The Effectiveness of Community Practice Interventions: A Review of the Literature

Objective: Evidence-based practice is becoming increasingly important in social work and community practice. The authors reviewed existing research to assess the level of evidence available to guide community practice. Method: The authors conducted a review of the literature on community practice intervention research from 1985 to 2002 using several databases, search engines, and personal contact with researchers. The authors found 269 articles published from 1985 to 2001. Fifty-eight were quantitative and combined quantitative and qualitative studies, of which 20 were intervention studies. Conclusions: The search revealed a relatively small number of quantitative intervention studies using experimental or statistical controls (9), which suggests the need for a consideration of how to develop the evidence base for community practice. Implications for social work practice are also discussed.