A Twenty-First Century Approach to Community Change

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Allen-Meares ◽  
Tina R. Shanks ◽  
Larry M. Gant ◽  
Leslie Hollingsworth ◽  
Patricia L. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Black Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Multiple Partners ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
School Of Social Work

Urban renewal has been the dominant approach to revitalizing industrialized communities that fall into decline. Detroit, with its vast majority Black population and struggling auto industry, encountered such decline. The Skillman Foundation sought to engage in a joint effort to bring Detroit back to its position of strength. With its mission of enhancing the development and well-being of children, Skillman entered partnerships with six Detroit neighborhoods with the largest concentrations of children whose well-being and development was at risk. The Foundation solicited the technical assistance of the University of Michigan School of Social Work. This book introduces readers to the environment within which the work of technical assistance began. The work is placed within a theoretical and practice context. This includes conducting needs assessments at multiple levels, engaging community members in identifying strategies for problem-solving, assistance in developing community goals for immediate and long-term success, and implementing social work field instruction opportunities. Lessons learned and challenges are described as they played out in the process of creating partnerships for the Foundation with community leaders, engaging and maintaining youth involvement, managing roles and relationships with multiple partners recruited by the Foundation for their specialized expertise, and conducting the work of technical assistance within a context of increasing influence of the city’s surrounding systems (political, economic, educational, and social). Readers will note the role of technical assistance in an evolving theory of change. Case vignettes, case-based discussion questions, and additional resources in each chapter provide an excellent opportunity for classroom use.

Lessons Learned

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Allen-Meares ◽  
Leslie Hollingsworth ◽  
Patricia L. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Technical Assistance ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
The University

Abstract: Chapter 12 is organized very differently from earlier chapters in this volume. It contains a list of lessons learned from those associated with the University of Michigan School of Social Work/Technical Assistance Center (UMSSW/TAC) and includes observations from those deeply involved in the Good Neighborhoods project. These observations and insights are divided into topical areas, but the list does not reflect a rank order of lessons learned or priorities. They are instead reflections on a multiyear initiative to create better outcomes for children and youth living in an urban context undergoing vast social and economic changes and challenges, some of which were adverse (see Chapter 2).

scholarly journals Supporting and Mentoring New Social Work Instructors: A Formative Evaluation of the TEAM Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 24-38
Author(s):  
Shane R. Brady
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Positive Culture ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research I University ◽  
Research I Institution ◽  
Teaching Support ◽  
School Of Social Work

Abstract             This study provides qualitative results from a unique mentorship and teaching support program designed, implemented, and evaluated in a school of social work at a major Midwestern research I university over a three year span. Primary qualitative data was collected through regular check-in meetings and end of the semester focus groups. Additional data was collected through orientation notes and detailed process notes from individual communications and consults with new instructors. Lessons learned point to both the importance of providing support and mentorship to new instructors as well as challenges in building and sustaining a positive culture for teaching and mentorship at a research I institution. 

Introduction to Good Neighborhoods

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Allen-Meares
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Change Process ◽  
Technical Assistance ◽  
University Of Michigan ◽  
Embedded Foundation ◽  
The Creation ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
Theories Of Change ◽  
The University

This introductory chapter describes the Skillman Foundation’s vision for the Good Neighborhoods program and introduces the six communities that were the target of the Foundation’s work for change and the theories of change. The chapter further addresses the emergence and development of the partnership between an embedded foundation and the University of Michigan School of Social Work, which led to the creation, organization, and funding of the Technical Assistance Center (TAC). The organization, processes, and planning required for the implementation of the change process is described. The chapter provides a context for the process that evolved during the economic and social catastrophes that impacted Detroit.

scholarly journals Give Us More Credit! Recommendations for Young and Adult Researchers on Conducting Adolescent-Led Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 227-238
Author(s):  
Georgiana Vasiloiu ◽  
Julia Smith-Brake ◽  
Simona Eugenia Mihai
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Youth Participatory Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Fear And Anxiety

Youth participatory action research, child-led research, and child-led activism are being increasingly employed to counter adultism in social work and development contexts, in a way to break down barriers for young people to have their voices heard on issues and decisions about their lives. This commentary comprises 2 open letters from a young researcher and advocate for children’s well-being and rights in Romania. The first letter is addressed to fellow young people and shares the journey of learning about and subsequently researching the issue of sexual violence, as well as a call to young people to stand up and use their voice to bring attention to issues important to them. The fear and anxiety of doing something new, that is usually in an adult space, cedes to empowerment and confidence found through the process. The second letter is addressed to adult researchers and practitioners and shares the methodology and findings of the child-led research project, lessons learned, and recommendations for adults engaging in child-led research. A key recommendation is for adults to support child researchers without manipulating the process, and to give young people more credit in commonly adult-held spaces.

A MODEL FOR MOBILE SOCIAL WORK WITH FAMILIES AT RISK

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 2067-2073
Author(s):  
Iliyan Rizov
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Specific Activities

The report presents a model for mobile social work with families, which develops in Roma communities (Varna Municipality and Aksakovo Municipality) for 10 years. This model seeks to resolve the problem about inefficiency of institutions in their work to reduce the number of abandoned children and to increase child well-being in vulnerable communities. There are presented specific activities and results, what show a way of support of the process for deinstitutionalization of childcare.

Financial capabilities development: essential discourse in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerable Households ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.

scholarly journals Disenchantment, Buffering, and Spiritual Reductionism: A Pedagogy of Secularism for Counseling and Psychotherapy

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Waleed Y. Sami ◽  
John Mitchell Waters ◽  
Amelia Liadis ◽  
Aliza Lambert ◽  
Abigail H. Conley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Counseling Psychology ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Case Vignettes

The various mental health disciplines (e.g., counseling, psychology, social work) all mandate competence in working with clients from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds. However, there is growing evidence that practitioners feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of their religiously- and spiritually-diverse clients. Furthermore, formal education on religion and spirituality remains optional within coursework. Research on religion and spirituality is also noted for its reductionism to observable outcomes, leaving much of its nuance uncovered. This paper will utilize philosophies of secularism and explore the concepts of disenchantment, buffering, and coercion, to help illuminate why our contemporary society and our disciplines struggle with this incongruence between stated values and implementation. Case vignettes and recommendations will be provided to help practitioners and educators.

‘She Made You Feel like There’s Hope’: Gaining a Better Understanding of How Children Negotiate Their Relationships with Social Workers from Their Own Accounts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gorin ◽  
Mary Baginsky ◽  
Jo Moriarty ◽  
Jill Manthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Signs Of Safety ◽  
Relational Resilience ◽  
Children’S Accounts ◽  
Care Innovation

Abstract Recent years have seen a re-emergence of international interest in relationship-based social work. This article uses children’s accounts of their relationships with social workers to build on previous research to promote children’s safety and well-being. Interviews were undertaken with 111 children aged six- to eighteen-years old across ten different local authorities in England, as part of the evaluation of Munro, Turnell and Murphy’s Signs of Safety pilots within the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. The interviews reveal four key findings: that children look for care and reciprocity in their relationships with social workers and this can be achieved through listening and small acts of kindness; that they are adept at recognising aspects of social workers’ verbal and non-verbal communications which indicate to the child whether they are listening and interested in them; that there are times in which children are particularly vulnerable especially if parents are resistant to engagement or children’s trust is broken; and that children actively use their agency to control their communication and engagement. The article concludes by highlighting children’s relational resilience and the importance of ensuring opportunities for children to develop new relationships with social workers when previous relationships have broken down.

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