Community practice has been an integral part of social work since its inception in the Settlement House Movement and the Charity Organization Societies. In its grassroots organizing, interagency planning, and social action aspects, this method of practice engages citizens in problem solving, works to improve the quality of life for vulnerable groups and communities, and enacts the profession's social justice mission through a variety of practice models from policy practice to political action. While practice emphases varied over the course of the 20th century—sometimes with greater focus on organizing services, on grassroots organizing, on planning, on social action—the essential purposes to strengthen communities and services, and to press for access, equality, empowerment, and social justice have not wavered.

Indeed, community practice is expanding in the early decades of the 21st century in the United States and around the world. At the same time, major new contexts are developing that will have an impact on community practice work everywhere: the increasing interaction of multiple cultures within and among nations; the continuing struggle to make human rights for everyone—including women and children—a reality throughout the world; and the far-reaching impacts of globalization on the poor and working classes in Western democracies and the Global South alike. Many practice strategies are likely to prove tried and true, others will need modifications for diverse settings or changing populations, and doubtless other strategies will be conceived in the future as needed.

All communities are and will continue to be affected by the global economy and the social, economic, and political shifts that will continue interactively. Community practitioners will need to be cognizant, proactive, and seriously engaged to bring forth closer global connections that support human and sustainable development rather than witnessing the risks and damage to local economies, social structures, and environments that are already evident. Community practice approaches from community development to social action must take into account new complexities, challenges, and opportunities in this period of unparalleled global change. Indeed, community practice is the critical component of the profession that can help citizens, groups, communities, and organizations enlarge civil society, increase grassroots political clout, advocate for human rights, and work for positive social change to support those most disadvantaged by macro changes.

This book is intended to assist current and future social work students, faculty, and practitioners as they confront the challenges posed in the coming decades. For these reasons, this handbook places significant emphasis on social, economic, and sustainable development. Themes in this book emphasize organizing, planning, and development perspectives—from policy, through multiple practice models and strategies, to work focused on building people's skills for local, regional, and international projects as well as on knowledge development to respond effectively to changing and challenging macro contexts. Social work has much to be proud of in the history of community practice, and we now face major challenges to move values and purposes forward to support human flourishing in the 21st century (Friedmann, 1992). For this reason, it seems a vital time for a handbook of community practice to help lay out the agendas and consider directions for our future work.

The Handbook of Community Practice is the fifth work in a major series undertaken by Sage to establish the current state of the art—knowledge, theory, and research—in major areas of social work practice and to point the way to the future. Initially, I was asked to take on this project by Jim Nageotte, Sage's social work editor at that time, and Charles Garvin of the University of Michigan. Jim birthed and nurtured this series with great support from Charles, to determine areas, editors, and major topics needed for such a series. I am immensely grateful for their support and this opportunity to work with colleagues to lay the groundwork for community practice in the coming decades.

The Handbook series is a major accomplishment for the social work literature—a landmark in some ways as significant as the Council on Social Work Education's development and documentation of social work education issues in the thirteen-volume Social Work Curriculum Study (1959) coordinated by Werner Boehm nearly a half-century ago. That important effort served to clarify methods and models for all social work education. In contrast, the current Handbook series demonstrates both how central values have been maintained and how far we have come in knowledge development.

The previous publications in the Handbook series are The Handbook of Direct Social Work Practice, edited by Paula Allen-Meares and Charles Garvin; The Handbook of Social Policy, edited by James Midgley, Martin Tracy, and Michelle Livermore; The Handbook of Social Welfare Management, edited by Rino Patti; and The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods, edited by Bruce Thyer. I am honored to be a part of this effort and have greatly enjoyed bringing together the strongest company of community practice scholars working in its diverse aspects to examine and present the state of the art and directions for community practice.

I am especially appreciative of the support, concern, and assistance that have been offered by Arthur Pomponio, Sage's editor for social work, who stepped in to assist with a work in progress and encouraged the vision and direction of the book with great enthusiasm, and that of Veronica Novak and Diana Axelsen, who have made working with Sage a highly enjoyable experience.

