In this article, the ‘What Works’ debate in social work is expanded to include the central question of impact factors. The empirical evidence of impact factors in social work interventions is still a desideratum. Against the background of the Realist Evaluation, relevant success factors (contexts and mechanisms) are elaborated in this article. The data basis is an online survey of 200 case managers in four social work fields in German-speaking part of Switzerland (work integration, probation, debt counseling, social assistance). The results point to significant impact factors of successful interventions, including work styles of professionals and behavioral characteristics of clients, and can be condensed into a general impact model with cross-field outcomes. These findings contribute to the professionalization of social work and to the construction of impact models and should stimulate further research projects in this direction.

Schlagworte
Impact Factors, Impact Model, Social Work Interventions, Realist Evaluation