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Using Rubrics to provide Strength-based Feedback for Social Work Assignments

Posted By Laurel Hitchcock on Feb 4, 2019 | 0 comments

Editor’s Note: I am excited to welcome back Kristen Samuels, MSW, MS, MEd , the Field Director for University of Phoenix’s Department of Social Work , for this month’s guest educator blog post. Back in December 2018, I sent a tweet asking for advice on how to improve my grading practices, and turned the responses from colleagues into a blog post . Kristen was one of those colleagues and I asked her to turn her own tweets about strength-based feedback and rubrics into this blog post. Kristen can be reached at [email protected], or @KristenMSamuels on Twitter.

I recently returned to the classroom as a student in an EdD program. Although I certainly struggle with the workload, committing to life-long learning and taking the role of the student has made me a better instructor. As I am reminded of the anxiety that comes with unclear expectations or inconsistent grading practices, I become more aware of my own approaches for delivering feedback in my online classrooms. In discussions with my peers about the rigor and intensity of the doctoral writing process, we reflected on our individual fears in presenting written assignments to any of our former professors. Writing is an incredibly complex and emotive process. Students are asked to read, comprehend, apply, analyze, summarize, etc., and then present content in an integrated, accurate, and convincing way. It would be easy to miss a step and lose confidence in our position, and in that way, students are vulnerable when turning in written assignments. After putting forward long thought-out interpretations and opinions of the material, it is difficult to not view feedback as a personal attack on our intelligence. We wind ourselves up in self-doubt, and add undue stress when we throw in the impossible task of deciphering tone from an instructor’s feedback.

Strength-based feedback for Social Work Assignments

For this reason, and particularly for us as Social Work educators, we owe it to our students to present feedback with care. This can be as simple as avoiding capitalizing words (the online equivalent of shouting), and intentionally leading/ending feedback with what the student has done well in the assignment. Research on feedback tells us that affirmative comments acknowledges students’ efforts and encourages learning, instead of emphasizing grades (Stipek & Chiatovich, 2017). It is also an excellent way to model strengths-based approaches with our students!

This does not ignore our responsibility to offer corrective feedback, but in a way that promotes growth and ensures comprehension of the course objectives. Providing specific comments in areas where points were lost, can signal need for additional review and points of focus for future submissions. As supported by Gallien & Oomen-Early (2008), our responses should be an even mix of acknowledging their strengths and noted growth, as well as include strategies to promote reflection and deeper learning.  The major dilemma for any social work educator is how to give thorough and timely individualized feedback, which is critical to student success and helps maintain academic standards long term, while managing the process of grading including the amount of time and energy needed.    

For example, written assignments take a significant amount of time to thoroughly read and provide substantive feedback on. If the course objectives are best met through this means of assessment, your time will be well spent if you develop a rubric at the same time as the assignment. The audience of this blog is likely familiar with the term “rubric”, but you may want to consider the phrase “grading guide” with your students.

I prefer to provide written feedback to my student’s as opposed to verbal feedback by recording my reactions. My reason for this is accessibility. Although we assume that our students are connected with the services and tools that they need to be successful for our online courses, not all students self-report their needs, and I do not want them to miss out on this critical piece of learning. If the tool is embedded in your learning management system (LMS) such as Voicethread, it likely meets your institutions accessibility standards and is a fine alternative.

How I develop a rubric

As an instructor, I begin by developing an assignment in alignment with the course objective(s), and simultaneously develop the rubric. The objective(s) to be assessed in your assignment should be directly reflected in the assignment instructions, and then mirrored in the rubric. For example, if your objective is to “Describe typical stages of grief and explain how cultural, religious, and spiritual practices affect the bereavement process”, the assignment should expand on your expectations, and a line of your rubric should reflect measurement of those goals.  For example:

Course objective to be assessed in this assignment: “Describe typical stages of grief and explain how cultural, religious, and spiritual practices affect the bereavement process.”

(Relevant portion of) Assignment instructions: Briefly describe each of the stages of grief from the text. Identify at least 3 examples of cultural, religious, or spiritual practices from the case study provided. How might this affect the clients’  bereavement process?

