This new handbook builds on The Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations published in 2007, and is the only resource defining the field of study related to small nonprofit organizations and to studying communities from the standpoint of associations that make up communities. It explores the history and conceptualizations of community, theoretical concepts in community organizations, social movements ranging from health to crime, and community practice methods. Further it provides authoritative statements of major theory areas, gives examples of different sub areas of the field, provides guidance to people working as practitioners in the field, and nicely coincides with the increasing interest in clinical sociology. This handbook is of great interest to academics, students and practitioners with an interdisciplinary resource to understand and collaborate in work with contemporary communities.

Although the way associations and the organization of local social life are intertwined is one of the oldest approaches to community study, the way citizens and residents come together informally to act and solve problems has rarely been a primary focus. Associations are central to important and developing areas of social theory and social action. This handbook takes voluntary associations as the starting point for making sense of communities. It offers a new perspective on voluntary organizations and gives an integrated, yet diverse, theoretical understanding of this important aspect of community life.

Read the latest studies on the effectiveness of religious-based services-and the problems revealed in the assessment The Charitable Choice provision and the Bush Administration's National Faith-Based Initiative have broadened the scope of social services delivered through faith-based organizations. There are expectations that these faith-based social service providers will be more effective-but how should that effectiveness be measured? Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness explains the nature and quality of religion-based social service delivery while serving as a point of reference for future research and work. This unique source tackles the important, complex issue of measuring the effectiveness of faith-based social services in comparison to secular services while providing analysis of the latest available studies. Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness provides a conceptual analysis of FBOs (faith-based organizations) that reflects the need to gather detailed studies to assess social service effectiveness while reviewing the crucial issues challenging public policy. The latest empirical research is detailed, including the problems found when comparing secular and faith-based social service providers, their organizational structures, and the types of services offered. Analysis is included of the data from a three-state evaluation of welfare to work programs, a study of four types of faith-based services found in four cities, and an assessment of a church-based program for teenage drop-outs. Topics in Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness include: discussion on how social science research shunned faith-based services and how this neglect affected effectiveness problems inherent in efficacy assessment making funding priorities decisions the causes of outcome differences a model of evaluation based on randomized controlled clinical trials using measurement practices currently used by the nonprofit sector comparative case studies in transitional housing, parent education, and residential substance abuse treatment programs latest analysis of research involving faith-based organizations and the provided services' efficacy much more! Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness is illuminating reading, perfect for social work professionals, students, educators, sociologists, religious leaders, and seminary educators.

Read the latest studies on the effectiveness of religious-based services-and the problems revealed in the assessment The Charitable Choice provision and the Bush Administration's National Faith-Based Initiative have broadened the scope of social services delivered through faith-based organizations. There are expectations that these faith-based social service providers will be more effective-but how should that effectiveness be measured? Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness explains the nature and quality of religion-based social service delivery while serving as a point of reference for future research and work. This unique source tackles the important, complex issue of measuring the effectiveness of faith-based social services in comparison to secular services while providing analysis of the latest available studies. Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness provides a conceptual analysis of FBOs (faith-based organizations) that reflects the need to gather detailed studies to assess social service effectiveness while reviewing the crucial issues challenging public policy. The latest empirical research is detailed, including the problems found when comparing secular and faith-based social service providers, their organizational structures, and the types of services offered. Analysis is included of the data from a three-state evaluation of welfare to work programs, a study of four types of faith-based services found in four cities, and an assessment of a church-based program for teenage drop-outs. Topics in Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness include: discussion on how social science research shunned faith-based services and how this neglect affected effectiveness problems inherent in efficacy assessment making funding priorities decisions the causes of outcome differences a model of evaluation based on randomized controlled clinical trials using measurement practices currently used by the nonprofit sector comparative case studies in transitional housing, parent education, and residential substance abuse treatment programs latest analysis of research involving faith-based organizations and the provided services' efficacy much more! Faith-Based Social Services: Measures, Assessments, and Effectiveness is illuminating reading, perfect for social work professionals, students, educators, sociologists, religious leaders, and seminary educators.

