Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
Program Transcript
AVON: ItÂ’s nice to meet you, Ariana. Everything youÂ’ve told me so far about the family
therapy programs offered as part of your Domestic Violence Services is very helpful and
informative. You really helped me describe the program.
ARIANA: My pleasure. We are very passionate about helping our clients and supporting
the community. One question concerns me, though: is my participation in this program
evaluation going to be used on my performance evaluation? I donÂ’t see how it
couldn’t—I mean, you’ll basically be compiling data on client outcomes. I feel like I’m
going to be judged . . . like thereÂ’s someone looking over my shoulder.
DECISION POINT 1
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: I hear your concerns about being judged and your fears about
intrusion, but I wouldnÂ’t worry. If youÂ’re not comfortable with any of the questions, you
do not have to answer, and all information will be kept strictly confidential. No one else
in the agency will be able to identify your specific information.
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 1
RESPONSE OPTION 2: I hear your concerns about being judged and your fears about
intrusion. However, I can assure you that a program evaluation is not technically a
performance appraisal. I wonÂ’t be sharing detailed information with your supervisor in
such a way that it could be attributed to you directly. Likewise, cumulative data across
your caseload wonÂ’t be used to affect any type of performance appraisal. Our focus is
on the program—on how things are working at a systems or more integrated level than
just one person. The entire process is meant to improve your performance in order to
better serve your clients.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 1
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Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
This response opens the door to the stakeholder withholding information or being
hesitant in providing information although the stakeholder does have that right.
An outside evaluator would de-identify the data, so that part of the answer is
correct unless there are legal concerns. An internal process evaluation does
have the chance of violating confidentially norms, especially in cases of legal
concerns.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 1 Again
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
It would be unethical to allow for information or data from a program evaluation to
affect a social workerÂ’s performance appraisal. A program evaluation is focused
on the overall system, not on singling out individuals. If subjects feel they are
being singled out, it can skew results.
o Click Here to Continue to Decision Point 2
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Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
DECISION POINT 2
AVON: Thank you for meeting me today. I understand that youÂ’ve shown an interest in
participating in the evaluation for Life House. Our goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of
certain programs so various stakeholders can make decisions about funding, staffing,
and things like that. Before we start on the details, have any questions come up since
learning about this evaluation?
SHAWNA: Well, I am nervous. Is my ability to keep coming here going to be affected by
this? What if I’m honest about something that gets someone in trouble—or worse—
causes this place to close down? I did agree, itÂ’s true, but I felt like it I had to, you
know?
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: First, I understand why you might be nervous. What you say to
me is confidential, just like when you are in a session with your social worker or
therapist. If youÂ’re not comfortable with any of the questions, you do not have to answer,
and all information will be kept strictly confidential. No one else in the agency will be
able to identify your specific information. I canÂ’t make a promise, but an evaluation like
ours rarely causes the closure of an agency. But IÂ’d like to ask you a question: when
you say that you felt like you had to participate, did you feel pressured or forced into
participation?
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 2
RESPONSE OPTION 2: Given the agencyÂ’s reputation and the competency of the
therapists, they shouldnÂ’t hold it against you that you participated in this study. If you are
concerned, however, I certainly can find out about discussing it with your caseworker.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 2
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Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
This response employs good use of reflecting back to convey accurate
information about privacy and ethical issues. In addition, probing more deeply
about what the client meant about feeling she “had to” participate in the
evaluation is an appropriate way to ensure the evaluation is addressing all ethical
issues.
o Click Here to Continue.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
This response does not sufficiently convey the ways in which the client is
protected when participating in the evaluation as a human subject. The agency
providers are not allowed to speak to the client about an evaluation and would
not know whether a client accepted the invitation to participate. Also, there may
be something to discover from the client’s revelation that they felt they “had to”
participate.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 2 Again.
SHAWNA: Ok, so when I said, “I had to,” I didn’t mean that I was pressured or
something. ItÂ’s just that, well, this program is really important to me. I need it. It feels like
if I participate in this, I may be the cause of something bad happening. But what you say
about the privacy does help a little.
o Click Here to Continue to Decision Point 3.
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Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
DECISION POINT 3
AVON: Thank you for meeting with me today. I understand you are the coordinator on
the healthy parenting courses offered in the Child and Family Development Services
Program.
STEVE: Yes. I was there from the beginning, back when I first started at the agency
about 7 years ago. My mentor started it, and she really set the standard for our take on
these courses. I was very honored to take on the coordinator position after she retired.
This program is really meaningful.
So, IÂ’ll come right out and say that I am pretty uncomfortable with this evaluation. Why
canÂ’t I get feedback right away? I donÂ’t understand why you canÂ’t just communicate the
results right back to us, or even to me directly. That would be the best use, definitely
better than having all the execs talk about it and come up with some totally unrealistic
new policy that has no relation to how this place really works.
Review the two response options below. After reviewing both options, select the best
answer.
RESPONSE OPTION 1: I hear your frustration, and I see how your concerns are more
“on the ground” for your practice. This is a summative evaluation, but maybe we can get
you some feedback to course correct your implementation of the program.
REPONSE OPTION 1 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 3
RESPONSE OPTION 2: I hear your frustration, and I see how your concerns are more
“on the ground” for your practice. However, the evaluation focus on your program is
summative, meaning itÂ’s focused on objectively evaluating the effectiveness of the
services you are providing to clients. Providing you with feedback during the course of
the evaluation might cause you to change your approach, thereby compromising the
integrity of the data.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – CLICK HERE TO CHOOSE THIS RESPONSE FOR
DECISION POINT 3
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Life House Simulation: Stakeholder Meetings
REPONSE OPTION 1 – FEEDBACK
•
Although you reflected back your stakeholderÂ’s concerns, you would not be able
to promise this type of feedback. First, from an ethical standpoint, it would not be
appropriate. Additionally, the type of feedback cited here is actually aligned with
a formative evaluation.
o Click Here to Try Decision Point 3 Again.
REPONSE OPTION 2 – FEEDBACK
•
Great job. This choice would be an appropriate response.
o Click Here to Continue.
AVON: Another way to look at your concerns about leadership not understanding how
things work is to flip that thinking. A summative evaluation could mean that leadership
wants to better understand how the program works as a whole to provide supervisors
and program coordinators with valuable information to better serve clients.
•
Great Work! You have completed the scenario.
o Click Here to Try This Simulation Again.
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Required Readings
Grinnell, R. M., Jr., Gabor, P. A., & Unrau, Y. A. (2019). Program evaluation for social
workers: Foundations of evidence-based programs (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
•
Chapter 4, “Evaluation Standards” (pp. 57–68)
To Prepare
•
Read Chapter 4 of the course text.
•
Consider the impact politics might have on the following evaluation standards:
•
o
Utility
o
Feasibility
o
Propriety
o
Accuracy
Search for and select at least one additional empirical source to inform your approach
to stakeholder communication. Use the course text and the Assignment prompt to identify
keywords for your search.
Write a 2- to 3-page update to the executive director of Life House, reporting on your meetings
with the programÂ’s stakeholders. Your communication should:
Provide a brief overview of the stakeholders with whom you met.
Highlight any concerns that you would continue to address due to process, ethical, or efficacy
reasons.
Explain how these and other stakeholders might impact evaluation standards.
This is not limited to the list of stakeholders presented in the Life House program pamphlet nor
the interactive simulation video.
Describe how you will interact with these and other stakeholders in the future and the role
evaluation results will play in your interactions.
