An evaluation of the effectiveness of the counselling service at the Parent Centre: A social work study conducted in Cape Town

Bibliography: pages 162-180.We live in an 'age of accountability.' Social work literature of recent decades abounds with references to the need for adequate evaluation of social work effectiveness, particularly in the light of the dismal findings of early effectiveness studies. However, it is no easy task to operationalise a definition of service effectiveness. This study seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the counselling service of the Parent Centre, a primary preventive service of the Child Welfare Society, Cape Town. Counselling is provided in order to meet the stated goal of strengthening the effectiveness and self-confidence of parents by providing them with support and information on child development and child management skills. This is offered in the recognition· that parenting, for all that it is a normative life transition, is also a life crisis, and in the further recognition of the significance of the early years in a child's life. The study was located within a limited overview of research literature pertaining to effectiveness studies. It highlighted, moreover, the significance of client studies m contributing to research into outcome of social work intervention. In order to establish the effectiveness of the counselling service, the research took the form of a retrospective semi-structured telephonic survey of a random sample of 55 first-time clients seen at the Parent Centre between January and June, 1994. The sample was drawn from a population of 501 clients. An interview schedule was devised in consultation with colleagues, clients, professionals and after searching relevant literature. It was pilot-tested before being implemented. Fifty-one usable responses were obtained. Since global satisfaction ratings are of little use in evaluation, information was analysed in terms of four categories: demographic, management, process, and outcome information. Both closed- and open-ended questions were used, providing quantifiable as well as qualitative results. Whilst findings need to be interpreted with an awareness of methodological limitations, the results of this survey indicate overwhelmingly that the counselling service at the Parent Centre is experienced by clients to be effective. The question found to be the best discriminator in terms of effectiveness was that asking whether clients' expectations had been met. Significant associations with the clients' feelings that expectations had been met were found with respect to the client's feeling that the counsellor understood the problem and that the counsellor shared personal experiences of parenting. No apparent association was found between this key indicator of effectiveness and income levels or with the counsellor and client having a shared perspective with respect to the presenting problem. Some recommendations based on the findings of the study are suggested for consideration by agency decision makers