EVALUATION OF PRACTICE REPORT

Jodi Sviontek
Wayne State University
Field Work Seminar I
June 12th, 2014

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Abstract

In this paper I will discuss the setting of the non-profit organization, Alternatives for Girls;
which is my field placement agency. I will report my performance outcome in relevance to my
responsibilities and expectations at the agency. I will review the mission statement of
Alternatives for girls and give an overview of the population that the agency serves. I will also
explain in great detail my role within the agency and what an interns duties and expectations
are. Other topics that I will report in this paper are the roles of the disciplines that are
represented within the organization and my interaction with each of them. The agency has
protocol on how the clients access the agency, how they are eligible, the intake policies, the
procedures, how the clients progress through the system and how they terminate the agency.
Last but not least I will discuss the agencies commitment to the community and surrounding
areas it serves as well as give examples how this is achieved.

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Evaluation of Practice Report

Alternatives for girls is a non -profit agency that helps serve girls and women of the
community by empowering them to make good choices and give them the support that they may
need throughout their journey of making life choices that is critical to their welfare. The purpose
and mission statement that the agency upholds states that Alternatives for Girls helps homeless
and at high-risk girls and young women avoid violence, teen pregnancy and exploitation; and
helps them to explore and access the support, resources and opportunities necessary to be safe, to
grow strong and to make positive choices in their lives (AFG Handbook). AFG was founded
based on the communitys awareness of young girls who are homeless, on the street, out of
school, using drugs, participating in gang activity, and prostitution it was a social outcry that
brought attention to the issues in the neighborhood and gained further involvement underlying
certain areas of interest that need attention, for example the community thought what needs to
be done in response to the needs of girls and young women in southwest Detroit? Three areas
came to mind 1) they need safe shelter 2) there needs to be street outreach 3) and prevention.
After grants that were given and programs were mandated AFG became overtime what it is
today; a safe haven for girls and young women who need the resources and programs that AFG
offers.
The agency is continuing to grow and adapt to best serve its targets population which is high risk
girls and young women, which is an overview of the population served; the agency stays in tune
with the changing needs of the population served, by understanding which services are effective
and what kinds of revision may be needed to make/ keep the work the agency does to be most
effective. Girls and young woman who may seek out AFG services are in critical states of their
lives where as they may be homeless, using drugs, pregnant, in gangs, etc. AFG gives them

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guidance and resources to help them continue effectively on their journey through life equipping
them with the ability to make positive life choices.
My role within the agency is to work in outreach and in the resource center. The outreach
program at AFG is designed to help teens and women who are engaged in high risk activities
understand the implications and to help them transition to make healthy and safe decision to
better their lives. Outreach has programs which include peer education which is a youth
leadership program that helps at risk youth to reach out to others in the community that may be
in their situations, some focuses include healthy relationships, homelessness, HIV, internet
bullying, and making positive choices. Another outreach program is the safe choices project
which reaches out to girls and women who may be involved in sex work, the program provides
girls and women with harm reduction tools and resources, New choices is an extension of safe
choices which helps women who wish to exit sex work, they are provided with the skills and
resources that they may need to lead fulfilling lives. On Wednesdays and Thursday nights I
participate in the outreach program driving in the outreach van reaching out to women who may
be involved in sex work, we hand them materials that will be useful to them and to promote
being safe; like condoms, water, sandwiches, hygiene kits, bleach kits, etc. We inform the
women we speak with about who we are and what services we have to offer, we give them
further information if they are interested. On Sundays I work in the resource center which helps
connect girls to needed services that AFG may provide if they are eligible and other referrals to
organizations that are applicable to their needs. In the resource center we have a walk in center, a
crisis line, and a web chat, these are all hubs that connect girls and women to the resources that
are is best suited for them based on their needs. We speak with girls and women as they call the

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resource center or as they may walk in or use the internet, we help them based on their needs as
best as we can.
Other disciplines that are represented within the organization are other interns, volunteers and
staff members, my interaction with each discipline is dependent on the day that I am at the
agency and what my duties are, again on Wednesdays and Thursdays I am working in outreach
in the van, its been common practice for me to go on outreach with a staff member, another
intern and depending on the availability of the volunteers; a volunteer. The staff member takes
lead in training on outreach explaining the duties and responsibilities that we are to adhere to
while in the van, other interns and volunteers follow the same course that I take of following the
rules and protocols that are enforced. We work as a team while we are in the van, the main
objective is to reach out to women that we speak with providing them with the materials and
resources that they need. In the resource center the outline is pretty much the same as in the van,
the staff member leads to others, interns and volunteers (though I have only encountered
volunteers on outreach in the van not in the resource center) we follow AFG script and protocol,
abiding by the rules and regulations the agency as set forth, providing resources and help to the
individuals who reach out to us in the resource center.
Clients access AFG by word of mouth, information online, or AFG advocates, staff members,
volunteers etc. that have spread the word and communicated the good and services that AFG
provides to high-risk girls and young women. The participants may walk in to the agency
(resource center) they may call the resource line, call the crisis line, or use AFGs live web chat
to access the resources and get the assistance and help that they may need. I have noticed while
on outreach, the agency is well known and though we need to keep spreading the word of the