This new handbook builds on The Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations published in 2007, and is the only resource defining the field of study related to small nonprofit organizations and to studying communities from the standpoint of associations that make up communities. It explores the history and conceptualizations of community, theoretical concepts in community organizations, social movements ranging from health to crime, and community practice methods. Further it provides authoritative statements of major theory areas, gives examples of different sub areas of the field, provides guidance to people working as practitioners in the field, and nicely coincides with the increasing interest in clinical sociology. This handbook is of great interest to academics, students and practitioners with an interdisciplinary resource to understand and collaborate in work with contemporary communities.

Although the way associations and the organization of local social life are intertwined is one of the oldest approaches to community study, the way citizens and residents come together informally to act and solve problems has rarely been a primary focus. Associations are central to important and developing areas of social theory and social action. This handbook takes voluntary associations as the starting point for making sense of communities. It offers a new perspective on voluntary organizations and gives an integrated, yet diverse, theoretical understanding of this important aspect of community life.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice is an acknowledged leader in cultivating theoretical and practical social work knowledge. Celebrating the School's centennial, this volume heralds the progressive thinking of its leaders and students while setting the stage for the next century of work at the frontier of the field.Following the School's approach, the book upholds the core values of social work: a clear understanding and respect for the past; analysis of current and professional issues; a vision of the future that reflects a commitment to social change; and the dissemination of knowledge on local, national, and global issues. The intellectual history of the School's founders, faculty, and students is reconstructed through an extensive collection of articles on a variety of social work themes that employ both data-based research and theoretical analysis. The volume contains key contributions from practitioners affiliated with the School, from the early pioneers in 1908 to recent alumni and current faculty in 2008."A Century of Social Work and Social Welfare at Penn" will be an enduring resource for scholars and historians of social work and social welfare as well as a point of reference and pride for those influenced by the achievements of the School's faculty and students.

The Other Philadelphia Story How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America Ram A. Cnaan. With Stephanie C. Boddie, Charlene C. McGrew, and Jennifer Kang "Cnaan uses a unique, thorough field study of nearly 2000 congregations in Philadelphia to probe the issue of social service delivery through religious institutions. . . . The book will be useful for graduate courses in social welfare and religion, and to scholars in both fields. Highly recommended."--"Choice" For people living in U.S. cities, social services come not only from the government but increasingly also from local religious communities. Ever since the Clinton administration's welfare reform, faith-based institutions, and especially congregations, have been allowed to bid for federal funds for their programs. In "The Other Philadelphia Story," drawing on the first-ever census of congregations in any American city, Ram Cnaan and his colleagues provide an authoritative account of the functioning of congregations, their involvement in social services, and their support of other charitable organizations. An in-depth study of 1,392 congregations in Philadelphia, the book illuminates how these groups function as community hubs where members and neighbors alike gather throughout the week. Cnaan's findings show that almost every assembly of parishioners emphasizes caring for others, even if the help is modest. Thus American congregations uphold an implicit but strong norm of social responsibility and work to improve the quality of life for members and nonmembers alike. Many of the problems associated with urban life persist in the face of governmental inaction, and the burden of responsibility cannot be shouldered entirely by congregations. However, in a city such as Philadelphia, where half the residents are regular attenders of religious congregations, hopes for urban improvement are largely to be found in these local groups. Special focus is given in the book to kinds of care that often go unnoticed: volunteerism, provision of refuge, and informal assistance to community members in need. All told, Cnaan asserts, congregations are an essential component of Philadelphia's civil society. Without them, the quality of life would deteriorate immeasurably. Ram A. Cnaan is Professor, Associate Dean for Research, and Chair of the Doctoral Program in Social Welfare, as well as Director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice. He is the author of "The Newer Deal: Social Work and Religion in Partnership" and "The Invisible Caring Hand: American Congregations and the Provision of Welfare." The City in the Twenty-First Century 2006 352 pages 6 x 9 5 illus. ISBN 978-0-8122-3949-2 Cloth $69.95s 45.50 World Rights Sociology, Public Policy Short copy: For many living in U.S. cities, social services come not from the government but from local churches. Based on the first census of congregations ever conducted in any American city, this book provides an authoritative account of the functioning of congregations, their involvement in social services, and their support of other organizations.