Practicing Social Work in Deprived Communities: Competencies, Methods, and Techniques (European Social Work Education and Practice)

✍ Scribed by Ana Opačić (editor)

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2021
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 269
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This contributed volume offers a holistic understanding of social work practice in deprived communities through its thematization of understanding deprived communities globally, the development of competencies for social work practice in and with deprived communities, social work education as a community development tool, and the empowerment of social workers in deprived communities. Inequality as a globally recognized challenge is extensively elaborated within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Agenda program for social work, making this a timely and important contribution to the literature.
Deprived communities, used in this book to mean slums, ghettos, favelas, and low-income, remote, underserved, vulnerable, impoverished, underdeveloped, disadvantaged, or less-favoured communities, exist worldwide and are conceptualized under different terms and concepts. For that reason, social work, specifically in deprived areas, is notsufficiently recognized as a specific field of practice within community work. As a result, this volume features contributions that:

• provide a conceptual clarification of many different terms that are used for describing deprived communities and offer a systematic literature review on community processes and effects on well-being in underdeveloped communities;
• map different fields of social work involvement in deprived communities with concrete practice examples; and,
• stress why social work as a profession needs support and how it can be empowered to improve its capacities in deprived communities.

With international authorship and perspectives on social work approaches for deprived communities from India, Sub-Saharan Africa, North and Central Europe, and North America, Practicing Social Work in Deprived Communities is an essential resource for social workers, social work educators, and community development practitioners. The text also should be of interest to students of social work, as well as other professionals and researchers working within community development and deprived communities.

