1

2

You will likely be practicing in an agency environment which functions within a community. Must face community problems and gaps in services Political forces affect your community's well-being Your agency is ineffective in an area and needs change from within (agency policies affect what you can do for clients) For instance, you identify inefficient provision of services, ineffective outreach to clients in need, inattentiveness to clients opinions and services needs, and/or sluggishness in making referrals. 3

EXAMPLES OF MACRO PRACTICE You identify the need for a new program – you work for a domestic violence shelter and find no programs to treat the abusers. You work in a community torn by prejudice and racial discrimination. Community residents seek your help in organizing themselves to exert politicial pressure in order to improve garbage clean up in the neighborhood. 4

What is Generalist Practice? The application of an eclectic knowledge base, professional values, and a wide range of skills to target any size system for change within the context of three primary processes: 1. Working within an organization structure under supervision 2. Using a wide range of professional roles 3. Applying critical thinking skills to the planned change process. (Includes the ability to act simultaneously on a micro, mezzo or macro level of practice) 5

6

7

8

9

How is Macro practice different? Micro – focuses on planned change with and for individuals. The social worker must know how to work on a one-to-one basis. Mezzo – focuses on practice with small groups. The social worker must understand group dynamics and communication patterns in working with families and task groups. Macro – designed to affect change in large systems such as organizations and communities. Macro skills enable social workers to change agency or social policies, plan and implement programs, and initiate and direct projects in agency or community contexts.

You are a generalist practitioner in a rural South Louisiana Parish

What steps will you take using a: Micro level approach Mezzo level approach Macro level approach

Generalist Practitioners must know much about many things: Systems theories Human Behavior in the Social Environment Social Welfare Policy and Services Social Work Practice Assimilation of Professional Values and Ethics (NASW Code of Ethics) Research Human Diversity Promotion of Social and Economic Justice (see highlight 1.2) Populations at Risk Organizational Structure within a work environment

Understanding Systems in Macro Practice The Macro Client System – large numbers of clients or groups of clients with similar characteristics or qualifications for receiving resources or services, or an agency or community. Ex. A group of people laid off from a plant that is downsizing The Target System – the system that social workers must modify or influence in order to reach goals and have clients benefit from the planned change process. Ex. The agency or the community The Change Agent System – The individual who initiates the macro change process. Ex. You The Action System – those people who agree and are committed to working towards macro change. Ex. A coalition

Emphasis on Client Empowerment Focus on a community's strengths: - religious, cultural, athletic and recreational groups and associations - Altruistic private businesses - Public institutions – schools, parks, libraries - Non-profit organizations like some hospitals or social service agencies

Empowerment “ Promoting empowerment means believing that people are capable of making their own choices and decisions. It means not only that human beings possess the strengths and potential to resolve their own difficult life situations, but also that they increase their strength and contribute to the well-being of society by doing so. The role of the social worker is to nourish, encourage, assist, enable, support, stimulate and unleash the strengths within people.” Cowger and Snively (2002)

A Generalist Practitioner must assume a wide range of professional roles. Enabler Mediator Integrator/Coordinator General Manager Educator Analyst/Evaluator Broker Facilitator Initiator Negotiator Mobilizer Advocate

The circles represent the worker, macro client system and organizational or community systems. The lines and arrows depict how systems relate to each other.

20

23

Critical Thinking Used to think about the truth inherent in a situation or statement and then analyze the issue to formulate your own conclusion. First question the beliefs, statements, assumptions, lines of reasoning, actions and experiences. Second, identify inconsistencies and missing information. Third, formulate and opinion or conclusion.

Critical Thinking in Social Work 1) Question conclusions that concern client care and welfare 2) Ask “does it work?” and “how do you know?” when a method claims to help clients 3) Weight evidence for and against assertions in a logical, rational way 4) Analyze arguments to see what is being argued and if there are any fallacies in reasoning

Fallacies to Avoid 1. Trusting Case Examples 2. Trusting Individual testimonials about personal experience as absolute fact 3. Accepting nebulous, inexact descriptions of problems, treatments, and evaluation mechanisms 4. Hearing only one side of an argument or approach to treatment and automatically believing it without hearing and evaluating other approaches 5. Assuming that if a treatment approach is innovative, it must be good 6. Assuming that if a treatment approach has been used for a long time by many, it is good 7. Believing that all info cited or written in a book, article or newspaper must be true

Using the Planned Change Process in Macro Practice Step 1 – Engagement -establish communication and a relationship with the target system. TASKS: 1) Involve yourself in the situation 2) Establish communication with everyone concerned 3) Begin to define the parameters within which the worker and clients will work 4) Create an initial working structure

Steps In the Macro Change Process cont. Step 2 – Assessment -gather information, interpret it and make judgments about its usefulness. 1) Identify your client system 2) Assess the client system’s problems and needs from a macro perspective 3) Assess aspects of diversity in client system 4) Identify client strengths

Remaining Steps: Step 3 – Planning in Macro Practice Goals and objectives are outlined Step 4 - Implementation in Macro Practice The actual undertaking of the plan Step 5 – Evaluation The process of determining whether a given change effort was worthwhile Step 6 – Termination Ending of the macro change process Step 7 – Evaluation and follow-up Did the process produce lasting, effective changes or have problems resurfaced? Assessment and planning and implementation are more complicated and the steps often blend together.

The PREPARE and IMAGINE models Application will concentrate on 3 major types of organizational and community change: 1) undertaking specific projects 2) developing programs 3) changing policies