Community Practice Theories and Skills for Social Workers

by Hardcastle, David A.; Wenocur, Stanley; Powers, Patricia R.

• ISBN13: 9780195093520
• ISBN10: 0195093526
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-09-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Community Practice , a definitive teaching text for all courses in community organization and foundation practice, presents a comprehensive and integrated overview of the theory and skills fundamental to all areas of social work practice. Based on the theory that social workers, whether generalists, specialists, therapists, or activists, need to focus on both the individual as well as the surrounding community, the authors have created a text which offers the skills necessary to promote the welfare of the individual clients and larger community, thus having a positive impact on the lives of individuals as well as entire families. This text distills the essence of complex theoretical concepts, managing to avoid the common problem of oversimplifying and "watering down" the subject matter. Its most impressive feature is the amalgam of theory and practice necessary for all social work practitioners and students. Virtually every chapter that introduces significant theoretical constructs includes a follow-up discussion of their practical application through case studies and examples. Readable and unusually broad in coverage, it is geared to both graduate and undergraduate students. Exhaustive, lucid, and wide-ranging, Community Practice is an up-to-date and accessible text for all courses that emphasize the community aspect of social work.

Author Biography

David A. Hardcastle, Ph.D., is Professor of Social Work, University of Maryland. Patricia R. Powers, Ph.D., is Adjunct Professor of Social Work, University of Maryland, and Lobbyist, Friends Committee on National Legislation. Stanley Wenocur, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Social Work, University of Maryland.

Table of Contents

Community Practice: An Introduction	p. 3
Understanding the Social Environment and Social Interaction
Theory-Based, Model-Based Community Practice	p. 33
The Nature of Social and Community Problems	p. 61
The Concept of Community in Social Work Practice	p. 91
Community Intervention and Programs: Let's Extend the Clan	p. 120
Community Practice Skills for Social Workers: Using the Social Environment
Discovering and Documenting the Life of a Community	p. 145
Using Assessment in Community Practice	p. 172
Using Self in Community Practice: Assertiveness	p. 208
Using Your Agency	p. 244
Using Work Groups: Committees, Teams, and Boards	p. 272
Using Networks and Networking	p. 293
Using Social Marketing	p. 320
Using the Advocacy Spectrum	p. 355
Using Organizing: Acting in Concert	p. 391
Community Social Casework	p. 426
Subject Index	p. 441
Name Index	p. 453
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