhoispartofafamilyandpartofsystemsthatinteractwithfamilieshashisorherownparticularsenseofthemeaningsofvariousevents.ForJackie,whatisbehindherputtingcrackercrumbsinherparents’bed?Whatdoesdoingthatmeantoher?ServiceprovidersgetatthesemeaningsbyaskingwhathappenedrightbeforeJackieputthecrumbsinthebed.Suchanactioncouldhavearevengemotive.Jackiemayhavebeengettingbackatherparentsbecausesheexperiencedthemasdoingsomethinghurtfultoher.AnotherpossibleexplanationisthatJackiemayhavebeenfeelingleftout.Maybesheexperiencesherparentsasintoeachotherandnotenoughintoher.Ifsheputscrumbsintheirbed,theywouldnotice,andtheymightevennoticeher.ForJackie,negativeattentionmightbebetterthannoattentionatall.Serviceproviderscanaskquestionsthatstickcloselytoserviceusers’accountsofevents.Whateverthemeaningsare,itisJackiewhosayswhattheyare.Serviceprovidersdisciplinethemselvestolistenandtoholdbackontheirownpettheoriesortheirownunexaminedassumptions.Theirjobistounderstandserviceusermeanings.Soitgoes,bitbybit,serviceprovidersdiscoverthemeaningsofbehaviorsforeachpersoninvolved.Theykeeptheirownmeaningsseparatefromthemeaningsthatserviceusersattributetotheirownbehaviors.
ResilienceProcesses
Resilienceprocessesareindicatorsthatserviceusershavecapacitiestocopewith,adaptto,orovercomeadverselifeevents.ServiceproviderspayattentiontoindicatorsthatserviceusershavecapacitiesforresilienceSometimesserviceuserlifecircumstancesaresodifficultthattheonlyevidenceofeffectivecopingisthatserviceusersarestillalive.InthecaseofJackie,ifherparents’behaviorshadhurther,andshewasseekingrevenge,then
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