✦ Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Editor and Contributors
Editor and Contributor
Contributors
Part I: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Deprived Communities
Chapter 1: Understanding Deprived Communities at the Global Level: Semantic, Operative and Theoretical Dimensions of the Phenomenon
1.1 An Extensive Terminology for Designating Communities Experiencing Developmental Difficulties: A Fundamental Semantic Basis
1.2 Approaches to Operationalisation of Less Developed Communities
1.2.1 Operationalisation of Deprived Communities Using One Variable
1.2.2 Specifically Defined Concepts: Slum, Ghetto and Favela, Remote Community, Vulnerable Community and Less Favoured Area
1.2.2.1 Slum
1.2.2.2 Ghetto
1.2.2.3 Remote Communities
1.2.2.4 Vulnerable Communities
1.2.2.5 Less Favoured Area
1.2.3 Generic Terms and Composite Measures in Tracking Community Development
1.2.4 The Use of Subjective and Process Indicators in Measuring Deprived Communities
1.3 Theoretical Framework for Understanding Deprived Communities
1.3.1 Structural Factors Leading to Less Community Development
1.3.2 Critical Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Developmental Inequalities Among Local Communities
1.3.2.1 The Use of Power Through Enforcement Mechanisms
1.3.2.2 Legal Exploitation of Community Resources
1.3.2.3 Stigmatisation
1.3.2.4 Unequal Opportunities
1.3.3 Relying on One’s Own Strength: Internal Development Processes
1.4 Conclusion
References
Chapter 2: Effects of Living in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods on Personal Well-Being
2.1 Neighbourhood Effect in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods
2.2 Unfavourable Structural Conditions in Neighbourhoods Affecting the Well-Being of Inhabitants: Ecological Risks, Infrastructure and Violence in Neighbourhoods
2.3 Socioeconomic Status, Well-Being of Inhabitants and Quality of Family Relationships in Disadvantaged Communities
2.4 Life in Disadvantaged Communities and Health of Inhabitants
2.5 Mental Health of Inhabitants in Disadvantaged Communities
2.6 Life in Disadvantaged Communities and the Lifestyle of Inhabitants: Diet and Physical Activity
2.7 Education and Life Opportunities for Children Growing Up in Deprived Communities
2.8 Conclusion: The Dynamic Relationship Between Environmental and Individual Factors in the General Well-Being of Inhabitants in Disadvantaged Communities
References
Chapter 3: Principles of Community Development and Challenges Facing Deprived Communities
3.1 Fundamental Principles of Community Development
3.2 Challenges in Achieving the Principle of Community Development in Deprived Communities
3.2.1 Oppressive Policies and Practices Against Deprived Communities
3.2.2 Oppressive Relationships Within the Community and Social Disorganisation
3.2.3 Reduced Social Cohesion and Insufficient Community Participation
3.2.4 Reduced Sense of Belonging to Community and Community Experience
3.3 How to Encourage Empowering Development Processes in Deprived Communities?
References
Part II: Social Work Practices in Deprived Communities Throughout the World
Chapter 4: Listening to the Least: Engaging Communities in Development Programs in India
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Participatory Development
4.3 The Panchayati Raj System
4.4 Participatory Development by NGOs
4.5 Challenges of Participation
4.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 5: Searching for Local Answers to Societal Challenges: The Contribution of Civil Society Organizations and Social Innovations to Community Development
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Civil Society, Citizen Participation and Community Development
5.3 Community Development as Governance and Co-production
5.4 Civil Society and Social Innovations at Community Level
5.5 New Roles of Professionals
5.6 Conclusion
References
Chapter 6: Developing Social Work Competencies to Empower Challenging Communities: From an Empty Foyer to a Shared Social Space
6.1 ‘Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Tossed into the Community
6.2 Developing Competence and Expertise for Collaborative Community Practice in Challenging Communities
6.3 Research Data and Method
6.4 Social Work Practitioners’ Roles and Identities at the Community Drop-In Centre
6.5 A Compilation of Competencies
6.5.1 Forming Relationship-Based Social Work
6.5.2 Sense of Community and Community-Based Social Work
6.5.3 Experimentation and Shared Action for Social Change
6.5.4 Creativity and Analytical Thinking
6.6 Working Close and Together
6.7 Discussion and Conclusion
References
Chapter 7: Accompaniment and Emergence: Social Work Community Practice with Resettled Refugees
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Contextual Background: Resettlement Agencies and Refugee-Run Community Organizations
7.2.1 US Resettlement Agencies
7.2.2 Refugee-Led Community Organizations (RLOs)
7.3 Conceptual Background: Community-Based Accompaniment and Emergence-Based Approaches
7.3.1 Community-Based Accompaniment
7.3.2 Emergence-Based Approach
7.4 Applying Accompaniment and Emergence in Social Work with Resettled Refugees
7.4.1 Re-envisioning Social Work Within the Resettlement Agency
7.4.2 Expanding Social Work Outside the Resettlement Agency
7.4.2.1 Advocacy
7.4.2.2 Creating Alternative Institutions
7.4.2.3 Volunteerism or Community Service
7.4.2.4 Community Relations as Neighbours or Social Capital
7.4.2.5 Participatory Research
7.5 Concluding Discussion
References
Chapter 8: Enhancing Poverty Reduction Through Community Work in Low-Resourced Areas in Africa
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Social Work and Development
8.3 A Theoretical Framework Rooted in African Realities and the Sociocultural Orientation of Communities
8.3.1 Communalism as a Positive Attribute for Community Work
8.4 Community Work Practice Models and Challenges of Community Engagement
8.4.1 Models of Community Work
8.4.1.1 Community Development
Community Development Challenges
8.4.1.2 Community Education
Using the Education Model to Address Existing Resources in Deprived Communities
8.4.1.3 Social Action
Challenges Connected with Power Relations Within Poor Local Communities
8.4.1.4 Social Planning
Availability of Services Particularly for Deprived Local Communities
8.4.1.5 Social Marketing
Stigmatization of Deprived Local Communities
8.5 Policies that Inform Community Work
8.6 Impact of Sustainable Community Projects on Poverty Reduction
8.6.1 Recognition of Strengths
8.6.2 Positive Outlook on Life and Reduced Apathy
8.6.3 Strengthened Sense of Togetherness
8.6.4 Women Empowerment
8.6.5 Protection from Societal Ostracization
8.7 Conclusion
References
Chapter 9: Developing Smart Social Services for Mending the Gap in Development Inequalities
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Communities at Risk: Remote and Deprived Communities
9.3 Mending the Gaps Through Professional Social Work
9.4 Smart Social Services
9.5 Conclusion
References
Part III: Supporting Social Work Practice in Deprived Communities
Chapter 10: Social Work Higher Education Institutions: Allies of Most Vulnerable Communities
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Local Capacity for Community Development and Higher Education: An Overlooked Relationship
10.3 Civic Education, Service Learning, Community-Based Research, and Local Capacity for Community Development in Vulnerable Communities
10.4 Reflection on the Promising Principles: Social Work Education and Local Capacity for Community Development
10.5 The Role of HEIs in Strengthening Professional Development of Social Workers in Vulnerable Communities
10.6 Recommendations for Social Work Education
10.7 Conclusion
References
Chapter 11: Culture and Resource Scarcity: Social Work Practice in Canada’s Remote Communities
11.1 Underdevelopment and Development in Canada
11.2 Remote Communities and Underdevelopment
11.3 The Context for Social Work Practice
11.3.1 Indigenous Communities
11.3.2 Remote Single Industry Towns
11.3.3 Place and Space
11.4 Practice Skills
11.4.1 Assessment
11.4.2 Intervention and Change
11.5 Summary
References
Chapter 12: Development of Deprived Communities Through Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Approaches
12.1 Possibilities for Collaboration Between Different Professions in Community Development
12.2 Professional Collaborations in the United States: Defying the Segregated City
12.3 Professional Collaborations in Brazil: Supporting Informal Dwellers’ Right to the City
12.4 Scholarly Collaborations: Just Futures and Community Building
12.4.1 Benefits and Challenges of the Collaboration
12.5 Dual Degree Programmes as Basis for Sustainable Transdisciplinary Collaboration
12.6 Importance of Multi-professional Collaboration for the Development of Deprived Communities
References
Part IV: Conclusion
Chapter 13: Conclusion: Full Profile of Social Work in Deprived Communities
13.1 What Should Social Workers Know About Deprived Communities?
13.1.1 Understanding the Concept of the Deprived Community
13.1.2 Outcomes of a Deprived Community on the Well-Being of Citizens
13.1.3 Complex Processes Inside and Outside Deprived Communities
13.2 Role of Social Work in Deprived Communities
13.2.1 The Role of Social Work in Building Social Structures of Deprived Communities
13.2.2 The Role of Social Work in Integrating and Combatting Segregation of (New) Community Members
13.2.3 Higher Structural Level of Work in Deprived Communities: Helping Vulnerable Individuals and Vulnerable Communities
13.2.4 Building Capacities and Supporting Social Workers in Deprived Communities
13.3 The Professional Identity of Social Workers in Deprived Communities
Index