(Relevant portion of) Assignment Rubric:

Final comments: “Well done, Alex! You’ve earned XX out of XX points for this assignment. You’ve done well identifying and explaining the 5 stages of grief, and 3 examples of cultural practices that influenced the client’s bereavement. Your interpretation of the client’s spiritual ritual was fascinating, I hope you’ll share this perspective with the class in our discussion forum! I would add to your “bargaining” stage that this serves an important role for the client, where they temporarily escape from their pain and take time to process their new reality. In this stage the clients’ emotional needs are high, so it is important to review their support system of family and friends.  I am seeing marked improvement in your writing style and APA, thank you for your hard work! This attention to detail will pay off not only in the course, but long term in your documentation skills in practice. Remember that a “Writing Guide” is posted in our course homepage with additional support including samples, resources, and best practices in formal writing. Overall, well done this week, Alex, I’m looking forward to seeing your work in Week 3. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you before then!”

This final comments script can be easily altered for each student, keeping the basic framework and editing individual details. I prefer to use the indicators above – “Does not meet expectations”, “Approaches Expectations”, and “Meets Expectations” in my rubrics. I do not believe that “exceeding expectations” is fair to grade upon, but instead belongs in specific comments of praise and acknowledgement in the final feedback section. Generally, I develop my rubrics as follows:

• 70% content – listing each specific requirement to be addressed, as outlined in course/assignment objectives. Examples may include: Relevant content or analysis is accurately described and supported by research. Use of theory, examples, or other language are correct, comprehensive, and persuasive.
• 15% Organization and Structure – Effectively organized: introduction to provide background and preview points, body with logical transitions and appropriate tone, and conclusion reviewing major ideas.
• 15% Mechanics and APA – rules of grammar, spelling, usage, etc. are followed, intellectual property is appropriately cited consistent with APA formatting guidelines.

Designing detailed rubrics up-front saves time during the grading process. Making these available to the students along with assignment instructions clearly informs them of your expectations, provides them with an outline to organize their research, and helps minimize concerns of subjectivity in your grading process. It also speeds up the process for us as faculty, as you have already articulated what quality looks like in the final product, you simply need to provide detail on how they hit or fell short of these targets.

How do you use rubrics with your assignments?  Please post your comments and ideas below.

References:

Gallien, T., & Oomen-Early, J. (2008). Personalized versus collective instructor feedback in the online courseroom: Does type of feedback affect student satisfaction, academic performance and perceived connectedness with the instructor? International Journal on ELearning, 7 (3), 463-476. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/210354848? accountid =134061

Stipek, D., & Chiatovich, T. (2017). The effect of instructional quality on low- and high-performing students . Psychology in the Schools, 54 (8), 773–791. https://doi-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/10.1002/pits.22034

How to cite this blog post: Samuels, K. (2019, February 4). Using Rubrics to provide Strength-based Feedback for Social Work Assignments [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2019/02/04/using-rubrics-to-provide-strength-based-feedback-for-social-work-assignments/

Author: Laurel Hitchcock

Dr. Hitchcock served as the editor for this blog post. The author is the Guest Blogger (Social Work Educator or Student).

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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.

Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.

How to Get Started

Best practices, moodle how-to guides.

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Step 1: Analyze the assignment

The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
• Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
• What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
• How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?

Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use

Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point

Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.

Advantages of holistic rubrics:

• Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
• Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
• Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained

Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:

• Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
• Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
• Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric

Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.

Advantages of analytic rubrics:

• Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
• Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance

Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:

• More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
• May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
• May result in giving less personalized feedback

Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.

Advantages of single-point rubrics:

• Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
• Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
• Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
• May removes a focus on the grade/points
• May increase student creativity in project-based assignments

Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback

Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.

You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.

Step 4: Define the assignment criteria

Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.

  Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

• Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
• Brainstorm and discuss with students
• Can they be observed and measured?
• Are they important and essential?
• Are they distinct from other criteria?
• Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
• Revise the criteria as needed
• Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.

Step 5: Design the rating scale

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:

• Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
• How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
• Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
• Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.

Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale

Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.

Building a rubric from scratch

For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.

For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.

• Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
• You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
• For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Well-written descriptions:

• Describe observable and measurable behavior
• Use parallel language across the scale
• Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

Step 7: Create your rubric

Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric

Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric

Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:

• Teacher assistants

Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.

• Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
• Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
• Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
• Share and discuss the rubric with your students . Students should understand that the rubric is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
• Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
• Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.

Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper

Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper, single-point rubric, more examples:.

• Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
• Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
• A Rubric for Rubrics
• Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
• Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
• Math Proof Assessment Rubric
• Kansas State Sample Rubrics
• Design Single Point Rubric

Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle

• Moodle Docs: Rubrics
• Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)

Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)

• Google Assignments
• Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form

Other resources

• DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
• Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
• Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from   
• Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
• Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

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SCWK 4333: Social Work Practice I

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Component #3 Client engagement and bio-psycho-social assessment

• This is the first of a two-part assignment.
• Discussion of client engagement for this individual, including strategies you may use, potential power differences that may exist, and any personal issues that may arise for you in working with such an individual.
• Discussion of this individual, considering the bio-psycho-social assessment framework. This will include areas of client need, client strengths, all dimensions of the bio-psycho-social framework, and additional information you would need about the client’s situation to complete a comprehensive assessment.
• Review of relevant evidence regarding individuals like your character. You will be required to find and discuss two sources that describe characteristics of a population which the client is a member of and two sources that discuss services or interventions for the population.
• Short stories to choose from
• Detailed instructions and requirements
• Grading rubric
• Note: we will also all read one additional short story and use it as an example during class discussions to highlight 1) issues of engagement, assessment and planning in general and 2) the requirements of the assignment.  

Component #4 Client planning and evaluation

• This is the second part of the assignment using the short stories.
• An intervention plan including client goals, measurable objectives and specific interventions/actions.
• A discussion of why you would propose such a plan to this individual.
• A discussion of how you would evaluate the intervention(s), identify how termination should occur, and discuss any recommended follow-up plan.

Component #5: Memo and referral

• A professional internal memo regarding a hypothetical client.
• A professional external referral regarding a hypothetical client.
• Note: for these you may continue to use the character from your short story or just make up a client and situation.
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Social Work Toolbox: 37 Questions, Assessments, & Resources

This may be because of its unlikely position, balanced between “the individual and society, the powerful and the excluded” (Davies, 2013, p. 3).

Social work is a unique profession because of its breadth and depth of engagement and the many governmental and private organizations with which it engages.

Not only does it help individuals and groups solve problems in psychosocial functioning, but it also attempts to support them in their life-enhancing goals and ultimately create a just society (Suppes & Wells, 2017).

This article provides a toolbox for social workers, with a selection of assessments and resources to support them in their role and career.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

6 best resources for social workers, top 17 questions to ask your clients, 2 assessments for your sessions, social work & domestic violence: 5 helpful resources, our 3 favorite podcasts on the topic, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Demanding professions require dedicated and supportive resources that transform social work theory into practice. The following worksheets and tools target some of the most challenging and essential areas of social work (Rogers, Whitaker, Edmondson, & Peach, 2020; Davies, 2013):

Emotional intelligence

“Understanding emotion arises from the combined consciousness of how we perceive emotions and use our intellect to make sense of them” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 47).

For social workers, emotional intelligence is invaluable. They must develop and maintain awareness of both their own and their client’s feelings and use the insights to select appropriate interventions and communication strategies without becoming overwhelmed.

The Reflecting on Emotions in Social Work worksheet encourages social workers to stop and consider their feelings following an initial client visit.

In the worksheet, the social worker is guided to find some quiet time and space to reflect on:

• How do I feel about my initial visit?
• What are my thoughts regarding the purpose of the visit?
• How do I think I can proceed with developing a relationship with the client?
• How do I think the client feels about my visit?

Being self-aware is a crucial aspect of social work and will inform the ongoing relationship with the client.

Fostering empathy

Mirror neurons fire when we watch others performing an action or experiencing an emotion. They play a significant role in learning new skills and developing empathy for others’ experiences (Thomson, 2010).

Social workers must become more aware of service users’ experiences, as they can influence and affect the interaction with them.

Use the Fostering Empathy Reflectively worksheet to improve the understanding of your own and others’ emotions and increase the degree of empathy.

Observing others can make social workers more aware of human behavior and the emotions and thoughts underneath to increase their capacity for empathy.