I am also very appreciative of the advice, support, and skillful work undertaken in the early stages of this effort by the Associate Editors who agreed to contribute to the book and to review and prepare initial recommendations to authors. Having two sounding boards for chapter development was, I think, extremely useful for a considerable number of authors. I extend great thanks to them and to the authors who [Page xiii]saw the need for this volume and worked with creative diligence to document where we are and where we need to be going in a wide range of community practice arenas. Many of the authors are members of the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration, others have written for the Journal of Community Practice, and many have major books as well as definitive professional articles to their credit. I have been pleased to extend the range of perspectives on community practice in this volume, and have particularly relished not only the diversity of perspectives but also the great diversity of authors engaged in this project—by generation, ethnicity, gender, geography, and specialization. This diversity helps to make this volume more representative of community practice across the nation. Three “generations” of scholars are represented in the volume: the majority are stellar senior scholars, long-term leaders in our field, who have helped to shape the community practice literature since the 1970s and 1980s. Other authors are extraordinary mid-career scholars, widely recognized and respected as leaders in their specializations, many of whom have made building partnerships with community organizations and particular populations the focus of their service as well as scholarly careers. Finally, some are rising stars—close to the pressing realities of current practice and carrying forward commitment to the future of community practice scholarship. It has been an extraordinary experience to work with such a talented and committed group of scholars. My thanks and admiration to them all.

Development of the literature. There is a growing historical literature in community practice (Addams, 1960; Betten & Austin, 1990; Deegan, 1990; Fisher, 1984; Garvin & Cox, 2001; Lewis, 1973; Rothman, 1999; Weil, 1996), and a rich and varied literature about practice (Brager & Specht, 1973; Cox, Erlich, Rothman, & Tropman, 1970, 1984; Harper & Dunham, 1959; Kramer & Specht, 1983; Murphy, 1954; Rivera & Erlich, 1992; Ross, 1955, 1958; Rothman, Erlich, & Tropman, 2001; Taylor & Roberts, 1985) and a rapidly growing periodical literature—particularly in the Journal of Community Practice, and also in Social Development Issues, Administration in Social Work, Sociology and Social Welfare, the Progressive Journal of Social Work, and the Journal of Social Policy, among others. This volume, however, adds to the literature an opportunity to survey the scope of community practice perspectives, approaches, methods, skills, and research strategies in a comprehensive way that has not before been undertaken. While there are several community practice entries in the most recent Encyclopedia of Social Work, 19th Edition (Edwards, 1995) and several chapters in the Social Workers' Desk Reference (Roberts & Greene, 2002), this volume represents an encyclopedia of community practice documenting the strong development of the knowledge base and the state of the art in practice.

A number of significant textbooks about community practice have been published over the last twenty years, covering major approaches or specializing in one method such as planning or organizing. Some have been edited collections (Cox, Erlich, Rothman, & Tropman, 1970, 1984; Kramer & Specht, 1983), while others have been texts undertaken by a single or small number of authors (Brager & Specht, 1973; Ecklein & Lauffer, 1972; Hardcastle, Wenocur, & Powers, 1997; Homan, 2004; Lauffer, 1978; Rubin & Rubin, 1992). The Handbook of Community Practice builds on all these earlier works and presents both the scope and depth of community practice. The authors have had the welcome opportunity to compose a comprehensive summary of their favorite subjects and methods.

As a result, this volume provides unprecedented opportunities (1) to examine the range of practice methods focused on community interventions; (2) to consider the political, economic, social, and global shifts that are changing the context of practice; (3) to explore theory; and (4) to analyze the ways in which knowledge, methodology, and research can provide direction and inform leaders, facilitators, and practitioners of ways to strengthen communities and service systems as well as organize, plan, and act for needed change. Authors have critically examined knowledge, theory, practice, and methods, and have worked to define and interpret emerging issues that future students, practitioners, community leaders, scholars, and researchers will need to confront in coming years.

