1. What’s Macro got to do with Social Work Practice?
Bridging Field and Classroom Education for Macro Practice in Social Work

2. Thoughts from the focus groups (i.e. what you told us)
We held 5 focus groups (N=38) with field instructors to discuss macro practice, your perceptions and ideas, and the supports and obstacles encountered in this work
We found themes re: barriers, throughout our discussions: reliance on the medical model, funding constraints, limited time and other resources, students’ and FI’s lack of experience with macro practice, and lack of clear communication between CSW and agencies re: expectations around developing macro skills.

3. Community practice projects (cpp)
Macro Practice course covers Policy practice, Community Organizing, Advocacy, and organizational change; one year course in first year of MSW
CPP is required in macro course, as bridge to skill development in field
CPP covers four main areas of skill development: Engagement, Assessment, Intervention and Evaluation
Should sound familiar, as these four areas mainly comprise direct practice skills as well.

4. Critical approach to community practice
In community practice, we are trying to teach our students to subvert the “expert-client” binary, the professional paradigm that many of us work in
We want them to see the community as expert, themselves as learners in the community who can help facilitate and empower changes the community wants to see
We want students to work with and in the community, rather than FOR the community

5. Oink!!
A little story about Cuentepec, Morelos in Mexico, a poor mountain village.
“Well-intentioned” outsiders wanted to “help” and gave them some pigs
Forgot to ask them if they ate pork, which they don’t
Overrun with wild pigs now

6. Engagement: what do we expect?
These are first year students, so the first several weeks in the fall are time to “get their feet wet” in their practicum site. This is the beginning of engagement: look around, listen, attend meetings, ask questions, do some background research.
Listen to clients, staff, supervisors; get to know the surrounding community; understand funding structures (i.e. follow the dollar) and organizational flow chart at the agency. Weekly supervision needs to bring macro practice to the foreground, help the student think about social and structural issues. Help students keep their ears to the ground! Avoid telling your student: “here’s a good project for you to work on.”

7. Assessment: what do we know, what do we need to know to do our work better?
In a nutshell, that is assessment
Need to know how we are doing, that is our baseline (research and data)
Where do we want to be – our goal? That’s what we are aiming for.
What are we willing to do to get there?
Remember, the “we” needs to involve community!

8. Intervention: what do we want to do about achieving our goal?
Need to decide if the goal aims for a change in population or performance
Population change: increased safety for children, increased access to mental health services for school children
Performance change: decreased no-shows for appointments, increased compliance with treatment protocols
What are we willing and able to do to get there?

9. Evaluation: how do we know if we had any effect? (not affect, please)
Same data is collected as in the baseline, so a comparison can be made. Did the intervention have any effect? What else might explain any changes we observe?
If no effect, what might explain that? What needs to be changed to get desired effect?
Not just customer satisfaction, need to evaluate actual movement toward goal

10. Sample project: punctuality
One professional complained that “clients are often late for their appointments.” Not only is this a hassle, but it is cost ineffective for the agency, may also impact quality of services
The “wrong” approach: “clients need time management skills” – how do you know that?
The beginning of a better, community oriented approach: let’s assess the population and find out about barriers to arriving on time (engagement, listening)

11. Cpp Idea, continued
They surveyed the clients, mapped where they lived relative to the agency, overlaid a public transportation map (assessment)
Clients talked about taking two buses to get there, having to take children with them, the difficulties of the bus schedules (assessment, problem def)
Agency could verify these challenges, and asked clients about a schedule change: appt’s would now begin on the half-hour, rather than on the hour. Voila! Evaluation showed many more clients on time for appointments! (intervention and evaluation)

12. Back to the pigs….
The municipal government of Morelos could have avoided the problem by ASKING the community what they saw as solutions to poverty and malnutrition; the community would not have asked for pigs!
Now they have two problems: wild pigs overrunning the town, and continuing malnutrition among children and elderly people
Remember: ASK, then listen; seek to understand to develop intervention; then evaluate to see how we’re doing!

13. What would you like to improve at your agency?
Brainstorm ideas for community practice ideas in your agencies!
Remember the basics: don’t tell the student “here’s your project,” but guide them into listening and observing to uncover needs, hopes and goals; help them assess strengths as well as needs; facilitate a change process with the community as driver; empower the student to engage, develop interventions and evaluate in collaboration with the community