Reflective cycle

Reflecting on situations encountered on the job can help social workers fully consider their own and their clients’ thoughts and feelings before drawing conclusions. Indeed, “successful reflection emphasizes the centrality of self-awareness and the capacity for analysis” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 64).

Use the Reflective Cycle for Social Work to reflect on events, incidents, and behaviors in a structured and systematic way (modified from Gibbs, 1988).

Challenging social interactions

Good communication skills and confidence in social interactions are essential for social work. There will be times when you need assertiveness to challenge others to ensure the client’s needs are met (Rogers et al., 2020).

However, like all skills, social skills can be learned and maintained through education and practice.

The Preparing for Difficult Social Interactions worksheet considers how a situation or event may unfold through focusing on the essential issues.

Practice and role-play can help social workers prepare for a more successful social interaction and gain confidence in their coping abilities.

Motivational Interviewing in Social Work

“Change can become difficult for service users when they are ambivalent about the extent to which the change will be beneficial” (Davies, 2013, p. 451).

One method used by social workers to explore their clients’ intrinsic values and ambivalence is through motivational interviewing (MI). MI has four basic principles (modified from Davies, 2013):

• Expressing empathy Displaying a clear and genuine interest in the client’s needs, feelings, and perspective.
• Developing discrepancy Watching and listening for discrepancies between a client’s present behavior and values and future goals.
• Rolling with resistance Avoiding getting into arguments or pushing for change.
• Supporting self-efficacy Believing in the client’s capacity to change.

The Motivational Interviewing in Social Work worksheet uses the five stages of change to consider the client’s readiness for change and as input for selecting an appropriate intervention (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1986; Davies, 2013).

The client should be encouraged to create and implement a plan, including goals and details of the specific tasks required.

Respectful practices

Rogers et al. (2020) identified several fundamental values that social workers should be aware of and practice with their service users, families, and other organizations with which they engage. These include:

• Individuality
• Honesty and integrity

The Respectful Practices in Social Work worksheet encourages reflection on whether a social worker remains in touch with their values and the principles expected in their work.

Social workers should frequently think of recent examples of interactions with clients, families, and other organizations, and ask themselves (modified from Rogers et al., 2020):

• Were you polite, courteous, warm, and approachable?
• How well did you accept people with different beliefs and values from your own?
• Did you attempt to understand the person and their history?
• Were you professional, open, honest, and trustworthy?
• Did you treat each person equally, providing fair access to your time and resources?

A regular check-in to ensure high standards are being maintained and values remain clear will ensure the continued professionalism expected from a social worker.

The following questions provide practical examples; practitioners should tailor them according to timing and context and remain sensitive to the needs of all involved (Rogers et al., 2020; Suppes & Wells, 2017; Davies, 2013).

Open questions

Open questions encourage the respondent to reflect and respond with their feelings, thoughts, and personal experiences. For example:

• What is your view of what happened?
• What has it been like living with this issue?
• How could we work together to find a good solution?
• What are your greatest fears?

Closed questions

Typically, closed questions are used to find out personal details such as name and address, but they can also provide focus and clarity to confirm information. Closed questions are especially important when dealing with someone with cognitive impairment or who finds it difficult to speak up, and can lead to follow-up, open questions.

For example:

• How old are you?
• Are you in trouble?
• Are you scared?
• Do you need help?

Hypothetical questions

Hypothetical questions can be helpful when we need the service user to consider a potentially different future, one in which their problems have been resolved. Such questions can build hope and set goals. For example:

• Can you imagine how things would be if you did not live with the fear of violence?
• Where would you like to be in a few years after you leave school?
• Can you imagine what you would do if a similar situation were to happen again?

Strengths-based questions

“Focusing on strengths helps to move away from a preoccupation with risk and risk management” and builds strengths for a better future (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 243). Strengths-based questions in social work can be powerful tools for identifying the positives and adopting a solution-focused approach.

Examples include:

• Survival – How did you cope in the past?
• Support – Who helps you and gives you support and guidance?
• Esteem – How do you feel when you receive compliments?
• Perspective – What are your thoughts about the situation, issue, or problem?
• Change – What would you like to change, and how can I help?
• Meaning – What gives your life meaning?

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.

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By filling out your name and email address below.