Organization of the book. The handbook is organized into four sections. Part I provides views on the context of community practice and covers central issues that impact practitioners' work. It provides an historical grounding for community practice and an overview of emerging trends, as well as an in-depth treatment of issues of diversity and challenges related to practice in communities of color—both areas that are essential to understanding American society and identifying directions for future practice. It continues with an innovative perspective on theory and theorizing for community practice—illustrating the range of theories and the kind of critical thinking needed to enlighten and guide practice. This section also includes an analysis of the conditions of persistent poverty and possibilities of asset-building, and concludes with a discussion of the evolution of community practice and an analysis of practice models in light of the changing contexts of the 21st century. These chapters reaffirm the values and purposes of community practice and identify challenges for the future.

Part II provides a panorama of the range and levels of community practice, exploring the major approaches—development, organizing, planning, and social change—and levels—grassroots engagement, political and legislative action, radical organizing, coalitions, system reform, and policy practice. These chapters focus on the methods and strategies of practice employed in each of these arenas.

Part III examines a variety of issues, areas, and fields of community practice. Section A, “Issues and Areas,” explores the importance of multiculturalism and inter-group empowerment strategies, feminist community practice, faith-based organizing, and program development and service coordination. Section B, “Fields,” addresses the topics of rural practice, health and mental health settings, child mental health, community building, economic and social development, and investing in socially and economically distressed communities. This section illustrates the breadth of community practice and its specializations in many settings. Section C, “Global Approaches and Local Issues,” expands the focus with treatises on global change and use of social indicators, practice challenges in the global economy, and local and international strategies for engagement of women in economic development through microcredit strategies.

Part IV addresses supports for community practice. Among topics examined are management, resource development, research methodologies and empowerment research, practice in the electronic community, and use of administrative data to support community change. These chapters treat operational and strategic issues, explore the expansion of practice into virtual communities, and advocate for increased efforts in research and evaluation by expanding the range of [Page xv]methodologies, engaging citizens in empowerment research, building partnerships among researchers, agencies, and communities, and by using administrative data to plan, evaluate, and support community change efforts. The concluding chapters then deal with trends, advances in technology, and the challenges of program development and of engaging in stronger partnerships with community members, as well as advancing the research and knowledge base through evolving methodologies.

Acknowledgments

I extend great appreciation to my colleagues who served as associate editors of this volume. Each is a renowned scholar in multiple areas of community practice. Many special thanks to Michael Reisch and Lorraine Gutiérrez of the University of Michigan, Elizabeth Mulroy of the University of Maryland, Ram Cnaan of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dorothy Gamble, my colleague and scholarly partner at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. All were of great help in reviewing chapters and advising and encouraging authors, thus ensuring the quality of the volume.

My deep thanks to Jennie Vaughn and Margaret Morse of the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work, copy editors par excellence. Special thanks also to Tezita Negussie, Karen Smith Rotabi, and Jennifer Hemingway-Foday for their help with research and logistics and their generous support. Finally, I express great appreciation to my partner, Charles Weil, who has endured this long process and remained stalwart and loving.

Dedication

This volume is personally dedicated to the lives, memories, and accomplishments of extraordinary mentors in community practice with whom I have had the great good fortune to work: Anne E. Queen of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who opened my eyes and my heart to community work through engagement in the civil and human rights movements and to community development on the Tule River Reservation; Eleanor Ryder of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work, who engaged me in community theory and methods; Michael Blum of University Settlement and Nationality Services Center of Philadelphia, who imparted strategies and skills; Paul Schreiber, former Dean of the Hunter College School of Social Work, CUNY, who was and is my model of scholarship and integrity; and Barbara Solomon of the University of Southern California, who has brilliantly led social work toward empowerment practice. I offer special thanks also to David Austin, Rino Patti, and Shanti Khinduka for their early and consistent encouragement and their exemplary scholarship.