Brief Table of Contents

1. An Introduction to Macro Practice in Social Work
2. Historical and Contemporary Influences on Macro Practice
3. Engaging with Diverse Populations
4. Assessing Community and Organizational Problems
5. Understanding Communities
6. Assessing Communities
7. Understanding Organizations
8. Assessing Human Service Organizations
9. Building Support for the Proposed Change
10. Selecting Appropriate Strategies and Tactics
11. Planning and Implementing the Intervention
12. Monitoring and Evaluating the Intervention

Detailed Table of Contents

1. An Introduction to Macro Practice in Social Work 1
What Is Macro Practice? 1
The Interrelationship of Micro and Macro Social Work Practice 2
Macro-Level Change 3
Macro-Practice Arenas and Roles 4
CORE COMPETENCY: Policy Practice 5
A Systematic Approach to Macro Social Work Practice 7
The Foundation of Macro Practice 9
The Importance of Terminology 9
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference 9
Theories, Models, and Approaches 11
Values and Ethics 13
CORE COMPETENCY: Ethical and Professional Behavior 16
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-informed Practice (or Practice-informed Research) 17
Four Case Examples 19
Case Example 1: Child Protective Services 19
Case Example 2: Case Management with Older Adults and Disabled Persons 21
Case Example 3: Advocacy and Organizing with Immigrant Youth 23
Case Example 4: Chronic Homelessness 24
Surviving in Professional Practice 26
Summary 27
2. Historical and Contemporary Influences on Macro Practice 29
The Context within Which Professional Social Work Emerged 29
Social Conditions 30
Ideological Influences 32
The Development of Social Work as a Profession 33
Charity Organization Societies and Settlement Houses 34
Early Social Work Education 35
Recognizing the Importance of Macro Roles 36
Social Work’s Commitment to Diverse and Oppressed Populations 40
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 40
Native Americans 41
Latinos 42
African Americans 43
Asian Americans 44
Women 45
Persons with Disabilities 46
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Persons 47
CORE COMPETENCY: Human Rights and Justice 47
Contemporary Challenges 48
Addressing Poverty and Welfare Reform 48
CORE COMPETENCY: Policy Practice 49
Recognizing Income Inequality 50
Assessing Changing Community Patterns of Affiliation and Identification 51
Assessing Changing Organizations and Delivery Systems 52
Wisely Using Technology 54
CORE COMPETENCY: Ethical and Professional Behavior 55
The Importance of Change 56
Summary 57

3. Engaging with Diverse Populations 59

Diversity and Difference 59
Advancing Human Rights and Social and Economic Justice 60
CORE COMPETENCY: Human Rights and Justice 61
Where Does One Begin? 61
A Framework for Engaging Population Groups 62
Task 1: Start Where the Population Is 63
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 65
Task 2: Assess the Impact of Difference, Discrimination, and Oppression 67
Task 3: Search the Professional Knowledge Base on the Target Population 73
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-informed Practice (or Practice-informed Research) 73
Task 4: Develop Strategies for Authentic Engagement 77
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 82
Summary 84
4. Assessing Community and Organizational Problems 87
The Social Worker’s Entry into an Episode of Macro-Level Change 87
Conditions, Problems, Issues, Needs, and Opportunities 89
Narrowing Down to the Most Useful Data and Information 91
Framing and Reframing Problems 91
CORE COMPETENCY: Assessment 93
A Framework for Assessing Community and Organizational Problems 94
Task 1: Gather Information from Persons within the Community or Organization 95
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 98
Task 2: Explore the Professional Knowledge Base on the Condition, Problem, Need, or
Opportunity 98
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-informed Practice (or Practice-informed Research) 106
Task 3: Frame the Problem and Develop Working Hypotheses 107
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 110
Summary 113

5. Understanding Communities 116

Conceptualizing Community 116
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 118
Defining Community 118
Dimensions of Communities 119
Community Functions 122
When Community Functions Fail 124
Community Theories 125
Systems Theories 125
Human, Population, or Social Ecology Theories 130
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 131
Human Behavior Theories 133
Theories about Power, Politics, and Change 137
CORE COMPETENCY: Policy Practice 139
Contemporary Perspectives 140
Strengths, Empowerment, and Resiliency Perspectives 141
Asset Mapping 143
Capacity Building 144
Community Practice Models 147
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 149
Summary 151