Interventions in social work are often described as having four stages: engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation (Suppes & Wells, 2017).

The assessment stage typically involves:

• Collecting, organizing, and interpreting data
• Assessing a client’s strengths and limitations
• Developing and agreeing on goals and objectives for interventions
• Selecting strategies appropriate to the intervention

Assessment is an ongoing process that typically focuses on risk. It begins with the referral and only ends when the intervention is complete or the case closed.

Assessment will need to be specific to the situation and the individuals involved, but it is likely to consider the following kinds of risks (Rogers et al., 2020; Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):

General risk assessment

Risk management does not remove risk, but rather reduces the likelihood or impact of problematic behavior. Risk assessments are performed to identify factors that may cause risky behavior or events (Davies, 2013).

Questions include:

• What has been happening?
• What is happening right now?
• What could happen?
• How likely is it that it will happen?
• How serious could it be?

The wording and detail of each will depend on the situation, client, and environment, guided by the social worker’s training and experience.

Assessment of risk to children

A child’s safety is of the utmost importance. As part of the assessment process, a complete understanding of actual or potential harm is vital, including (modified from Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):

• Has the child been harmed? Are they likely to be harmed?
• Is the child at immediate risk of harm and is their safety threatened?
• If harmed previously, to what extent or degree? Is there likely to be harm in the future?
• Has there been a detrimental impact on the child’s wellbeing? Is there likely to be in the future?
• Is there a parent or guardian able and motivated to protect the child from harm?

Social workers must use professional judgment to assess the level of risk and assure the child’s ongoing safety.

Assessment process – Oregon Department of Human Services

The figures related to domestic violence are shocking. There are 1.3 million women and 835,000 men in the United States alone who are physically assaulted by a close partner each year (NASW, n.d.).

The NASW offers valuable resources to help social workers recognize the signs of existing domestic violence, prevent future violence, and help victims, including:

• We can help end domestic violence – information on how the White Ribbon Day Campaign is raising awareness of domestic violence

SocialWorkersToolBox.com is another website with a vast range of free social work tools and resources. This UK-based website has a range of videos and educational toolkits, including:

• Exploring Healthy Relationships: Resource Pack for 14–16-Year-Olds
• Parents’ Guide: Youth Violence, Knife Crime, and Gangs
• Family Meetings: Parents’ Guide and Templates
• Preventing Bullying: A Guide for Parents

Many of the worksheets are helpful for sharing with parents, carers, and organizations.

Here are three insightful podcasts that discuss many of the issues facing social workers and social policymakers:

• NASW Social Work Talks Podcast The NASW podcast explores topics social workers care about and hosts experts in both theory and practice. The podcast covers broad subjects including racism, child welfare, burnout, and facing grief.
• The Social Work Podcast This fascinating podcast is another great place to hear from social workers and other experts in the field. The host and founder is Jonathan Singer, while Allan Barsky – a lecturer and researcher – is a frequent guest. Along with other guests, various issues affecting social workers and policymakers are discussed.
• Social Work Stories Podcast hosts and social workers Lis Murphy, Mim Fox, and Justin Stech guide listeners through  all aspects of social work and social welfare.

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Social workers should be well versed in a variety of theories, tools, and skills. We have plenty of resources to support experienced social workers and those new to the profession.

One valuable point of focus for social workers involves building strengths and its role in solution-focused therapy . Why not download our free strengths exercise pack and try out the powerful exercises contained within? Here are some examples:

• Strength Regulation By learning how to regulate their strengths, clients can be taught to use them more effectively.
• You at Your Best Strengths finding is a powerful way for social workers to increase service users’ awareness of their strengths.

Other free helpful resources for social workers include:

• Conflict Resolution Checklist Remove issues and factors causing or increasing conflict with this practical checklist .
• Assertive Communication Practicing assertive communication can be equally valuable for social workers and service users.

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit© , but they are described briefly below:

• Self-Contract

Commitment and self-belief can increase the likelihood of successful future behavioral change.

The idea is to commit yourself to making a positive and effective change by signing a statement of what you will do and when. For example:

I will do [goal] by [date].

• Cognitive Restructuring

While negative thoughts may not accurately reflect reality, they can increase the risk of unwelcome and harmful behavior.

