Practicing Social Work in Deprived Communities Competencies, Methods, and Techniques

Part I: A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Deprived Communities

1         Understanding deprived communities globally; Author: Ana Opacic

In this chapter different meanings of deprived communities are discussed and positioned within a specific global context. These meanings refer to the following concepts: ?low income?, ?impoverished?, ?vulnerable?, ?remote?, ?disadvantaged?, ?undeserved?, ?less favoured? community, ?slum?, ?ghetto?, ?favela?. Different deprived communities are classified in five groups. The first group is based on lower income or health indicators as a proxy for poverty. The second group is the deprived community and based on a multidimensional approach that can be compared with non-deprived neighborhoods. The third group consists of marginalized, disadvantaged, and less favored communities with a focus on development trajectories within a wider social context. The fourth group reflects communities with a severe exposure to risks that result from geographical isolation in remote communities. In the fifth group, there are so-called controversial communities in urban settings that do not differ solely from their surroundings, but also exhibit a specific lifestyle and identity leading towards stigmatization in a wider context.

2         Effects of deprived community on personal well-being and community processes; Author: Ana Opacic

In this chapter the author discusses what it means to live in a deprived community based on systematic literature review. Deprived community as a context produces adverse effects on both the individual level and community level. Existing research show that people who live in a deprived community face poverty, higher rates of crime, and have lower health and education prospects. In deprived communities lack of social services is notable. Research show that deprived communities are characterized by community processes such as segregation, exclusion, and lower sense of autonomy, resilience, and empowerment. In this chapter the author places these effects in the frame of theoretical approach, such as community development theory, diversity, and multicultural context and community resilience.

 

Part II. Social Work Practices in Deprived Communities Throughout the World

3 Community development principles in the context of deprived communities. Authors: Ana Opacic, Carmen Luca Sugawara, Nino Žganec

In this chapter the authors outline central principles of community development and position them within the frame of deprived communities. Specific attention is given to principles of autonomy (including community participation, ownership, self-help), principles of inclusive communities (advocacy, access and equity, inclusion), and principles of active communities (social action, networking, empowerment, lifelong learning). Many times deprived communities as systems demonstrate system archetypes that suggest challenges of implementing community development principles into practice. For example, deprived communities may demonstrate addiction on external relief; there is a strong sense of powerlessness, communities may face stigmatization, and communities with scarce resources may develop inner inequalities and lack of trust towards community structures. These challenges are supported through empirical findings and the authors outline the importance of these principles for sustainable community development. 

4         Strategies for increasing community engagement in a community with a lack of perspectives, Author Baiju P.Vareed
Engaging community or following participatory practice in development was initiated by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and subsequently by various government departments. Working with stakeholders in communities demands an understanding of the local culture, social milieu, and power dynamics. Local problems need local solutions as well as support and resources from outside of the community. Community engagement is imperative while working with culturally diverse countries like India, where there is no one-size-fits-all. The vast voluntary sector comprising community-based staff of NGOs and trained social workers have vigorously embraced engagement since the last decade of the last century.  Community agencies ensure involvement of stakeholders and community members in all sorts of development activities including agriculture, livelihood, gender development, micro business, and health and sanitation. This article discusses how citizen engagement is undertaken in community development programs in India by NGOs and government departments, with case studies from rural, urban, and slum dwellings

5         Strengthening social capital in deprived communities: From Empty Foyer to Shared Social Space, Authors. Anna Metteri, Tuula Kostiainen, Joonas Kiviranta, Matilda Leppänen

This chapter offers a descriptive analysis of the process -- how social work competencies develop in a process of collaborative learning in an enhanced integration project in Hervanta, one of the biggest multicultural suburbs in Finland. The three-year pilot project called TEKO started in 2016 and was aimed at enhancing refugee integration into the Finnish society through community social work and two-way integration. The project established a community pop-up center Kototori, where a social worker and a social instructor worked two days a week to develop a community approach. Kototori is a result of the co-operation among partners The City of Tampere, Federation of Tampere Evangelical Lutheran Parishes, and Tampere University. Gradually, the reflective community approach was leading to the practice of mutually shared competences, changing the way professional competencies were used. This meant deconstructing power relations between individuals, community, and social workers.

6         Social work practice in places of resettlement and sustainable community development; Author: Odessa Gonzalez Benson

This chapter aims to provide a descriptive summary and conceptual analysis of social work practice conducted within refugee communities upon resettlement. Place-based social work practice within the context of the resettlement city is examined. It is at the scale of the city that is more often the site for community development with refugees, rather than the state-level as determined by federal policy. Social workers thus engage not only with refugees and their organizations, but also with other stakeholders and actors who are invested in economic and urban development at a broader sense. Also, participatory approaches as a form of practice are highlighted, considering both the promise and limits or challenges to such practice. Analyses also account for the sociopolitical and economic landscape in which social work practice with refugees emerges and evolves in the United States. Data are model programs in resettlement cities in the United States, as determined by the federal resettlement office.

7         Violence prevention and neighborhood collective efficacy in deprived communities. Author: Mary L Ohmer

Deprived communities often face high rates of community crimes and violence, which is particularly visible in slum, ghetto, and favela communities, but also in many other examples across the globe. In this chapter, the author discusses theoretically why deprived communities may face higher violence and crime rates. Furthermore, it analyzes through lenses of neighborhood collective efficacy how crime and violence can be prevented and how civic engagement and participation can be employed in dealing with substantive neighborhood problems, including community and youth violence. In particular, practice examples are prov

Ana Opacic, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of Social Work within the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb in Croatia. Her field of interest includes community social work, international social work and theory of social work. As a researcher and practitioner, she is involved in local vulnerable communities in Croatia. Ana Opacic did her PhD thesis on the conceptualization of developmentally sensitive communities in Croatia, and has published numerous articles on this topic in distinguished peer-reviewed journals. Some of the subtopics include typology of underdeveloped communities, environmental justice, social capital and post-war reconstruction.