Week 4: The Community as Client UTA SSW: Practice III Professor Dick Schoech Copyright (permission required before use) Suggest printing slides for class using: Print | Handouts | 3 slides per page | grayscale options

Review of Course  Generalist macro practice history, change process, roles, levels of intervention  Theories, values, perspectives  The community as client  Social conditions as problems/opportunities  Assessing social conditions  Intervening in social conditions  Administrative practices

Overview of Today’s Content  Definitions of Community  Relevant theories  Functions of communities  Changes occurring in communities  Organizations vs. Communities  Goals of social work where community=client

Definition of Community  Shared physical space where residents engage in social interaction and maintain a shared sense of identity (text, p. 253) Shared physical space (or interest as in virtual community) Social interaction Shared sense of identity  A functional special unit that meets people’s sustenance needs, helps form collective identities, and patterned social interaction (Fellin)  Many neighborhoods in one community

Functions of Community  Socialization  Production, distribution, consumption of goods  Social control  Mutual support  Social participation ( Roland Warren ) (text, p )

Major theories for community  Ecological Social Systems population characteristics physical environment social structures General systems characteristics, hierarchy, boundaries, etc.  Action theories – focuses on relationships, interactions, values, shared meaning  Power Theories – Focus on who influences or decides (text, p. 280).

Key community concepts (p 262)  Competition  Centralization  Concentration  Gentrification  Invasion  Succession

Changes in Communities ( Warren, Fellin )  Urbanization, suburbanization, immigration (text p. 273) Diversification of population Minority populations younger (50% of Mex Am are below age 25) Movement from rural to rapidly growing Urban areas  Transfer individual/family functions to govt/business, sewing, cooking, child care, elderly care, etc  Stronger ties to the larger community, (national, international, global village)  Changing values (Divorce, blended families, violence)  New structures (virtual communities)

Community as Resource System  Focus on assets and capacities of Governments Religious groups Professional groups Social service agencies Business/trade groups Civic groups Consumer groups Educational organizations

Goals of Social work where community is client  Produce community that helps people cope and grow towards self fulfillment  Produce people who are functioning well physically/ psychologically/ socially/ spiritually  Produce people with little need for human services  Provides social services if needed  Community well functioning (course pack, p. 52)  Ontario healthy communities ( )  Neighborhood Knowledge LA ( /) /

Conclusion  Community is client and tool/resource  Societal changes result in communities causing problems (client) rather than preventing or solving them (tools/resources)  Social workers determine when to use 1+ of many community approaches to solve a social problem  Use generic social work process with communities  Terms: change agent, target system, client system (stakeholders), action system. Text p. 266  Think of organizations in community practice as similar to individuals in family practice