Practice and Theory in Community Work

Abstract

Policy theories and ideologies can be very close to each other. Community workers tend to be good at the second and less articulate in the first. The reason may be found partly in training. An analytical approach to welfare administration is a theoretical and empirical discussion of policy implementation, whereas the social administration of so many courses concerns the mechanical functions of different agencies and a historical perspective on the welfare state. Confrontationist concepts involved in such elements of job models as ‘community action’ and ‘social action’ tend more clearly to imply concepts of practice theory. Confrontationist tactics may be deduced from a conflict analysis of society and be seen as the best practice method to make that clear. Tenants’ associations offer probably the best single opportunity to the community worker. A more consistent attempt to integrate them into a policy theory – with the benefit of increased empirical evidence – could greatly help in the evaluation of such work.