Development of an evaluation performance scale for social educators in child protection centers

Abstract

Purpose: In a context of economic crisis, as in the case of Spain, the evaluation of the performance of employees in any field is a key tool for improving worker efficiency. For those professions that are developed in order to provide basic social services to the people of its importance is even greater. Thereby, this study is focused on developing a Performance Rating Scale of Social Workers using BARS technique.

Design/methodology/approach: We asked 11 experts to list those competencies they believed necessary to perform this task efficiently. Thereafter, we selected competencies what coincide with an Interjudge arrangement of at least 3. Then each competency was associated with two critical incidents and developed corresponding behavioral anchors. In addition, the scale has a collection of personal data such as age and time off work, often used as indicators defining performance. Finally, the scale was tested to a sample of 128 Social Workers working in interim child care centers and children and youth correctional centers.

Findings and Originality/value: The results show that the scale meets the criteria required for validation psychometric (α= 0,873). Also, the scale could be factored (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin=0,810). Three dimensions were obtained: team work, interpersonal skills and competencies of the work).

Research limitations/implications: An appreciation of the lack of covariation between external criteria used as identifiers of good performance (age and number of sick leave) and the employee's competence. This confirms the inadequacy of these criteria to predict performance. Necessitating the development of performance evaluation tools that include absenteeism and experience as predictors of performance measures.

Practical implications: The inadequacy may be due to the usually confusion between work experience - seniority and sick leave - absenteeism.

Originality/value: The study helps define the figure and the competences of social educators, academic figure emerging in our society and that is vaguely defined.