This cognitive psychology tool helps people identify distorted and unhelpful thinking and find other ways of thinking:

• Step one – Identify automatic unhelpful thoughts that are causing distress.
• Step two – Evaluate the accuracy of these thoughts.
• Step three – Substitute them with fair, rational, and balanced thoughts.

Individuals can then reflect on how this more balanced and realistic style of thinking makes them feel.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

Society and policymakers increasingly rely on social workers to help solve individual and group issues involving psychosocial functioning. But beyond helping people survive when society lets them down, social workers support them through positive change toward meaningful goals.

Social workers must be well equipped with social, goal-setting, and communication skills underpinned by positive psychology theory and developed through practice to be successful.

Reflection is crucial. Professionals must analyze their own and others’ emotions, thinking, and behavior while continuously monitoring risk, particularly when vulnerable populations are involved.

The nature of social work is to engage with populations often at the edge of society, where support is either not provided or under-represented.

This article includes tools, worksheets, and other resources that support social workers as they engage with and help their clients. Try them out and tailor them as needed to help deliver positive and lasting change and a more just society.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Bath and North East Somerset Council. (2017, June). Risk assessment guidance . Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://bathnes.proceduresonline.com/chapters/p_risk_assess.html
• Davies, M. (2013). The Blackwell companion to social work . Wiley Blackwell.
• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods . Oxford Further Education Unit.
• National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Domestic violence media toolkit . Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.socialworkers.org/News/1000-Experts/Media-Toolkits/Domestic-Violence
• Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1986). Toward a comprehensive model of change. In W. R. Miller & N. Heather (Eds.) Treating addictive behaviors: Processes of chang e. Springer.
• Rogers, M., Whitaker, D., Edmondson, D., & Peach, D. (2020). Developing skills & knowledge for social work practice . SAGE.
• Suppes, M. A., & Wells, M. A. (2017). The social work experience: An introduction to social work and social welfare . Pearson.
• Thomson, H. (2010, April 14). Empathetic mirror neurons found in humans at last . New Scientist. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627565-600-empathetic-mirror-neurons-found-in-humans-at-last/

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Article feedback

What our readers think.

Thanks so much for including the Social Work Podcast in this article. One correction: Allan Barsky is a frequent guest, but Jonathan Singer is the founder and host.

Hi there Jonathan,

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! We are delighted that you are reading the blog as we are fans of your podcast as well.

We will adjust this right away so we can give credit where credit is due 🙂

Thanks for all that you do!

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Petra, it does not hurt to see this information again. Some social workers are new at their jobs and can always benefit from hearing this info repeated. If you want to hear from social workers only, then encourage your peers and or colleagues to write this stuff from their perspective.

This article is demeaning and patronsing! As social workers – we have done our (at least) 4 years at uni and this stuff is social work 101. As psychologists – I find you often think you know best and can “tell” other professionals how to do their jobs. So – if you want to write something to social workers – get a social worker to write it! Petra van Vliet – proud and loud social worker

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Undergraduate Case Analysis Rubric

This rubric can be used for guiding undergraduate case analysis for the course " Genomics, Ethics, and Society ."

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6.1: Rubrics for Exams and Group Projects in Ethics

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• Page ID 20524

• William Frey and Jose a Cruz-Cruz
• University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Introduction

This module provides a range of assessment rubrics used in classes on engineering and computer ethics. Rubrics will help you understand the standards that will be used to assess your writing in essay exams and group projects. They also help your instructor stay focused on the same set of standards when assessing the work of the class. Each rubric describes what counts as exceptional writing, writing that meets expectations, and writing that falls short of expectations in a series of explicit ways. The midterm rubrics break this down for each question. The final project rubrics describe the major parts of the assignment and then break down each part according to exceptional, adequate, and less than adequate. These rubrics will help you to understand what is expected of you as you carry out the assignment, provide a useful study guide for the activity, and familiarize you with how your instructor has assessed your work.

