ABSTRACT
Single system research designs (SSRDs) have been one approach to evaluating the outcomes of social work practice that has been with used within the profession for many years. The basic principle behind SSRDs is that one can learn about individuals by obtaining repeated measures of some aspect of their functioning over time, and then introduce some new experience to the person, and see if their functioning changes. SSRDs can be usefully applied in all such practice contexts, providing the outcome measures selected have demonstrated reliability and validity. This emphasis on making use of reliable and valid measures is of course consistent with long-held social work principles. The heart of any SSRD is the preparation of a clear graph, depicting the outcome measure(s) (having more than one can be desirable), time, the period before treatment, and during or after treatment.
