Editorial notes

Traditionally, social workers have focused on repairing the individual at the psychosocial level, rather than on structural change. Our efforts have proven inadequate in work with poor families. As a result, professionals often feel overwhelmed, burned out, and cynical.

In our work with economically disadvantaged and isolated families, we may be demoralized by discouraging statistics and our observations of the increasingly dismal condition of children. However, we may be focusing on a half-empty versus half-full glass. Increased competition for funds for social work services should mobilize us to find less expensive and more innovative approaches to reverse the oppressive social and economic conditions in which we live. When we proceed diligently and with compassion to address the multiple needs of families, we support family strengths and help build protective, caring, and connected communities. To counteract the rising intolerance, racism, and class and gender bias, we should attempt to build bridges that connect our daily lives with our work.

This special issue of Families in Society offers fresh perspectives and programmatic solutions to some of the critical challenges with which social workers struggle. McKnight proposes that human services develop "asset-based" practice with families-an approach that supports the development of small, naturally occurring, function-based local associations to serve as the caring networks for families rather than the development of more systems that encourage client dependency. McKnight's ideas have made traditional family agency professionals squirm uncomfortably. However, his ideas need to be heard.

Sviridoff and Ryan report on their recently completed in-depth survey of Family Service America (FSA) member agency practices in relation to principles of community building. Their report is the first step in FSA's Community-Centered Family Service Initiative, which supports the shift to mobilizing community assets to address social problems in place of reliance on traditional social work services alone. Their review is illustrative and timely.

McDonald and colleagues present Families and Schools Together (FAST) as a way to bring together social work practices from both mental health and community organizing to encourage parents to support one another in helping their children negotiate the "toxic environments," to quote Garbarino, in which they live. This award-winning, multifamily, collaborative, early-intervention approach is based on stress and social support theory and applies family therapy, play therapy, and self-help group strategies. Family Service America, with the support of DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Foundation, has successfully replicated FAST in many communities.

Webster-Stratton's thoughtful article describes a shift from delivery of an effective clinical treatment for children with conduct disorders (a parent-training approach), to an effective early-intervention/prevention program for Head Start children. Her wellrespected, well-researched work with children and parents combined with her respect for parents makes her comments of particular interest. She carefully observes the effects of her parent-training program on improvements in parents' functioning as adults.

In his article "Head Start and Social Work," Frankel discusses the history and current status of Head Start, one of most successful community programs ever developed in this country. He asks why the social work profession has not been more involved in Head Start and presents recommendations for increasing social work's involvement with Head Start.

Feikema and co-workers discuss their agency's partnership with an economically disadvantaged, stressed, and isolated community in Pennsylvania. In 1995, Family Service of Western Pennsylvania won the Robert M. Rice Innovations in Practice award from Family Service America. The authors describe how their agency combined community mobilization, partnerships with consumers, responsiveness to community needs, direct community-based practice, and respect for consumers of services to provide innovative services to a vulnerable community. It embodies all the elements of FSA's community-centered initiative.

Finally, Cortes discusses how reinvestment in the institutions that help people learn, develop leadership skills, and build relationships can support and empower vulnerable communities. In this essay, he shows how the Industrial Areas Foundation has developed strong nontraditional community leaders.

I hope that this collection of articles inspires educators and practitioners to engage in partnerships with families to build on the existing strengths and assets of their communities.

Copyright Family Service America Mar/Apr 1997
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