Unpacking evidence-based practice in social work education: a scoping review

Abstract

Social work practitioners play a significant role in society, supporting individuals, families, groups, and communities. To meet the goals of well-being and equity, social workers address life challenges, including substance addiction, maltreatment, mental health, and poverty, and are embedded in communities via hospitals, schools, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Thus, social work practice has a wide scope and requires comprehensive education. Given the complex nature of social work practice, it has the potential for bias and error resulting in poor user outcomes. Evidence-based Practice (EBP) has been widely identified as a framework to promote deliberate practice. However, the use of EBP in social work practice is lacking. This scoping review, therefore, explores the intersection of how EBP has been conceptualized and taught in social work education. A total of 49 manuscripts were included in the final qualitative content analysis. The results suggest an inconsistent and often conflicting conceptualization of EBP. Furthermore, teaching strategies are also inconsistent and may contribute to the lack of EBP utilization in practice. It is suggested that social work regulatory bodies consider addressing disparities in EBP conceptualization.

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