Week 8: Intervening in Social Conditions: action, development, and planning approaches

UTA SSW

Generalist Macro Practice Professor Dick Schoech

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Summary of Classes 1-8 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/communities Intervening in social conditions Administrative practices

Steps in an Assessment

1. Identify the condition of concern2. Listening to stakeholders3. Developing a vision and guiding principles4. Design assessment5. Collect/analyze data/information on problem,

community, services, evidence 6. Identify needs, barriers, capacities from assessment7. Develop intervention plan (goals and objectives) 8. Recommend on solution

Learning Objectives of ClassLearn to write needs statementsLearn to write capacities statementsLearn how to prioritize needsLearn 3 intervention approaches

Action Planning Development

Writing Need Statements

Include what is needed & who has need Try to focus on outcomes, not process Write precisely & 1 need per statement Do not include how need will be met Examples

Poor: A clinic for teens is need to prevent drug abuse (poor because solution is included)

Better: drug abuse among teens needs to be prevented (good because many solutions could lead to the outcome of drug abuse prevention)

Writing Capacities Statements

Identify the capacities of individuals Example: The majority of citizens indicated a

willingness to volunteer time monthly to address this condition

Identify the capacities of associations The PTA has a task group studying this condition

Identify the capacities of institutions 5 agencies provide services that address this

condition

Needs Prioritization

Targets change where it is most neededGains momentum for implementationInvolves those affected by changeIncludes the politics of change

Need Prioritization Process

Process should be describedSeveral possible methods

Technical by staff Group consensus or vote Mathematical rating process Political deliberations

Method 1: Technical by Staff

Easy & quickTrue to data

Loses momentum for implementation

Narrow perspectiveDoes not include

politics

Advantages Disadvantages

Method 2: Group/committee Process

May include politics

Can build on vision & principles

Easy and quick

Most verbal members dominate

Institutions will protect their turf

Advantages Disadvantages

Method 3: Mathematical (course pack)

More objectiveMore true to

dataIncludes criteria

Does not include power politics

May not be sellable

Advantages Disadvantages

Method 4: Political/involve public

Most sellableCould be

difficult, depending on politics

Most biasedMay not change system

muchCan be divisiveCould be time consuming

Advantages Disadvantages

Intervention Approaches

Similar to DP treatment modalities, e.g., CBT Three traditional or common approaches

Planning (link) (adv/disadvantages in course pack) Action (link) (adv/disadvantages in course pack) Development (link) (adv/disadvantages in course pack)

Others common approaches Building coalition of loosely linked agencies Services integration for a system of agencies Policy/legislative approach for system wide change

Interventions can go wrong

Boot camp DARE HUD housing programs Scared straight Recovered memory techniquesOthers

Conclusion Need statements focus on outcome, not service

or process Needs tell you where to focus help Capacities tell you how to help Select prioritization process based on

situation--blended (math/political) good Needs assessment more developed than

capacities assessment CAP has 3 traditional approaches (much like

DP approaches to intervention)