Co-authors Mansoor Kazi, University at Buffalo School of Social Work, Brian Pagkos, Community Connections of New York's Evaluator, and Heidi Milch, Executive Director of Community Connections of New York, have been notified that their article titled, "Realist Evaluation in Wraparound: A New Approach in Social Work Evidence-Based Practice," has been accepted for publication in the Research on Social Work Practice Journal. It will be published by the end of 2009. The Research on Social Work Practice Journal is ranked one of the top ten journals in the field of social work for 2007 as measured by the overall influence their articles receive, and value all articles published in the journal in 2007. This journal has a high impact factor and Eigenfactor score. Below is the abstract:
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop a realist evaluation paradigm in social work evidence-based practice. Methods: Wraparound (at Gateway-Longview Inc., NY) used a reliable outcome measure and an electronic database to systematically collect and analyze data on the interventions, the client demographics and circumstances, and the outcomes.
Results: Research designs (e.g. single-system, group) can fall into place naturally, and patterns in the data can be investigated using data analysis approaches such as binary logistic regression.
Conclusions: Realist evaluation can be performed at regular intervals when an outcome measure is repeated, with the purpose of investigating what interventions work and in what circumstances.
