Community Profiling

Community as a Fuzzy Concept• One which “posits an entity,

phenomenon or process which possesses two or more alternative meanings and thus cannot be reliably identified or applied by different readers or scholars.” (Markussen, 2003, p702)

Two Broad Definitions• “Community as shared locality”

• “Community as shared interests”

• (Mayo, 2009, p127)

More General Definition• A geographical location

• A sense of belonging

• Mutual Support

• A target for action

(Sheldon and Macdonald, 2009)

Types of Profiles• Community Needs Profile

• Community Consultation

• Social Audits

• Community Profiles

Community Needs Profile• Policy Planning

• Service Delivery

• Drawing on available data

• Practitioner Research– Finding it out for yourself

Community Consultation• Community Participation

• Project/Service focus

• Feeling part of the process

Social Audits• Part of Service Evaluation

• Being clear about service aims

• Quantitative and Qualitative data

• Gathering data

• Independent auditing

Community Profiles• “A comprehensive description of the

needs of a population that is defined, or defines itself, as a community and the resources that exist within that community, carried out with the active involvement of the community itself, for the purpose of developing an action plan or other means of improving the quality of life of the community.” (Hawtin and Percy-Smith, 2007, p5 - emphasis in the original)

Community Development• Voice of those experiencing poverty used in

policy making

• Change to benefit the most marginalised

• Systemic and structural change

• Improving existing democratic participation

• All stakeholders involved in strategy

• How things are done, not just what is done

(Lynam, 2006)

Assessment

• “......involves gathering and interpreting information in order to understand a person and their circumstances; the desirability and feasibility of change and the services and resources which are necessary to effect it. It involves making judgements based on information.”

• (Middleton, 1997, p5)

• “encourage social workers to be reflexive and develop a pragmatic truth that fits social work situations in a way which is most satisfying for service users, the end product being a story that is helpful to all concerned.”

• (Milner and O’Byrne, 2002, p4)

Think about your data• If you discover that 12% of the

population of the area you look at are aged 0-15 what can you conclude from that?

Practicalities of Profiling• How do you find out about a

community?

Practicalities of Profiling• Existing Data

– The internet

– Maps and Photographs

– Media Sources

– Community Sources

The Internet• A word of warning – gold in the dung

heap

• The Audit Commission– www.areaprofiles.audit-commission.gov.uk/

• Neighbourhood Statistics– www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk

Maps and Photographs

Google Maps (Link)

Maps and Photographs

BBC (Link)

Experiential Data• Walking the streets

• Different times of day

• Getting a feel

Consider your own experience• What in your community creates

stress for you?

• Where in your community do you find support?

Service User Perspectives• Drawing on people’s lived experiences

• Strengths and difficulties

Whose perspective are you using?

A young parent with 2 children under 4

A teenager arrested for burglary

An adult recently left hospital having been Sectioned

An older adult with Alzheimer’s disease

Person

References

• Berger, P. (1966) ‘Identity as a Problem in the Sociology of Knowledge. European Journal of Sociology, 7, pp105-115

• Hawtin, M. and Percy-Smith, J. (2007) Community Profiling: a practical guide. Maidenhead: Open University Press: McGraw-Hill Education

• Lynam, S. (2006) Community Development and Public Policy. Dublin: Combat Poverty Action Group

• Markussen, A. (2003) Fuzzy Concepts, Scanty Evidence, Policy Distance: The Case for Rigour and Policy Relevance in Critical Regional Studies. Regional Studies, 37. 701–717, August/October 2003

• Mayo, M. (2009) ‘Community Work’ in Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (Eds) Critical Practice in Social Work (2nd ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

• Sheldon, B. and Macdonald, G. (2009) A Textbook of Social Work. London: Routledge#

• Middleton, L (1997) The Art of Assessment. Birmingham: Venture Press

• Milner, J. and O’Bryne, P. (2002) Assessment in Social Work. London: Palgrave Macmillan