Assessment In Social Work

In general, assessment is common processes in any field of social work because assessment is the foundation of social work practice. It also enables social workers to gather relevant information and determine possible interventions (Coulshed & Orme, 2012). According to Payne (2009), assessment is the process of “examining the range of factors affecting an individual, group or social situation in order to prepare, plan and take action to meet social care or other service objectives (p.184)”. Furthermore, Milner, Myers and O’Byrne (2015) argue that assessment is to explore a situation in a five stage process which involves preparation, data collection, weighing up the data, analysing the data, and decision-making. At the first stage, social workers determine who to see and what data needs to be gathered. The second stage is about collecting information regarding perceptions of service users, problems, problems, as well as relevant history. Social workers decide whether they have enough information and in-depth

Social and environmental factors such as family characteristics, social environments, and social conditions have great impact on individuals in many ways. It is important for social workers to be aware of these factors in people’s lives during assessment. On the other hand, psychiatrists focus on individual factors of service users in assessment. Individual factors include biological mechanisms such as genes, heredity, and the functions of the brain, and psychological mechanisms such as self-efficacy, emotional regulation, and coping strategies. Furthermore, psychiatrists employs medical model of assessment and use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classification system to diagnose people with mental disorders. It also helps specialists to determine possible interventions. Medication also could be seen as part of treatment options (Corcoran & Walsh,