1. Session 3: Generalist macro practice, social change, roles, & levels of intervention
UTA SSW, SOCW 5306: Generalist Macro Practice
Professor Dick Schoech
Copyright 2005
Suggest printing slides for class using: Print | Handouts | 3 slides per page | grayscale options

2. UTA SSW Generalist Perspective
Accountability, e.g., Evidence based
Ethical practice
Self-awareness (Sense of self and values)
Contingency based analysis
Ecological systems, (Person-in-environment)
Holistic, multi-level assessment: micro-macro
Flexible/eclectic use of theories/techniques/roles
Generic change process

3. Overview Basic Concepts Generalist Practice
Change process (Macro perspective)
Successful change
Roles of macro social workers
Levels of Intervention of social workers
Conclusion

4. Basic Concepts: Change Participants
Change agent: Person(s) carrying out the change
Client or target system: The person(s) benefiting from the change
Action system: All those involved in the change process
Stakeholders: Key players in the change process

5. Basic Concepts: Levels of Intervention
Micro level intervention targets
Individual
Family
Group
Macro level intervention targets
Organization (agency, program)
Community (SMSA, city, neighborhood)
Society (global, national, regional, state) (policy level)

6. Roles of Social Workers
Generalist community roles
Advocate, broker, trainer
Planner, designer, analyst, manager, evaluator
Organizer, mobilizer, negotiator/mediator
Developer, collaborator, integrator, coordinator
Generalist administration roles
Leader, visionary, director, representor
Manager, designer, controller
Supervisor, guide, mentor, troubleshooter

7. Generic Change Process – Macro Perspective

8. Change Theory
Change of any client, from individual to community, follows a similar process
3 step process=unfreeze, change, refreeze
8 step generic social work change process
Completing and documenting all change steps increases chance for success
Many strategies, skills, and tools are needed along the way
Implementing change is usually not intuitive but learned

9. Change Process Engagement/sensing/establishing relationships
Clarifying overall direction & agreements
Assessment
Prioritizing needs and capacities
Intervention planning of options
Implementation and goal attainment
Feedback, monitoring, and evaluation
Disengagement, termination, follow-up

10. 1. Engagement/sensing, establishing relationships Tasks
Listen
Identify key players (stakeholders)
Explore the condition/situation
Create the urgency for change
Establish momentum to move forward
Explore the politics of the situation

11. 2. Clarifying Overall Direction & establishing agreements tasks
Clarifying expectations
Clarify intentions
Agree on vision you, client, stakeholders have for the intervention
Develop principles to guide intervention
Uniting people because assessment can be divisive

12. 3. Assessment Tasks Researching the condition/problem
Understanding target system (client-community) with the condition (demographics)
Establishing existing service systems
Determining needs\opportunities
Determining capacities\resources
Determining barriers that block change
Assessment contains a logical flow of information from data to need/capacities

13. 4. Prioritizing Needs & Strengths Tasks
Synthesizing all sources of data and assessment findings to determine priority client needs
Summarizing the major client capacities on which to design and build the intervention

14. 5. Intervention Planning Tasks
Developing intervention (treatment) plan for priority needs while building on capacities. The plan consists of solution options and supporting evidence, typically presented in the format of:
Goals — provides overall direction for intervention
Outcome objectives—specifies intervention results
Process objectives — specifies what will be done to get results
Recommendations --- suggestions on moving forward

15. 6. Implementation Tasks Work to attain intervention objectives
Action has the following components:
Political (considers people & values)
Technical (uses proven tools & techniques)
Rational (consistent, logical, defensible)

16. 7. Feedback, monitoring & Evaluation
Feedback: Continuous quality improvement mechanisms
Monitoring: Tracking progress on actions to see that they are carried out as specified in the process objectives (case management)
Evaluation: Analysis of change in client outcomes using baseline data and measures in the outcomes objectives

17. 8. Disengagement, Termination, Follow-up tasks
Insure client is ready to end intervention
Insure client can continue without help
Insure client’s environment supports and reinforces change
Insure natural structures exist to provide support if change is threatened
Follow up periodically to see results and if additional intervention, encouragement needed

18. Change more successful if (1 of 3)
One formally goes through more of the 8 stages
A powerful, guiding coalition has top level support
A change vision is created and communicated
Those impacted are involved (clients know needs but not solution)
Those impacted feel ownership (it is their change)
Resistance assumed & tackled when first appears
The process empowers everyone rather than gives power to some

19. Change more successful if: (2 of 3)
Continuous improvement methods are employed
Trial balloons/hypothetical speculation are used
Someone is responsible to push the change
Change is modular & modules are independent
Change supporters are rewarded (beh mod)
Those who oppose the change are given face saving options (win/win)

20. Change more successful if: (3 of 3)
Change consistent with values of those impacted
The change and change process is documented
Get it in writing and develop a formal plan
Two way communication channels are open
No surprises or hidden agendas
Change is formalized in policies, procedures & training
Natural systems are available to support and reinforce the change (strengths perspective)

21. Coping with change
Coping is similar for micro and macro levels, for example, stages for coping with loss of loved one are:
Denial and isolation/withdrawal
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance
Hope and acceptance

22. Tasks in your committee

23. 1b. Identify Stakeholders involved
Coalitions gain credibility, trust
Involve those experiencing condition so understand problem
Listening to problems, values, etc., (felt need)
Observing the condition
Identifying leaders (select roles of leaders)
Discovering the politics, history, values of condition

24. 2. Develop vision & guiding principles
Documents agreements about future
Unite people around values
Focuses on outcomes, not players or process
Publicizes based on values
Avoids divisive talk about solutions
Tell how condition could be for publicity purposes
Begin with the phrase “We envision” “We believe”
Brainstorm/NGT work well

25. 2a : Vision statement–2 parts
1. What people will be like when change completed
Example: We envision a community where violence is a rare and unusual occurrence.
2. What system like once change completed
Example: We envision a service delivery system that unites to helps the community prevent and treat violence by any of its citizens, no matter what age. (see course pack)

26. 2b: Guiding Principles Help guide the intervention strategy
Contain philosophy, values, beliefs, assumptions (course pack)
Can not be proven or disproven
Begin with “We believe…..”
Ex: We believe that communities can make violence a rare occurrence if they work hard.

27. Brainstorming (a sensing technique)
Assign recorder
Assign time limit
Agree on rules
All ideas have value
Clarify & judge later
Free & creative expression of ideas
Organize and sort through ideas

28. Nominal group technique (a sensing technique)
Silent generation of ideas on topic
Round robin listing of one idea – others listen
Discuss all items
Preliminary voting on ideas & recording vote
Discussion of voting
Final voting

29. 3. Divides condition into subparts
Makes condition more manageable, e.g., a subcommittee works on each part.
A step that influences the outcome
Health = hospital, nursing home, rehab, clinics, etc. Vs.
Health = Prevention, treatment, rehabilitation §

30. Conclusion
Generalist macro practice is based in professional knowledge, skills, and values, not personal values or common sense
The micro and macro change process is the same
Macro and micro practice draw upon the same base of knowledge, skills, and values
All involved (client, practitioner, significant others) have a role to play in the change process
Questions and discussion

31. Links