Social and Community Development Practice

Abstract

**Social and Community Development Practice** makes a persuasive case for employing a social development approach to community development practice at local and village levels. Towards this end, the book offers a conceptual clarity of social and community development (SCD) by adding new dimensions. It also shows the significance of social policy education for social and community development workers and the need for expanding community development practice from local levels to international levels. The author argues that the social work profession itself needs to quickly reorganize and strengthen. It needs to consider alternative modes of preparing social workers and community organizers who can reach out at local levels. The profession also needs to develop indigenous ethical standards for SCD practice. The author s deep reflections reveal the dire need to refocus on SCD practice to address major issues such as poverty and inequality plaguing vast populations around the world. ** Review In this important book, Manohar Pawar makes a major contribution to understanding social and community development practice. He ranges widely over topics such as the tasks practitioners undertake, the skills and training they need and the ethics and values they should embrace. The book is an extremely valuable addition to the literature and is an essential reading for anyone working in the field today. -- (James Midgley *University of California, Berkeley*) The book brings to life the concept of social development with razor-sharp clarity and examines the potential for improving well-being at various levels of human existence in communities. An indispensable resource for guiding the course of social work education in India and South Asia as well. -- (Vijayan K. Pillai, PhD *and Editor, Social Development Issues*) Professor Pawar has written an exceedingly useful book for students, practitioners and teachers of social work and social change in the Asia-Pacific region. Comprehensive as well as current in its coverage and analysis of significant concepts, values, issues, processes, principles and strategies of community and social development, this publication promises to fill a serious void in the professional literature in an increasingly important field. -- (Shanti K. Khinduka, PhD *Dean Emeritus, George Warren Brown School of Social Work Washington University in St. Louis*) ### About the Author **Manohar Pawar**, PhD, is professor of social work at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Charles Sturt University (NSW, Australia) and is also the President of the Asia-Pacific branch of the International Consortium for Social Development. Earlier, he has taught at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and La Trobe University, Melbourne. He has more than 30 years of experience in social work education, research and practice in Australia and India. Professor Pawar has received a number of awards, including the *ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship* located at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi (1986 1988); the *Citation Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning* (2008, from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council); and *Quality of Life Award* (2001, from the Association of Commonwealth Universities). His current areas of interest include international social work, development and social policy practice, social consequences of cli¬mate change and water, social work education, virtues and social work practice, informal care and ageing, NGOs and community devel¬opment. He is the lead chief investigator of research funded by the Australian Research Council s Discovery Project that focuses on virtues and social work practice. His publications include *Social Work Practice Methods: Reflections on Thinking, Doing and Being* (2015); *Water and Social Policy* (2014); *International Social Work: Issues, Strategies and Programs* (2013); *The SAGE Handbook of International Social Work *(2012); *Social Development: Critical Themes and Perspectives* (2010); and *Community Development in Asia and the Pacific* (2010).