Using Planning Techniques and Skills Social Planning Using Planning Techniques and Skills

Social workers use planning skills to: Plan programs and services Plan interventions Write grant proposals Make decisions based on fact gathering and data analysis Facilitate the inclusion of various groups in the planning process

Planners serve the public interest, but define it in different ways: Organismic (Planner as expert; public is best served by use of technical skills). Communalistic (Assumes that all members of the public have common interests. These interests are expressed in the political process; planner is responsive to demands placed on him/her by government). Individualistic (Unified public interest can not be defined; instead it is determined through negotiation and political compromises. Planner works for interest groups).

Only professional planners with technical skills. Planners also differ in terms of who should be involved in the planning process. It can be: Only professional planners with technical skills. Politicians and interest groups should be involved. Beneficiaries of plans should be actively involved in planning decisions.

Most planning is based on the Rational or Problem-solving Model Problem identification Assessment Goal Setting Implementation Evaluation

The planner’s conceptualization of the public interest and decision-making participants determine the planning model used: Model Public Interest Participants Rational Served by use of technical skills to select the best plan Planners with expertise Incremental Determined through politics; Planner acts as mediator to determine common interest Politicians and interest groups Advocacy Determined through politics; No unified public interest Interest group employs the planner Transactive Institutional oppression limits ability of all to have interest met. Group interest determined through dialogue Beneficiaries and planner are equal partners in planning process Marxist Social action is needed to promote interests of disadvantaged Planners role is to help oppressed create social movements

Most of what we do as planners is to help develop goals and objectives Goals are broad, ambiguous, and pertain to an ideal we want to reach such as “end homelessness” or “improve the quality of life in the community.” Objectives are steps to reaching the goal and must be a) Measurable b) Time-limited c) Related to a specific task or process d) Evaluable

Conceptual, visual, or mathematical models. Principle of Transitivity Planners use a variety of methods to choose among alternative goals or intervention plans Decision trees Conceptual, visual, or mathematical models. Principle of Transitivity Cost benefit or cost effectiveness analysis. Analysis of the distributional impact of the plan (what groups will benefit or lose).

Sample goals & objectives for a Medi-Cal Outreach Program might include Goal: Improve health care status among community residents Objective 1: Recruit 10 community residents for paid employment as peer health educators by February 1, 2003. Evaluation criteria – number of residents recruited Objective 2: Provide a series of six training workshops on Medi-Cal eligibility by April 1, 2003. Evaluation criteria – number of workshops actually held, number of people attending, findings from evaluation survey distributed to those attending. Objective 3: Inform the public about Medi-Cal eligibility through local media and community forums. Evaluation criteria: number of calls for more information to Medi-Cal hotline. Number of people attending forums.

Objectives can either be task or process oriented Objectives can either be task or process oriented. Task objectives focus on completing a specific activity or delivering a specific number of services. Process objectives are a means used to complete a task-related activity. In community practice process objectives are most often related to recruiting new members, leadership development, increasing public awareness, or strengthening the organization.

In planning community organization interventions, we must try to integrate strategies and tactics with goals and objectives. You can use the format distributed in class and posted on the class website for your final assignment.