Reaching consensus on outcomes for evaluating strengths based approaches in adult social care and social work: a Delphi study conducted in England

SummaryTo advance our understanding of how we can best evaluate strengths-based approaches, we aimed to establish: (1) What the relevant outcomes are in strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work in England; (2) How feasible it would be to measure them; and (3) Which tools and methodologies may be used in outcome measurement and evaluation. We used a Delphi consensus exercise to refine and reduce the long list of outcomes which had been identified in previous work as potentially useful in the evaluation of strengths-based approaches. The Delphi process consisted of two rounds (Rounds 1 and 2). The strengths-based outcomes were divided into five levels of measurement: relevant for a person who accesses social care and social work; relevant for unpaid or family carers; relevant for the community; relevant for the workforce in adult social care or social work; and relevant for organizations in adult social care and social work.

FindingsFifteen experts completed Round 1 and 11 completed Round 2. At the conclusion of the Delphi consensus exercise, the expert panel agreed that 26 outcomes (66.7%, out of 39 considered) were both relevant and feasible to measure as part of an evaluation of strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work. The panel also identified eight outcomes as relevant but not feasible to measure.

ApplicationThis study provides a set of outcomes that practitioners, researchers, and policy makers can consider when evaluating strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work.