Planning Flashcards
8 steps in the planning process
8 Steps in the Planning Process
1) Work with your client(s)
2) Prioritize problems
3) Translate problems into needs
4) Evaluate levels of intervention (micro, mezzo, macro)
5) Establish goals
6) Specify objectives
7) Specify action steps
8) Formalize a contract/service agreement
Work with your Client(s) is
STEP ONE
Planning with the client is critical to the success of your efforts
Important to involve clients in every part of the planning process (e.g., goal setting)
Must be done with the client – ignore impulse to plan for them…..a teamwork approach
“Owning” a plan enhances client motivation and cooperation
Prioritize Problems
STEP TWO
Consider the following in choosing a problem for work:
- What problems does the client recognize?
- Can problem(s) be clearly defined and understood?
- Are they realistically workable?
1) Identify with the client the problems that are most significant to client
2) Restate the problem using explicit and precise terms
3) Prioritize the problems in order of their importance to the client
4) Establish an initial agreement with the client regarding the problem you will attend to first.
Translate Problems Into Needs (categories)
STEP 3
Generally three categories of Need:
i) Survival – Basic Needs: Food, Water, Shelter
ii) Well-Being – Comforts in life, Healthy, Content
iii) Life Fulfillment – Satisfying job and other relationships
Translate the problem into what the client needs to solve it. (e.g., lack of money need better access to resources, alcohol addiction need ongoing sobriety)
Evaluate Levels of Intervention- Selecting a Strategy
STEP 4
Your strategy is the route you and your client will take to meet you client’s need
1) Focus on first need that has been agreed upon between worker and client
2) Identify micro, mezzo, and macro strategies as they apply to a potential solution
3) Emphasize client strengths when establishing strategies
4) Evaluate the pros and cons of each strategy
5) Select and pursue the strategy that is the most efficient and effective
Establish Goals
STEP 5
A goal is a broad statement of what client and worker want to achieve or accomplish
Goals help ensure that clients and worker are in agreement about problem definition and the changes that will need to be produced for desired outcomes
Goals validate client’s concerns and assist toward empowerment
Goals suggest the direction and nature of the intervention
Defined goals lend themselves to evaluation
Specify Objectives
STEP 6
The “How” of achieving one’s goals
Objectives are behaviorally specific statements about what is to be achieved in service of the goal – They break goals down into smaller steps
Objective should always be clear, specific and measurable
brings in specificity
Objective should always be
1) Explicit and/or Specific: Objectives should be explicit or specific enough that anyone can tell if they have or have not been achieved
2) Clarity: Objectives need to be clear
3) Completeness (measurable): regarding attaining objective
Components of a clear, well-written objective:
1) behavior (what is expected behavior)
2) condition (under what circumstances is behavior performed)
3) performance level (what is standard of performance, for example: how well, how soon, how often…)
Specify Action Steps
STEP 7
Action steps are required in order to achieve objectives; “Who” will do “what” by “when”
Who is the individual specified for accomplishing the tasks
What tasks are involved
When sets a time limit
Formalize a Contract/Service Agreement
Step 8
A contract or service agreement is an agreement between a client and worker about what will occur in the intervention process
Specifies what will occur during the intervention process
Established by the worker and client
Includes goals, objectives, action steps, timelines, and responsibilities and mutual obligations
Can be written, oral or implied (avoid implied)
Intervention Contracts Include:
Identifying Information
Specified Objectives and Action Steps
Signatures
Dates
May Change over time
Written Contracts:
advantages of written contract is that it is a clear, virtually indisputable record and signature illustrates commitment, but takes time to draw up and clients may be put off by formality
Oral Contracts
oral contracts are more quickly formulated and may be met with less resistance but worker should still summarize agreements in client’s file, can offset details being forgotten
Implicit Contracts
implicit contracts are assumed and not actually articulated—avoid as may lead to two assumptions that can be false:
1) assumption that client has agreed when they have not; and 2) assumption that client understands all the conditions and responsibilities
