Scale Overview
The Social Worker Empowerment Scale – SWES was developed by Douglas J. Frans (1993). It is designed to measure Social Worker Empowerment. The scale is intended for use with Social workers and human service professionals.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 34 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Collective identity, Knowledge and skills, Self-concept, Critical awareness, Propensity to act.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Collective identity |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 |
7 |
| Knowledge and skills |
8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
9 |
| Self-concept |
17,18,19,20,21,22,23 |
7 |
| Critical awareness |
24,25,26,27,28 |
5 |
| Propensity to act |
29,30,31,32,33,34 |
6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Uncertain, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 34 to 170. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Empowerment: 34 – 79
- Moderate Empowerment: 80 – 125
- High Empowerment: 126 – 170
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.