ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with some technical or academic approaches to decision-making, and examples of putting these into practice in a community social work setting. It describes group/team decision-making and its application to community social work. The chapter presents an outline of negotiating, which is important to team managers and to others working in partnership with communities and local groups. Managers have to recognise the limitations of their decision-making, and identify the factors which affect their freedom. Community social work practice may include involving local people in decisions. Local people arrived wanting to press for a zebra crossing outside the local primary school. Few people were interested in the community centre design as it was not high on the neighbourhood priority list. Involving people in decision-making is a skill, in which team managers/group leaders need to be trained. Many engaged in community social work will enter negotiations with local communities over the provision of services and resource allocation.
