Social Intervention Design: A Comprehensive Guide for Professionals

Posted on Sep 16, 2024 in Economy

Social Intervention Design: Methodological Context

The methodological context of social intervention design is established during the planning stage within the methodology used when working with an individual case. This action plan, developed from the study and diagnosis, transitions into the implementation and evaluation of the intervention process. These stages are constantly interacting and subject to change, meaning new situations may arise in the individual, the object of social intervention, requiring a revision of the diagnosis and, consequently, the planning and design of the social intervention, potentially altering the results.

Planning involves a deliberate action within the social intervention process, weighing the pros and cons of the intervention and determining the most appropriate means for its realization. The design is the translation of this work plan into a written document.

Realizing the Design of Social Intervention

The design of social intervention should clearly outline the intended actions to address the diagnosed problem situation. The design must always consider the individual’s reality, their potential, and their commitment, reflecting a pact between the social worker and the individual.

A design can be initiated in various situations:

  • Obligation: When the user presents a problem that necessitates intervention.
  • Need: When the user feels a need for change and professional support.
  • Persuasion: When the practitioner, recognizing problems and objectives, encourages the user to work together.

The degree of user involvement leads to different types of design:

  • Greater user involvement: Results in clear designs, known as contracts, where both parties address and reflect on the problem situation.
  • – Partial involvement of the user: Designs are created through consensus, but the practitioner observes certain problems not felt or recognized by the user.
  • – Low user involvement: Very rigid designs are created by a professional. There is limited recognition of the problem by the user.

The design should never be considered closed. There is no such thing as a perfect design that doesn’t need revision. The design must always have a defined timeframe from the date of its formulation (this period varies depending on the problem), otherwise, it may contribute to the chronicity of the problems.

After the design period, a review is conducted:

  • If the proposed objectives are met, the case is finalized.
  • If not, the targets are evaluated.

Finally, a new design may be necessary with the same individual for other problems that may arise.

The design should verify the following information: user name, start date, file number, social worker responsible, and design number, as a user can have multiple designs.

Design Stages of Social Intervention

  • Needs / problems that prompted the intervention.
  • Support points.
  • Objectives.
  • Professional statement.
  • User commitment.
  • Resources and services to use.
  • Evaluation indicators.

These phases are never closed, and the approach of one analysis can influence the others. Indeed, any element introduced into one phase can lead to changes in others.

Needs / Problems that Prompted the Intervention

This stage involves a schematic representation of the user’s needs related to the problems identified in the diagnosis and deemed worthy of intervention. The following criteria should be assessed:

  • Urgency.
  • Possible effectiveness of the action or strategy.
  • Character and policy of the institution upon which the Social Work is based.

When determining the issues to be addressed, it’s crucial to ensure they are realistic and achievable, considering the available resources and means. It’s important to reflect on the meaning of”necessity” which drives us into action, mobilizing the individual who feels the lack of professional support and can assist in the process.

Types of Needs

  • Poverty level needs, also called primary or basic needs: Essential for ensuring the existence of life, relating to food, clothing, or shelter.
  • Personal autonomy needs or secondary needs: Address personal difficulties in performing basic activities, impairments caused by physical, psychological, or cultural factors.
  • – Needs in living or social reality and linked to a socio-historical context. This section should also reflect knowledge or lack of social resources and the use of leisure time.

Another type of need can be determined by the population sector to which our intervention is addressed. At this stage, we can say that needs/problems are unified. Essentially, the problem arises from the dissatisfaction of a need. If our intervention is preventive, we will be closer to the need, and if it is palliative, it will be inserted into the problem.

Support Points

There is no problem without positive aspects, considering anything that may assist or promote change (family support, the user’s ability to adjust to changes or new situations…).

Goals

Goals are one of the most important design elements because they define what we want to achieve. They are formulated in a way that allows for evaluation and assessment of progress. It’s essential to distinguish between short-term and long-term goals and prioritize the most needed action. We must agree with the individual who is leading the design, as the Social Work objectives relate to empowering users to overcome their needs and solve their problems. The aim is to overcome the problem situation and encourage user involvement in improvement.

Classification of Objectives

  • General objectives: Provide an overall view of where we want to go, offering a framework for long-term reference and guiding every performance. They require delays in achievement that can even extend beyond the duration of social intervention.
  • – Operational objectives: Refer to more immediate purposes, and achieving these would lead to the realization of the general objectives. They relate to specific phases to be undertaken to reach these general objectives in the short to medium term. These goals must be realistic and clear. They should be fixed within the expected achievement of these operational objectives. This period must be known and agreed upon with the user to take responsibility for it, and it is closely related to the stage with respect to their commitments.
  • – Framework objectives: Guide the entire procedure. These may include:
    • a) Prevention, to avoid risks.
    • b) Amendment, if there has been a serious deterioration.
    • c) Containment, if we are waiting to obtain other resources or a change of situation involving an agreed solution to the problem.
  • – Specific objectives are very similar to operational objectives but with a less pragmatic approach.

Professional Intervention

This refers to the social worker’s commitment to the intervention process. While it is difficult to schedule performances comprehensively, the practitioner must make an effort to reflect their commitment to the work. The user must understand our role as professionals and have the opportunity to decide whether they agree with these activities.

User Commitment

At this stage, the user agrees to undertake certain actions to achieve the solution to their problems. These commitments must be realistic, otherwise, it can create frustration or even abandonment by the user. You can start with the simplest and most rewarding commitments, which will encourage the user to engage in future activities of greater importance. It is important that the user can participate in the social process and take responsibility for their own progress. We must also bear in mind that a social intervention design is an agreement between the professional and the individual.

Negotiations and Agreements: Contracts

The contract is defined as the confrontation of the project objectives and intervention of social workers with the user, exposing and negotiating together the options that are imposed in order to bring the action toward the desired change. These agreements occur when there is greater understanding between the social worker and the user, agreeing to the commitments of both for the solution of the problem situation. This is the ideal scenario for a successful intervention.

There are other types of contracts linked to more direct intervention by the professional, where the user is required to meet minimal requirements, linked, for example, to a periodic economic benefit (job search, use of provisions for maintenance, etc.). These agreements are designed from the control that professionals must assume at times, but they also represent an opportunity to reach other negotiations that are more open and allow the user to receive social support beyond mere provision. For this negotiation process to be successful, it is necessary to:

  • – Create a climate of trust, friendliness, and mutual respect.
  • – Establish clear, open, and transparent communication.
  • – Find the appropriate professional distance and emotional involvement.
  • – Understand the aspects that are affecting the discomfort and be clear about the potential and abilities that a person may place or be put to service improvement.

Resources and Services to Use

Social resources are those human, material, technical, financial, and institutional matters that a society provides to meet the needs of individuals, groups, and communities as integral members. At this stage, we list those resources or services intended to be used in the intervention according to the needs and problems and related objectives.

To apply an action, it is necessary to know the status of the user, see if they have support or not, and whether the demand is real or covers up another problem. The social worker must be very familiar with the existing resources. Resources include the human potential of the interested parties, the labor sector structures in question, and all that society offers globally to solve specific social problems.

Therefore, it should reflect all the people who will be involved as educators, mediators, lawyers…, depending on the problem and the need to involve them, as well as benefits, services, institutions, or activities that can be managed or used throughout the intervention.

Design Value Indicators of Social Intervention

are the benchmarks that professionals ask to check the suitability of the design of intervention. Must be related to the objectives listed in the design and measure the degree of compliance with them. The indicators are formulated for each objective, but it is possible that an indicator may serve several.
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