Community Practice Skills

Dorothy N. Gamble and Marie Weil differentiate among a range of intervention methods to provide a comprehensive and effective guide to working with communities. Presenting eight distinct models grounded in current practice and targeted toward specific goals, Gamble and Weil take an unusually inclusive step, combining their own extensive experience with numerous case and practice examples from talented practitioners in international and domestic settings. The authors open with a discussion of the theories for community work and the values of social justice and human rights, concerns that have guided the work of activists from Jane Addams and Martin Luther King Jr. to Cesar Chavez, Wangari Maathai, and Vandana Shiva. They survey the concepts, knowledge, and perspectives influencing community practice and evaluation strategies. Descriptions of eight practice models follow, incorporating real-life case examples from many parts of the world and demonstrating multiple applications for each model as well as the primary roles, competencies, and skills used by the practitioner. Complexities and variations encourage readers to determine, through comparative analysis, which model at which time best fits the goals of a community group or organization, given the context, culture, social, economic, and environmental issues and opportunities for change. An accompanying workbook stressing empowerment strategies and skills development is also available from Columbia University Press.

"Specifically dedicated to the skills that social workers need to advance community practice, this creative book is long overdue. Grounded in the wisdom and evidence of well-honed interpersonal social work skills...Donna Hardina's new text takes community practice to a higher level than ever before developed in book form; indeed she displays the most thorough understanding of research on community practice that I have read in any community practice text."--Journal of Teaching in Social Work Community organization has been a major component of social work practice since the late 19th century. It requires a diverse set of abilities, interpersonal skills being among the most important. This textbook describes the essential interpersonal skills that social workers need in community practice and helps students cultivate them. Drawing from empirical literature on community social work practice and the authorís own experience working with community organizers, the book focuses on developing the macro-level skills that are especially useful for community organizing. It covers relationship-building, interviewing, recruitment, community assessment, facilitating group decision-making and task planning, creating successful interventions, working with organizations, and program evaluation, along with examples of specific applications. For clarity and ease of use, the author employs a framework drawn from a variety of community practice models, including social action and social planning, transformative/popular education and community development approaches, and multicultural and feminist approaches. The text is linked to the competencies outlined in the Council of Social Work Educationís (2008) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS), as well as ethics and values identified in the National Association of Social Workersí (NASW) Code of Ethics, and the International Federation of Social Workersí statement of ethical principles. Most chapters begin with a quote from a community organizer explaining how interpersonal skills are used in practice, and student exercises conclude each chapter. The text also addresses other important skills such as legislative advocacy, lobbying, and supervision. Key Features: Describes the essential skills social workers need in community practice and how to acquire them Includes examples of specific applications drawn from empirical literature and the authorís experience working with community organizers Grounded in social justice, strengths-based, and human rights perspectives Linked to competencies outlined in EPAS and values identified in the NASW Code of Ethics Based on a variety of community practice models

This fully revised classic text provides a comprehensive and integrated overview of the community theory and skills fundamental to all areas of social work practice.

Community Practice is a comprehensive resource for social workers and students eager to learn how to practice effectively in complex systems and diverse communities. In this completely revised edition of the definitive text in the field, the authors have thoroughly updated each chapter and added two entirely new chapters on community building and community organizing. New material on topics such as negotiation and mediation, community advocacy, participatory rural appraisal, the narrative approach to social change, community involvement, representative client boards, and the latest in grassroots endeavors make this text as inspiring as it is practical. Drawing upon the wealth of information available from local organizations, the Internet, newspapers, and academic journals, the authors introduce contemporary experiments and analyze classic modes of community practice and change. The content, exercises, and references offer instructors the flexibility necessary to tailor their courses to undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level students. This new edition will continue to provide a comprehensive and integrated overview of the theory and skills fundamental to all areas of social work practice. Broad in scope, it offers students as well as practitioners the tools necessary to promote the welfare of individuals and communities.

A transformative model for community social work rooted in basic social and economic rights is the basis of this timely Brief. With specific chapters spotlighting the rights to health care, nutritious food, and adequate and affordable housing, the book describes in depth the role of community practice in securing rights for underserved and vulnerable groups and models key aspects of rights-based work such as empowerment, participation, and collaboration. Case examples relate local struggles to larger regional and statewide campaigns, illustrating ways the book's framework can inform policymakers and improve social structures in the larger community. This rights-based perspective contrasts sharply with the deficits-based approach commonly employed in community social work, and has the potential to inspire new strategies for addressing systemic social inequality. Features of Human Rights-Based Community Practice in the United States: A conceptual basis for a rights-based approach to community practice. Detailed analysis of legal and social barriers to health care, housing, and food. Examples of effective and emerging rights-based community interventions. Methods for assessing the state of human rights at the community level. Documents, discussion questions, resource lists, and other valuable tools.

Community practice is a stimulating and diverse field of nursing. Community nurses often work without direct support from other health professionals and need, not only excellent clinical skills, but also skills in communication, research and health promotion. Community Nursing Practice offers a thorough introduction to the role of the community nurse. Based on principles of primary health care, it outlines the theory, knowledge and skills required to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of individuals, families, groups, and even whole communities. The contributors make a point of articulating knowledge that is often taken for granted among experienced practitioners. Community Nursing Practice is based on the premise that community nursing is a specialist field of nursing practice in its own right, and nurses require a specific body of knowledge to work effectively in a community setting - no matter what their clinical focus or location. Contributors outline the foundations of community practice, including principles of disease prevention and wellness promotion, as well as a social model of health. Together with the skills required for work with different population groups, the contribution of research is explored. Professional skills including program management, advocacy, teamwork, home visiting and self management are also covered. With contributions from leading nurse educators and researchers, Community Nursing Practice is richly illustrated with case studies and examples from a variety of practice settings. It is an essential student text and valuable professional reference.

Encompassing community development, organizing, planning, and social change, as well as globalisation, this book is grounded in participatory and empowerment practice. The 36 chapters assess practice, theory and research methods.

For almost two decades, Community Practice has been a definitive text for social workers, community practitioners, and students eager to help individuals contribute to and use community resources or work to change oppressive community structures. In this third edition, a wealth of new charts and cases spotlight the linkages between theoretical orientations and practical skills, with an enhanced emphasis on the inherently political nature of social work and community practice. Boxes, examples, and exercises illustrate the range of skills and strategies available to savvy community practitioners in the 21st century, including networking, marketing and staging, political advocacy, and leveraging information and communication technologies. Other features include: - New material on community practice ethics, critical practice skills, community assessment and assets inventory and mapping, social problem analysis, and applying community ractice skills to casework practice - Consideration of post-9/11 community challenges - Discussion on the changing ethnic composition of America and what this means for practitioners - An exploration of a vastly changed political landscape following the election of President Obama, the Great Recession, the rise of the Tea Party, and the increasing political and corporate use of pseudo-grassroots endeavors - A completely revamped instructor's manual available online at www.oup.com/us/communitypractice This fully revised classic text provides a comprehensive and integrated overview of the community theory and skills fundamental to all areas of social work practice. Broad in scope and intensive in analysis, it is suitable for undergraduate as well as graduate study. Community Practice offers students and practitioners the tools necessary to promote the welfare of individuals and communities by tapping into the ecological foundations of community and social work practice.