Social work is a profession that seeks to enhance the well-being of all people and promote social justice and social change through a range of activities, such as direct practice, community organizing, social and political action, and policy development. However, the current literature suggests that the profession's focus on social justice and social action are weakening, replaced by individualism and therapeutic interventions. This article examines data derived from a survey of 188 National Association of Social Workers members from Maryland; Virginia; and Washington, DC, to explore levels of social action participation among social workers and determine whether identifying as a macro-level practitioner would predict higher levels of social action activity compared with being a micro-level practitioner. Findings indicate that social workers in this sample engage in only a moderate level of social action behavior. In addition, identifying oneself as a mezzo- or macro-level practitioner predicts increased frequency of social action behavior. Implications include emphasizing the importance of social action in schools of social work and practice settings and adequately preparing social work professionals to engage in social action.
The objective of this study was to ascertain whether participation in the Your Family, Your Neighborhood (YFYN) intervention, an intervention for families living in low-income neighborhoods, leads to improved perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion and informal neighborhood social control. Fifty-two families in three low-income, urban neighborhoods participated in the manualized YFYN intervention. In this quasi-experimental study treatment families (n = 37) in two low-income neighborhoods received YFYN and control families (n = 15) from one separate low-income neighborhood did not. Families receiving YFYN attended 10 two-hour skills-based curriculum sessions during which they gathered for a community dinner and participated in parent- and child-specific skills-based groups. Treatment families reported increases in both neighborhood social cohesion and informal neighborhood social control after receiving YFYN. However, families receiving YFYN did not experience statistically significant improvements in perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion or informal neighborhood social control compared with nontreatment families. In conclusion, the delivery of YFYN in low-income neighborhoods may improve perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion. Further testing, with randomization and a larger sample, should be conducted to provide a more robust understanding of the impact of YFYN.
A foundation-university partnership was developed to expand the bench of human service professionals (HSPs) of color trained in performance management with the results-based accountability (RBA) framework. Interviews and survey data reflect the RBA learning, application, and implementation experiences among three cohorts of HSPs of color (n ¼ 39) representing a variety of urban nonprofit and public agencies (n ¼ 35) in a metropolitan area. The HSPs reported valuable training experiences that provided an opportunity to make a greater impact within their organizations. However, some found the training to be missing a strategy on how to manage RBA in their work organizations. The participants reported appreciating the peer coaching process for its mutual support structure, focus on application, and the opportunity to network with others doing similar work across the region. The most common barrier reported by the HSPs was that they did not hold high enough leadership positions or have enough authority within their organizations, a common scenario for women of color in particular, to enact substantial change in performance management agencywide. Moving forward, strategies are needed to improve the implementation of RBA into
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