Community practice
Encyclopedia
Community Practice is a branch of social work
in the United States that focuses on larger social systems and social change, and is tied to the historical roots of United States social work. The field of community practice social work encompasses community organizing
, social planning, human service management, community development
, policy analysis
, policy advocacy, evaluation
, mediation
, electronic advocacy
and other larger systems interventions. In the field of social work, community practice is often contrasted with direct practice social work, in which social workers work directly with individuals solving micro-level problems. Community Practice has been referred to in the past as Macro Practice, though Community Practice is now the standard term in the United States.
Community Practice has considerable overlap with many other applied social sciences, such as urban planning
, economic development, public affairs
, rural sociology
and nonprofit management. Community Practice social workers typically have a Masters in Social Work (MSW). There are several MSW
programs in the United States that offer Community Practice Concentrations, while many other MSW programs offer specializations in one or several types of community practice, such as social services administration or policy analysis. The professional group of community practitioners is the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA), which publishes the leading journal in the field, The Journal of Community Practice.
University of Oklahoma
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
in the United States that focuses on larger social systems and social change, and is tied to the historical roots of United States social work. The field of community practice social work encompasses community organizing
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
, social planning, human service management, community development
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
, policy analysis
Policy analysis
Policy analysis is "determining which of various alternative policies will most achieve a given set of goals in light of the relations between the policies and the goals". However, policy analysis can be divided into two major fields. Analysis of policy is analytical and descriptive—i.e., it...
, policy advocacy, evaluation
Evaluation
Evaluation is systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something or someone using criteria against a set of standards.Evaluation often is used to characterize and appraise subjects of interest in a wide range of human enterprises, including the arts, criminal justice,...
, mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
, electronic advocacy
Internet activism
Internet activism is the use of electronic communication technologies such as e-mail, the World Wide Web, and podcasts for various forms of activism to enable faster communications by citizen movements and the delivery of local information to a large audience...
and other larger systems interventions. In the field of social work, community practice is often contrasted with direct practice social work, in which social workers work directly with individuals solving micro-level problems. Community Practice has been referred to in the past as Macro Practice, though Community Practice is now the standard term in the United States.
Community Practice has considerable overlap with many other applied social sciences, such as urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
, economic development, public affairs
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, rural sociology
Rural sociology
Rural sociology is a field of sociology associated with the study of social life in non-metropolitan areas. It is the scientific study of social arrangements and behaviour amongst people distanced from points of concentrated population or economic activity...
and nonprofit management. Community Practice social workers typically have a Masters in Social Work (MSW). There are several MSW
MSW
-Computers:*Microsoft Windows, an operating system*Machine Status Word, a data segment in the LOADALL instruction set for Intel 286 processors*Microsoft Office Word, a proprietary word processor-Science and Engineering:...
programs in the United States that offer Community Practice Concentrations, while many other MSW programs offer specializations in one or several types of community practice, such as social services administration or policy analysis. The professional group of community practitioners is the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA), which publishes the leading journal in the field, The Journal of Community Practice.
Schools of Social Work with Community Practice Concentrations
- Arizona State UniversityArizona State UniversityArizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
- Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa Pacific UniversityAzusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
- Boston University School of Social WorkBoston University School of Social WorkThe Boston University School of Social Work , located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA is one of the 16 graduate schools of Boston University.-Areas of study:...
- Case Western Reserve UniversityCase Western Reserve UniversityCase Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
- Mandel School of Applied Social SciencesMandel School of Applied Social SciencesMandel School of Applied Social Sciences is a nationally and internationally recognized school of social work, one of the six professional schools within the Case Western Reserve University system, located among many educational and cultural institutions in the University Circle in Cleveland, OH...
- Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
- Georgia State UniversityGeorgia State UniversityGeorgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
- Hunter College of the City University of New York
- University of Denver Graduate School of Social WorkGraduate School of Social Work at the University of DenverThe Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver , is the oldest graduate school of social work in the Rocky Mountain Region. Founded in 1931, GSSW is currently ranked 36th by US News and World Report...
- University of Denver Social Work Doctoral Program
- University of GeorgiaUniversity of GeorgiaThe University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
- University of Houston Graduate College of Social WorkUniversity of Houston Graduate College of Social WorkThe University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work is one of twelve academic colleges at the University of Houston. Established by the Texas Legislature in 1967, the college provides master's level and doctoral degrees in the area of social work. Notable faculty includes Nobel laureate...
- University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
- University of Minnesota School of Social WorkUniversity of Minnesota School of Social WorkThe School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota is a top-ranked graduate school of social work. The University of Minnesota School of Social Work, established in 1917, is the oldest graduate social work program in public land grant university. In addition, the doctoral program, established...
- University of North CarolinaUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
- University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
- University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
- University of TennesseeUniversity of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
- University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonThe University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
- University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
- Wayne State UniversityWayne State UniversityWayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
- Yeshiva University, Wurzweiler School of Social Work
External links
University of Oklahoma
See also
- List of community topics
- Community developmentCommunity developmentCommunity development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
- Community buildingCommunity buildingCommunity building is a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area or with a common interest...
- Community economic developmentCommunity economic developmentCommunity Economic Development is a field of study that actively elicits community involvement when working with government, and private sectors to build strong communities, industries, and markets...
- Community serviceCommunity serviceCommunity service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
- Community engagementCommunity engagementCommunity engagement refers to the process by which community benefit organizations and individuals build ongoing, permanent relationships for the purpose of applying a collective vision for the benefit of a community...