The use of outcomes in social service work is crucial to success. In his article, “How outcome saved my life (or at least my sanity),” published in Social Work Now (November 2012), United Kingdom based author Mike Pinnock explores the impact of a world without outcomes. In his work as a social worker in the early 1980’s Pinnock began introducing systems for tracking outcomes out of desperation while working with young offenders in children’s services. Pinnock’s implementation of Outcome Based Accountability (OBA), as it is referred to in the UK, in services for children during his career as a social worker was heavily influenced by the work of Mark Friedman and Results-Based Accountability™ (RBA) in his book Trying Hard is Not Good Enough.
Now, more than 30 years later, the focus on social services work is more heavily based on outcomes than ever before. Pinnock’s groundwork in working with young offenders through a shared purpose with others in his division coupled with the use of system’s monitoring in children’s services set the stage for outcomes-based strategies used today. The impact of RBA is far reaching and consistent when utilized by those in social services just as Pinnock was able to create sanity and meaning in his work by creating outcome measures with his team based on their shared vision.