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resources the agency has to offer, and all the good that it does for the population it serves AFG
has grown and continues to grow within the community of which it serves.
AFGs eligibility for girls and young women who are seeking shelter and may have contacted the
resource center at the agency itself is biological girls/women who are between the ages of 15 and
21.5, if a minor they need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian for intake. If the contact is
a parent, she must be over 18 to be eligible for the shelter; her children must be under the age of
6 and have no more than 2 children per parent. AFG will accept pregnant women/girls who are
seeking shelter; pregnant minors should be less than 5 months pregnant at the time of intake. For
peer education through outreach the participant must be between the ages of 15-19 at the time of
intake, they must live in Detroit, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Dearborn, Redford, Ecorse,
Melvindale, and river roughs. The participant must be at high risk within one of the categories;
homeless, run away at one time, used sex to get money, gone to court for skipping school, drank
alcohol or drugs. For the safe choices/New choices programs eligibility is as follows: must
identify as someone who trades or has traded sexual services for money, food, material items,
safety, etc.
The intake policies are centered on the resource center, which again is the main hub for all
communication and routed resources that girls/women are directed too, and from the resource
center they are than referred the appropriate place that will suite their needs, whether its at AFG
if they are eligible or its another shelter or resource. If the girl/women is eligible for AFG the
intake policies are then performed based on where the now participant is being placed in; for
instance if its the shelter, the participants are to follow procedures such as taking a shower and
placing their clothing in a laundry bag to be washed, they are also given access to the clothing
closet to pick articles of clothing if they need/want too. They are given a meal and other

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materials like hygiene kits, condoms, bleach kits, items that are available much like they are
given out on the outreach van.
The girls/women progress through the system of the agency depends on the program that they
are in. The resources/programs that AFG offers are all voluntary, if for some reason the
participant chooses to no longer partake in the program they have free will to exit. There are
many opportunities to strive and get the help/resources that are available for the participant to
reach their full potential and live successful fulfilling lives. The girls/women terminate the
agencies programs is based on whether they decide they want to leave or state every program and
assistance is voluntary. The shelter has different protocol, they have a structured program that
involves treatment and case planning, I am not placed in the shelter, and therefore I do not have
hands on experience with the process. The outreach and resource terminations depend on
whether the girls needs are met or depending if they want to continue with the
services/programs.
The agencies commitment to the community and surrounding areas it serves is shown through
the actions that the agency has taken in response to the outcry that first established the agency,
there were social issues of girls who needed assistance and the community came together to form
AFG, a great example in how this has been achieved is looking at what AFG is today, a great
resource of high-risk girls and their families to help them live successful lives. AFG affiliates
itself with many different agencies within the community to refer individuals to the appropriate
agency/resources that will be the most helpful to them.
In Conclusion AFG is an effective agency with many success stories of girls and women who
have completed the programs and have received assistance from the agency. AFG follows many

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standards that correspond to the National Association of Social Workers, one being the primary
mission to enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic human needs of all people. As
stated in the NASW code of ethics; the core values that are embraced by social workers
throughout the professions history are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person,
importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. AFG practices these values and
prides itself upon its completion of the standards and its success fulfilling these values.
I believe that my performance outcome in reference to my responsibilities and expectations
within the agency are of what is expected of me. I treat everyone with respect and compassion; I
follow the agencies protocols and rules, and complete my tasks and duties that are given to me
within my field placement; which is outreach and resource center. I look forward to successfully
completing the rest of my field placement, and learning and growing from my experiences within
the agency; just being able to observe the culture and environment I feel I have gained a lot of
insight and knowledge. Having given this opportunity to see first-hand, the agency operating for
the betterment of its served population has been very rewarding.

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References

Alternatives for Girls Volunteer Handbook . (2014). Alternatives for Girls Volunteer Handbook.
Detroit: Alternatives for Girls.
National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). National Association of Social Workers.
Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.socialworkers.org/