Skip Navigation



BJSW Advance Access published online on August 9, 2007
British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcm071
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
38/8/1630    most recent
bcm071v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Dillenburger, K.
Right arrow Articles by Akhonzada, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved

Article

Evidence-Based Practice: An Exploration of the Effectiveness of Voluntary Sector Services for Victims of Community Violence

Karola Dillenburger 1 *, Montserrat Fargas, and Rym Akhonzada

1 School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, The Queen’s University of Belfast, 6 College Park, Belfast BT7 1LP, N. Ireland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Karola Dillenburger, E-mail: k.dillenburger{at}qub.ac.uk


  Abstract

While there is some debate about what should be considered submissible evidence, there is no doubt that evidence-based practice has become accepted as a benchmark for service delivery in almost all areas of social work. This is not yet the case in the voluntary sector. Yet, social workers and service users rely heavily on voluntary sector services. In this paper, the effectiveness of voluntary sector services for victims of community violence is explored. Using Northern Ireland as a case in point, a time-series study was carried out with seventy-five service users who completed a research inventory (including GHQ-30, BDI-II and PDS) up to four times across a nine to twelve-month period. Additional stressful life events that occurred during this time period were considered and social validity of services was assessed. The results showed that despite detrimental effects of additional life stresses, psychological health and depression scores improved for all service users. Some community-based services (befriending) and some complementary therapies (reflexology) were significantly related to these improvements. Changes in post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity were not significant. Social validity data were strongly in favour of voluntary sector services.

Keywords: evidence-based practice, GHQ-30, BDI-II, PDS, DISC, community-based services, Northern Ireland, trauma, violence.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.