Community practice also known as mezzo social work is a branch of social work that focuses on larger social systems and social change, and is tied to the history of social work.[1] The field of community practice social work encompasses community organizing and community organization, community building, social planning, human service management, community development, policy analysis, policy advocacy, mediation, electronic advocacy and other larger systems interventions.
In the UK the term is often used for community work or health visitors.
Although community practice has overlap with many other applied social science disciplines, such as urban planning, economic development, public affairs, rural sociology and nonprofit management, its roots go back as far as the 1890s. Community practice social workers typically have a Master of Social Work degree (MSW). There are several MSW programs in the United States that offer community practice concentrations, while others offer specializations in one or several types of community practice, such as social services administration or policy analysis. The professional group of community practitioners in the US is the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA),[2] which publishes The Journal of Community Practice.[3]
- ^ Gibelman, M. (1999). The search for identity: Defining social work -- past, present, future. Social Work, 44(4), 298-310.
- ^ Association for Community Organization and Social Administration
- ^ Journal of Community Practice