ABSTRACT
In this chapter. Paul Stepney provides an introduction to community social work (CSW), its theory and practice, and summarizes research evidence concerning its effectiveness. Communities can be the source of problems at times, but also a source of solutions. CSW is primarily concerned with working alongside clients and community members to develop more preventative local services, together with creating and enhancing informal networks of support. The contested concept of community is examined, and different definitions used as basis for the development of patch working in the UK alongside community practice in the US. An eight-phase process model is employed to illustrate how CSW may be used in child protection and family support roles. As the chapter makes clear, developing supportive, empowered, and empowering communities is not a simple or straightforward matter, but it is an undertaking that can certainly repay the effort involved.
