Theory and practice of social planning and social management

Tel Aviv University – The Bob Shapell School of Social Work

MA in Crisis and Trauma Studies

Theory and practice of social planning and social management

An annual training seminar for psychosocial disaster and crisis intervention managers

Semester I and II, 2011-2012

Wednesdays, 10:15 – 13:00

 

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Dr. Mike Naftali

E-mail address: naftalim@post.tau.ac.il

Office hours – Project planning and individual consultation:  Room 220, Wendsdays: 13:00 – 15:00

Telephone: 050-7605682

Purpose

This course is designed to develop the management competencies and analytical capabilities and to provide the students with skills and tools in order to function effectively as psychosocial disaster and crisis facilitators and coordinators. The students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of planning and managing methods in order to implement programs for individuals, groups and communities in acute and long term crisis. The course will stress the skills, techniques, and strategies needed to mobilize both people and resources in order to face basic social problems at either the neighborhood or broader community level.

 

Overview

The risk of wide-spread suffering and loss from natural and human-caused acute and long term disasters is rising. Disasters disrupt every aspect of individual and community life, with especially deep-cutting and serious consequences for vulnerable populations. Many of the operations in the crisis intervention arena, especially during and after major disasters are initiated and managed by the non profit sector (N.G.O.'s). As the traditional lines blur between nonprofit enterprises, public services and business, it is critical that students understand the opportunities and challenges in this new landscape. Accordingly, special course work will focus on the particular managerial challenges faced by non-governmental organizations, their unique features, and their interrelationships with other public management actors.

 

This course sets out to explain the key processes that encompass the planning and management of social interventions, and covers issues such as needs assessment, defining intervention strategies, goals and objectives, generation of financial resources and decision making. Specific attention will be given to understanding the field of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which is rapidly garnering attention around the world as a key component in addressing local as well as global most pressing social problems.

 

As a proactive oriented seminar the students will work on the knowledge base, skills, roles and personal abilities required in order to function as an effective psychosocial disaster and crisis facilitator. When looking and discussing social interventions we’ll examine the following elements:

Impact and performance - What is the impact of the intervention program?

Management and leadership -What management and leadership characteristics are required for the specific program?

Sustainability - How is the enterprise sustaining itself financially?

Innovation - How does the program create and spread innovation and change?

 

In order to face these issues, during the seminar students will learn planning and intervention skills in conjunction to proposal writing, improving decision making skills, social marketing and communication skills, community outreach, team building and other vital organizing roles. In addition to developing these skills, the students will gain relevant professional experience during their field practice and performing the course's major assignment.

 

Seminar Objectives

The Seminar will focus on four core objectives:

1. Provide an understanding of the nature of social planning and social management, operation, monitoring and evaluation of crisis intervention programs.
2. Provide the knowledge and hands-on experience to develop the skills needed for dealing with different types of emergencies and disasters, using capacity building, management, organization, and the evaluation and analysis of these situations, before, during and after crisis events.
3. Teach the students to plan and implement a specific intervention program, as part and parcel of their field assignment and develop a business plan for their social venture.
4. Expose the participants to the basic notions of civil society and the effective functioning of non-profit entities in crisis intervention domains.

 

In addition, several other objectives will be challenged in a systematic and transferable approach:

• Providing specific attention to intervention planning for crisis and disaster mitigation, preparedness, as well as response, recovery, and community empowerment and development.
• Acquiring need assessment skills (on the individual, group and organizational level).
• Acquiring knowledge about the principles, approaches and methods of intervention and resource mobilization of Civil Society Organizations (C.S.O's).
• Adding insight and appreciation of leadership qualities, leadership roles, and team building.
• Highlighting values and ethics in examining the consequences of various types of intervention programs.
• Providing tools to analyze the organizational environment, taking into consideration its strengths and weaknesses in advancing a specific crisis intervention program.
• Introducing students to the concept of social entrepreneurship and expose students to trends and shifts in the character of social entrepreneurship and its specific role in the field of crisis and disaster.
• Understanding the factors that contribute to value creation and systemic social impact of a specific intervention program.
• Teaching students skills to use information technology to access current disaster-relevant information for assessing, planning, mitigating, responding to and recovery from disaster - from local through global levels.

 

Major topics (theoretical and practical)

1. a. An introduction to Capacity Building and Project Planning and Management:

• Social planning and social management – for acute and long term crisis situations.
• A multi sector perspective (government, private and the civil society and non profit sectors) to social planning and social management.
• Social creativeness - the notions of social entrepreneurship and social businesses.
• The notion of H.C.B. – Human Capacity Building.

b. Major ingredients in the process of program and intervention planning:

Situation analysis, identification and definition of needs and problems, identification of opportunities and niches, community involvement and representation, preparing the "Social Business Plan" (vision, values, ethics, mission, strategies, goals, objectives, tasks, action plan etc.), implementation of the planning (selected plan and adjustment of the selected plan), evaluating programs.

c. Introduction to social management:

Planning (analysing), organising, staffing, implementing, leading, controlling and evaluating.

d. Human resource development:

• Leadership development.
• Staff development.
• Volunteer management.
• Team work.

e. Information and knowledge management:

• Proposal writing.
• Writing reports.
• Data management.
• Site management.

f. Fundraising:

Resource allocation planning, grant making, consistency development, major donor development, special events, corporate sponsorships, capital campaigns, endowments, and social-business entrepreneurships.

g. Social marketing and publicity.

h. Financial management, budgeting and accountability.

i. Crafting alliances and partnerships, Environmental assessments.

 

 

Course Methodology

Students will be expected to have read all of the assigned material before coming to class and to participate actively in discussions. Class sessions will involve presentation of material by the instructor, but will focus on extensive class discussion of field experience and the assigned readings and other assingments prepared by the students. A portion of the grade (15%) for this course will be determined by the student’s demonstrated attention, attendance and engagement in the course and its activities.

 

Assigments and grading criteria

Weighting of Grades for the Annual Seminar:

Class Participation/Teamwork	15%
Case Studies and  Literature Reviews (total 4 assingments , 2 in each semester)	35%
Final Paper (to be submitted in coupels)	50%

 

Attendance

The class depends to a great extent on the participation and engagement of class members. Attendance is mandatory. Therefore you are allowed one unapproved absence without penalty. After that, each absence detracts from the grade for the class. The second absence takes away 1 point from the final grade, the third takes another 2 points for a total of 3 points away from the final grade, the fourth absence takes away another 3 points for a total of 6 points and so on.

Required Texts and Readings and selected links – will be published on the course's internet site.