Engagement is an essential component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice. As advanced practitioners, we must recognize that facilitating engagement with, and on behalf of, diverse clients and constituencies is vital to practice advancement and to eliciting progressive change. Practice efficacy is dependent on the social worker’s ability to demonstrate effective engagement at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. At my practicum setting, I consistently engage with clients experiencing housing insecurity and utilize inter-professional collaboration to facilitate engagement at the individual and system levels.
6.1: Examine evidence-based practices to prepare for professional engagement across systems
Course Evidence: In our non-profit organization proposal for the advanced administration course, I examined evidence-based practices to formulate and write the human resources plan for my group’s organization, Friends Helping Friends. The human resources plan outlined specific evidence-based strategies to continually engage and retain employees and volunteers within non-profit organizations and explained how these strategies would be applied within Friends Helping Friends. The human resources plan can be accessed here.
Field Evidence: Throughout my time serving with the Eviction Prevention Initiative, I maintained effective engagement with with local and city officials, EPP colleagues, agency personnel, and clients through utilization of the spectrum of community engagement framework and incorporating skills such as initiating empathy, active listening, and cultural competency. The Spectrum of Community Engagement Framework can be viewed here.
6.2: Engage with systems utilizing evidence-based practice strategies
Course Evidence: In the advanced administration course, I wrote a case support letter to McKee Foods Corporation to ask for continued support of my group’s non-profit organization, Friends Helping Friends. This letter demonstrated my skills to effectively engage and maintain positive rapport with community organizations. The case support letter was included in my group’s final organization proposal and can be viewed here.
Field Evidence: While serving clients on the Eviction Prevention Initiative, I began exploring the approaches of other cities to combat housing instability. While researching this, I found a program in Austin that gives property managers whose rentals meet a certain price threshold a 40% property tax break and waiving specific zoning rules that make it easier for low-income housing developers to navigate the city’s building processes. I was able to find the Austin councilman who was behind this proposal and learn more about his “Affordability Unlocked” program. I was able to obtain the Austin councilman’s contact information and wrote an e-mail to him with the intention of gaining more insight on the effectiveness and implore further about the program. The e-mail I wrote can be viewed here.
Skills Present: Through writing the case support letter, human resources plan, and letter to the councilman in Austin, I demonstrated professional written communication skills and advocacy skills. I demonstrated interpersonal skills, professional oral communication skills, and active listening skills when engaging with my clients, EPI colleagues, agency personnel, and local city officials.
Knowledge Present: To fulfill these practice behaviors, I applied knowledge obtained from the advanced administration course, such as how to format a case support letter and the important components to include. When constructing the human resources plan for my group’s proposed organization, I applied knowledge obtained from close examination of evidence-based strategies for professional engagement, particularly in regard to employee and volunteer retention. Knowledge gained from familiarizing myself with the spectrum of community engagement framework enabled me to communicate effectively with clients, EPI colleagues, agency personnel, and local city officials.
Values Present: The social work values of service, dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships were all present within the practice behaviors demonstrated. My case support letter reflected the value of dignity and worth of the person through highlighting the stories and progress of individuals served by the organization. The values of service and the importance of human relationships were illustrated through my continual engagement with clients, EPI colleagues, agency personnel, and local city officials, as well as my ability to establish and maintain a strong, trusting rapport with each of them.
Cognitive Processes: For each of the practice behaviors demonstrated, I recalled (knowledge domain) the knowledge gained from my professional experience, educational foundation, and theoretical frameworks. I applied (application domain) this through demonstrating effective engagement with a diverse range of clients, stakeholders, EPI colleagues, agency personnel, and local city officials.
Affective Processes: To facilitate effective engagement across systems, I formulated (valuing domain) strategies based on extensive review of evidence-based practices across systems. I maintained an awareness (receiving domain) of the obstacles the individuals and communities I served faced through addressing my clients respectfully and listening (receiving domain) to their presenting concerns. I shared (receiving domain) this information through an approach that utilized evidence-based practice strategies.
Theoretical Foundation: A theory that I believe closely coincides with this competency is the Source Credibility Theory. This theory states that individuals are more likely to respond if the individual sharing information is perceived as someone who is trustworthy, expert, and credible. In order to demonstrate effective engagement across systems, it is crucial that social workers present themselves in a way that reflects each of these characteristics. Additionally, as advanced social work practitioners, we must engage clients as experts of their own experience. Despite our assumptions of what we believe is best for a client, we must encourage and empower within our clients the ability to make the best choices for themselves.