Category 1: What Is Competency #4?
What is Competency #4 in social work?
Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
What is research-informed practice?
Using current research to guide decisions in social work practice.
What is practice-informed research?
Research that is influenced or inspired by real-world practice.
What’s a common barrier to research-informed practice?
Lack of time, training, or access to academic research.
What does this competency help bridge?
The gap between theory and real-world practice.
Give one example of research-informed practice.
Using CBT for treating depression, backed by clinical studies.
Who can contribute to practice-informed research?
Any social worker observing trends or gaps in service.
What movie clip showed systemic barriers to care from the PowerPoint?
John Q – refusal of care due to insurance.
Which organization defines social work competencies?
CSWE (Council on Social Work Education).
Why is research-informed practice important?
It improves client outcomes and ensures methods are effective.
What’s one example of practice-informed research?
A social worker noticing trauma patterns and launching a study on it.
What might prevent an agency from adopting new methods?
Resistance to change, lack of resources, outdated protocols.
True or False: Competency #4 is optional in professional practice.
False. It is a core competency for ethical, effective practice.
What kind of research is usually applied in social work?
evidence-based research
What is the main benefit of practice-informed research?
It makes research more relevant to actual client and agency needs.
How can a social worker respond to institutional resistance?
Advocate using evidence, propose training, or collaborate on policy changes.
How does Competency #4 support ethical decision-making?
By encouraging the use of evidence-based methods to inform responsible choices.
What’s one risk of not using research-informed practice?
Interventions may be ineffective or even harmful.
How does practice-informed research improve policy?
It grounds policy in frontline experience and practical insight.
Name two common challenges to integrating research into practice.
Limited access to journals and a lack of supervisor support.