Using Evidence to Inform Practice for Community and Organizational Change

Macro-social work practitioners must combine research from different fields with professional judgment to develop an evidence-informed approach to positive community and agency change. Research is becoming more sophisticated and central in agency and community-based social work. Using Evidence to Inform Practice for Community and Organizational Change stands as an excellent resource for practitioners and students alike. The contributors present each stage of the evidence-informed practice model in a straight-forward manner, using guided criticism of previous research to direct readers towards effective research and implementation techniques.

Features

* Application of evidence-informed practices to macro-social work settings
* Key research questions to stimulate thinking and reinforce an emphasis on rigorous research practices
* Case examples highlight the role of evidence-informed strategies in organizational settings

Maria Roberts-DeGennaro, (PhD., University of Texas at Austin) is professor emerita of social work at San Diego State University, where she taught macro-practice related courses for 30 years. Her practice experience includes working as a case manager, program director, community development specialist, and director of an interdisciplinary center. From 1989 to 1992, Roberts-DeGennaro served as Chair/President of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA).

Sondra J. Fogel, (PhD., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) is associate professor of social work at the University of South Florida. Her research interests include interventions in poverty and homelessness, community-building strategies in low-income areas, housing policy, as well as mitigation evidence and its influence in capital punishment decisions. She will be chair of the Association of Community and Social Administration beginning in the Fall of 2010.