This uniquely illustrated handbook will find a wide audience ranging from social work and community development students to beginner social service practitioners and micro-level development professionals working with communities especially in the Southern African context. An experienced team of authors unpacks the definition that people-centred community practice is a change and management process. This process is facilitated with a community of people to take action to increasingly actualize their fundamental human needs to enhance the quality of their own lives and those of the wider community that they are part of.

The book’s people-centred and assets/strengths-based approach to community practice is consistent with fundamental social work values. This approach ensures that even beginners would work with communities in a respectful way so that communities would not be imposed upon or disempowered in the process. Since the approach is strongly grounded in theory, this equips facilitators with the basic knowledge to approach any community and facilitate any potential project.

The authors, as tertiary educators, researchers and facilitators, have harvested richly from their engagement with students, colleagues and communities to write this user-friendly textbook.

Contents:

SECTION A: INTRODUCING PEOPLE-CENTRED COMMUNITY PRACTICE 1
CHAPTER 1 Unpacking people-centred community practice 5
CHAPTER 2 Ways of addressing poverty 26

SECTION B: THE THEORETICAL HEART AND MIND OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE 37
CHAPTER 3 Understanding people and change 41
CHAPTER 4 Principles and ethics of community practice 88

SECTION C: FACILITATING A PEOPLE-CENTRED PROCESS IN COMMUNITY PRACTICE 103
CHAPTER 5 People-centred facilitation incommunity practice 114
CHAPTER 6 Connecting and discovering 129
CHAPTER 7 Finding a focus and creating avision for action 173
CHAPTER 8 Designing a new future – participatory planning 186
CHAPTER 9 Delivery – living the designed plan 211
CHAPTER 10 Disconnecting and departing 225

SECTION D: THE MANAGEMENT FOR PEOPLE-CENTRED COMMUNITY PRACTICE 233
CHAPTER 11 Participatory management and leadership 242
CHAPTER 12 Communication as a management function in people-centred community practice 257
CHAPTER 13 Linking and networking – using the context as assets 271
CHAPTER 14 Capacitating – strengthening the assets and filling in the gaps 282
CHAPTER 15 Dealing with differences and conflict 291
CHAPTER 16 Research in people-centred community practice 300
CHAPTER 17 Funds, fundraising and income-generating projects 318

© 2010 University of South Africa
First edition, first impression
ISBN 978-1-86888-601-2
Published by Unisa Press
University of South Africa
Number of Pages 362pp

Prices:

• South Africa: R280.00 (Incl. VAT)
• Africa:   R386.00
• U$D: $45
• GBP: £27
• Euro: €35