Course Syllabi

Syllabus for Environments of the Organization: ADMI4016_F10.docx

Syllabus for Business, Society, and Government: ADMI6055_F10.docx

Syllabus for Business Ethics: Business Ethics Spring 2007.doc

Syllabus for Business Ethics, Spring 2008: Syllabus_S08_W97.doc

Business Ethics Syllabus Presentation - This presentation was given on the first day of class in Business Ethics, Fall 2007. It summarizes the course objectives, grading events, and also provides a PowerPoint slide of the College of Business Administration's Statement of Values: BE_Intro_F07.ppt

Rubrics Used in Connexions Modules Published by Author

Ethical theory rubric.

This first rubric assesses essays that seek to integrate ethical theory into problem-solving. It looks at a rights-based approach consistent with deontology, a consequentialist approach consistent with utilitarianism, and virtue ethics. The overall context is a question presenting a decision scenario followed by possible solutions. The point of the essay is to evaluate a solution in terms of a given ethical theory.

Ethical Theory Integration Rubric - This rubric breaks down the assessment of an essay designed to integrate the ethical theories of deontology, utilitarianism, and virtue into a decision-making scenario: EE_Midterm_S05_Rubric.doc

Decision-Making / Problem-Solving Rubric

This next rubric assesses essays that integrate ethical considerations into decision making by means of three tests, reversibility, harm/beneficence, and public identification. The tests can be used as guides in designing ethical solutions or they can be used to evaluate decision alternatives to the problem raised in an ethics case or scenario. Each theory partially encapsulates an ethical approach: reversibility encapsulates deontology, harm/beneficence utilitarianism, and public identification virtue ethics. The rubric provides students with pitfalls associated with using each test and also assesses their set up of the test, i.e., how well they build a context for analysis.

Integrating Ethics into Decision-Making through Ethics Tests - Attached is a rubric in MSWord that assesses essays that seek to integrate ethical considerations into decision-making by means of the ethics tests of reversibility, harm/beneficence, and public identification: CE_Rubric_S06.doc

Ethics Bowl Follow-Up Exercise Rubric

Student teams in Engineering Ethics at UPRM compete in two Ethics Bowls where they are required to make a decision or defend an ethical stance evoked by a case study. Following the Ethics Bowl, each group is responsible for preparing an in-depth case analysis on one of the two cases they debated in the competition. The following rubric identifies ten components of this assignment, assigns points to each, and provides feedback on what is less than adequate, adequate, and exceptional. This rubric has been used for several years to evaluate these group projects.

In-Depth Case Analysis Rubric - This rubric will be used to assess a final, group written, in-depth case analysis. It includes the three frameworks referenced in the supplemental link provided above: EE_FinalRubric_S06.doc

Rubric for Good Computing / Social Impact Statements Reports

This rubric provides assessment criteria for the Good Computing Report activity that is based on the Social Impact Statement Analysis described by Chuck Huff at www.computingcases.org. (See link) Students take a major computing system, construct the socio-technical system which forms its context, and look for potential problems that stem from value mismatches between the computing system and its surrounding socio-technical context. The rubric characterizes less than adequate, adequate, and exceptional student Good Computing Reports.

Good Computing Report Rubric - This figure provides the rubric used to assess Good Computing Reports in Computer Ethics classes: CE_FinalRubric_S06.doc

Computing Cases provides a description of a Social Impact Statement report that is closely related to the Good Computing Report. Value material can be accessed by looking at the components of a Socio-Technical System and how to construct a Socio-Technical System Analysis.

Business Ethics Midterm Rubric Spring 2008 - Clicking on this link will open the rubric for the business ethics midterm exam for spring 2008: Midterm Rubric Spring 2008.doc

Study Materials for Business Ethics

This section provides models for those who would find the Jeopardy game format useful for helping students learn concepts in business ethics and the environments of the organization. It incorporates material from modules in the Business Course and from Business Ethics and Society, a textbook written by Anne Lawrence and James Weber and published by McGraw-Hill. Thanks to elainefitzgerald.com for the Jeopardy template.

Jeopardy: Business Concepts and Frameworks: Jeopardy1Template.pptx Jeopardy2.pptx

Privacy, Property, Free Speech, Responsibility: Jeopardy_3.pptx

Jeopardy for EO Second Exam: Jeopardy4a.pptx

Jeopardy 5: Jeopardy5.pptx

Jeopardy 6: Jeopardy6.pptx

Jeopardy 7: Jeopardy7.pptx