Knowledge for Social Work Practice: A Policy Example

Presenter: Claudia J. Coulton, Professor and Director, Center for Urban Poverty and Social Change, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Dr. Coulton Discussed Linking research with local planning and action initiatives in low-income communities, shaping research in the local community as an interface between the macrostructural causes of poverty and its impact on families. By develo ping a partnership with community organizations, her center has been able to guide research by the vision, values and questions of both practitioners and researchers. Dr. Coulton emphasized that the center views itself as producing knowledge and informati on to facilitate action. Believing that community is key, Dr. Coulton and her colleagues have focused on understanding neighborhood change as well as on how changing neighborhood affect residents. Much of the work has been based ion their comprehensive ne ighborhood database, the Cleveland Area Network for Data and Organizing (CAN DO).

Through CAN DO, the center has been able to provide direct access to original; social, demographic and economic data in a form that supports community practitioners in formulating questions and identifying issues based on direct experiences. The center has used its research findings and technical capacity to aid in needs assessment, program planning, evaluation and quality improvement, and policy reform.