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QUESTION
Collaborating with the Community
This week, the additional reading examines the development of community partnerships as a way to not only better the environment but also the Human Services professional. It highlights how working in and with a community exposes the professional to betterment action and personal growth.
Read the article:
As you read the article, reflect on the following questions:
- What is the role of community collaboration as it pertains to Human Services program effectiveness?
- The case study within the article describes Human Services students working within the community and how doing so increases their self-efficacy. How would this translate if it discussed the work Human Service organizations do within a community? What are the benefits for the organization?
- How can using a systems approach to Human Services work impact an organization’s community reputation?
- The article mentions the importance of self-efficacy for the Human Services professional. What does this mean to you?
ANSWER
Collaborating with the Community
What is the role of community collaboration as it pertains to Human Services program effectiveness?
Community collaboration is important for Human Services organizations as it enables them to understand the actual needs of the communities and to identify how they can help their clientele by advocating on their behalf with other organizations that are service-based (Gronski & Pigg, 2000). A good example would be a human services worker who focuses on helping homeless people learning, through collaboration, that one individual has problems getting food stamps as a result of lacking an address to be considered as a resident. The worker may then meet with the food stamps agency and negotiate for the individual to receive food stamps.
The case study within the article describes Human Services students working within the community and how doing so increases their self-efficacy. How would this translate if it discussed the work Human Service organizations do within a community? What are the benefits for the organization?
If the case study described or discussed the work of a Human Service Organization within a community, it would entail how the organization benefits from the engagement. The case would discuss the various benefits for the Human Services organization, including how the organization acquires a good public image and reputation, how the organization acquires skills and experience on the provision of services, and acquisition of more donors.
How can using a systems approach to Human Services work impact an organization’s community reputation?
The systems approach usually produces new insights about an organization’s culture. It encourages an organization to look at problems differently and encourages people to learn from each other (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Using a systems approach to Human Services work would result in new ways of problem-solving and improvement of relationships, which would improve an organization’s reputation.
The article mentions the importance of self-efficacy for the Human Services professional. What does this mean to you?
The belief in one’s own abilities to deal with different types of situations is also referred to as self-efficacy (Bandura, 2010). Self-efficacy level determines how I feel about myself and whether I can achieve my goals. With a strong sense of self-efficacy, I am able to view new challenging problems positively and tackle them head on. I am also able to develop a strong interest in the activities that I participate in and to form a strong sense of commitment to them.
References
Bandura, A. (2010). Self‐efficacy. The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology, 1-3.
Gronski, R., & Pigg, K. (2000). University and community collaboration: Experiential learning in human services. American Behavioral Scientist, 43(5), 781-792.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
