Macro Social Work Practice Proposal
This assignment requires you to propose an intervention involving macro change at your agency or involving your agency’s client population. Your intervention may involve organizational, legislative, or community change or a combination. “Community” may be defined very broadly, from the neighborhood in which clients live or in which the agency is located, to agency staff, to the clients in a residential setting. It is important that the intervention you propose be one that is realistic and that could actually be undertaken by you as a social worker in direct practice. It must be limited in scope and consistent with what a social worker working full-time in an agency setting could undertake. You should not be proposing a group intervention.
The first section (I) of your paper should be a detailed description and assessment of the problem that your proposal is designed to address: In what way(s) does the problem reflect social and/or economic injustice, oppression, and/or human rights violations? Then, include a clear statement of what you would like to accomplish with your proposal.
The second section (II) of the paper is a literature review. You should conduct a thorough literature search for empirical and theoretical literature that is relevant to the social/client/organizational problem that you have selected and/or the mezzo/macro intervention you are proposing. You should find the most recent literature possible, preferably within the last five years. You should then select and read three articles from peer reviewed journals. You may use no more than one of the suggested readings for this literature review. You should discuss your opinions about what you have read: points that you agreed and disagreed with, whether you thought the authors provided a thorough discussion of the topic, and the like.
The third section (III) of the paper should be a detailed discussion of your proposal integrating the literature you described in the second section as well as relevant text material. This includes a critical analysis of the following:
a. Type of intervention: Is it organizational change, community organization, management/ administration changes, social action/advocacy? Identify and analyze how your intervention would initiate actions to achieve the goals proposed.
b. Change strategies: For example, mobilize clients, conduct a needs assessment, alert the media, prepare a position paper, lobbying. What made you choose these strategies. Analyze/justify the reasons; don’t just list. In what way(s) can clients be involved in the change process to advocate for their interests? Analyze ethical concerns for use of specific strategies.
c. Specific target(s) (who are you directing your intervention efforts towards? who will be responsible for bringing about the proposed change): For example, agency administrators, the local housing authority, community leaders, agency clients, legislators. Evaluate who holds power, and who/what are sources of power that can propel change. How can you use collaborative skills to effectively engage the target(s) in your change efforts?
d. Beneficiaries (who will benefit from the intervention): For example, agency clients, residents of the neighborhood surrounding your agency, agency staff, the public at large/community, society. What are possible direct results of changes being proposed as well as indirect, or possible, unexpected outcomes?
e. Preparatory empathy: How are targets, beneficiaries, and relevant others likely to react to your proposal and how do you plan to address it upfront? Has this problem been addressed before? What lessons were learned? Predict and address the factors that would support and oppose the change. What is your target audience likely to see as problems with the proposal? How can you let them know that you have considered those problems and wouldn’t have them if your proposal was carried out. Think about funding, feasibility, capacity, etc. Remember you are appealing to heads, hearts, and wallets!
f. Barriers to change and discuss techniques to diffuse: For example, resistance of agency administrators, a sense of powerlessness among clients, lack of resources. Analyze Possible negative repercussions for you and/or your clients and strategies to minimize negative repercussions.
g. Any ethical concerns for use of specific strategies?
h. Address and discuss means of evaluating effectiveness: How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your intervention using research methodologies?