6. Assessing Communities 153

Engaging Communities 153
Two Community Vignettes 154
Vignette 1: Canyon City 154
Encountering the Community 155
Narrowing the Focus 155
Mobilizing Resources 156
Vignette 2: Lakeside 156
Assessing Major Changes 156
Witnessing the Impact of Change 157
Implications of the Vignettes 157
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 158
Framework for Community Assessment 159
Task 1: Identify Focal Community 160
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 164
Task 2: Locate Data and Information on Community Needs, Issues, and Problems 167
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-Informed Practice (or Practice-Informed Research) 170
Task 3: Assess Community Social and Political Assets 171
CORE COMPETENCY: Policy Practice 173
Task 4: Assess Community Structure and Capacity 177
Examine Service Delivery Units 177
Identify Patterns of Influence, Control, and Service Delivery 180
Determine Linkages between Units 181
Summary 184

7. Understanding Organizations 188

Conceptualizing organizations 188
Using Theories as Frames and Filters 189
Structural Theories and Perspectives 192
Bureaucratic Theory 192
Scientific and Universalistic Management 194
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-Informed Practice (or Practice-Informed Research) 197
Organizational Goals and the Natural-Systems Perspective 197
Management by Objectives (MBO) 198
Organizations as Open Systems 200
Contingency Theory 201
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 204
Human Resource Theories and Perspectives 205
Human Relations Theory 205
Theory X and Theory Y 207
Quality-Oriented Management 208
Political Theories and Perspectives 211
Decision-making Theory 211
Resource Dependency and Political-Economy Theories 212
Critical and Feminist Theories 214
Symbolic Theories and Perspectives 216
Organizational Culture Theory 217
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 220
Organizational Learning Theory 222
CORE COMPETENCY: Ethical and Professional Behavior 223
Summary 224

8. Assessing Human Service Organizations 226

Engaging Human Service Organizations 226
Two Vignettes of Human Service Organizations 228
Vignette 1: Canyon County Department of
Child Welfare 228
Creating a Dynamic Organization 228
Dismantling a Dynamic Organization 229
Involvement of the County Board 229
CORE COMPETENCY: Ethical and Professional Behavior 229
Vignette 2: Lakeside Family Services 230
Historical Development 230
Major Changes Occur 230
The Search for Strategies 230
Implications of the Vignettes 231
Framework for Organizational Assessment 232
Task 1: Identify Focal Organization 232
CORE COMPETENCY: Assessment 235
CORE COMPETENCY: Human Rights and Justice 236
Task 2: Assess the Organization’s Environmental Relationships 238
Task 3: Assess Internal Organizational Capacity 246
Task 4: Assess the Cultural Competency of this Organization 259
CORE COMPETENCY: Diversity and Difference in Practice 261
Summary 263

9. Building Support for the Proposed Change 267

Designing the Intervention 267
Task 1: Develop the Intervention Hypothesis 268
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-informed Practice (or Practice-informed Research) 272
Building Support 272
Task 2: Define Participants 273
CORE COMPETENCY: Engagement 284
Examining System Capacity for Change 286
Task 3: Determine Openness and Commitment to Change 287
Task 4: Strengthen Collective Identity 288
CORE COMPETENCY: Assessment 290
Task 5: Identify Outside Opposition to Change 292
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 293
Summary 296

10. Selecting Appropriate Strategies and Tactics 299

Assessing The Political and Economic Context 299
Task 1: Assess Political and Economic Feasibility 301
CORE COMPETENCY: Human Rights and Justice 303
Selecting Approaches to Change 304
Task 2: Select a Change Approach 305
CORE COMPETENCY: Policy Practice 305
CORE COMPETENCY: Ethical and Professional Behavior 307
Selecting Strategies and Tactics 309
Task 3: Select Strategies and Tactics 309
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 318
Summary 326

11. Planning and Implementing the Intervention 329

Understanding the Logic Model 329
CORE COMPETENCY: Research-informed Practice (or Practice-informed Research) 330
Applying the Logic Model to a Case Example 331
A Framework for Planning the Details of the Intervention 333
Task 1: Revisit the Working Hypothesis of Intervention 335
CORE COMPETENCY: Assessment 336
Task 2: Set a Goal for the Intervention 336
Task 3: Write Outcome and Process Objectives 336
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 343
Task 4: List Activities for Process Objectives 343
Task 5: Initiate the Action Plan 346
CORE COMPETENCY: Intervention 347
Summary 350

12. Monitoring and Evaluating the Intervention 358

The Importance of Monitoring and Evaluation 358
Types of Evaluation 359
CORE COMPETENCY: Evaluation 359
How Changes Can Go Wrong 360
A Framework for Evaluating The Change Effort 361
Task 1: Conduct a Process Evaluation 362
Task 2: Conduct an Outcome Evaluation 368
CORE COMPETENCY: Evaluation 369
CORE COMPETENCY: Evaluation 375
CORE COMPETENCY: Evaluation 379
Summary 381

References 383
Glossary 398
Index 405

Social Work Macro Practice, 6th edition

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