Social Planning PDF

# Social Planning ## What is Social Planning? - Several definitions exist - Dyckman argues (1966) - "The name "social planning" has been bestowed on the remedial patch-up of unplanned social consequences of public and private programs, to the neglect of other aspects of social planning. An analysi...

# Social Planning ## What is Social Planning? - Several definitions exist - Dyckman argues (1966) - "The name "social planning" has been bestowed on the remedial patch-up of unplanned social consequences of public and private programs, to the neglect of other aspects of social planning. An analysis of social planning must distinguish societal planning, programming for selected social goals, and the deliberate introduction of social values into economic or political processes" - Dyckman (1966) - social planning can mean "the effort to plan for the fate of a whole society. This view emphasizes the interdependence of activities and the shared consequences of program actions. It recognizes that there may be unplanned consequences of planned actions, and that these may deserve attention equal to that given the programs themselves." - Social planning can mean specifically “social” programming arising from the broad social goals of the community. The traditional welfare activities of public and private agencies have been the principal focus of such planning (Dyckman, 1966) ## Social Planning (Midgley & Piachaud, 1984) - Social planning is a goal directed process concerned with rational and efficient decision-making and most are explicit about its normative content. - Unlike other forms of planning, social planning is exclusively concerned with social reality ... social planning deals directly with social issues and problems. - Generally, definitions of social planning imply a unique concern for social issues and the application of the ideals of planning to the direction of social events. ## Kettner et al (2013) - Kettner et al (2013) stress that it is important that planners know something about the problem and the characteristics of the target population and need to include these data elements in their management information systems. ### What are some areas that you think social planning may be useful? - Figure: Core social planning principles (centre) and practices (periphery) identified by respondents. (Prior, 2009) ## Four Constraints to planning - Kaplan (1973) identifies four constraints to planning: - The unplanned - not all decisions can be planned nor can they be planned. - The unanticipated - our planned actions can have unexpected consequences - The uncontrolled - planning supposes control; but there are areas outside of our control - The inappropriate - planning may lead to limits of its own activities ## Logic Model Components of Planning - A diagram illustrating a logic model displaying the flow of the following in order: - Inputs - Process - Outcomes - Outputs - Impacts ## Considerations in Social Planning - Efficiency - ratio of outputs to inputs - how much service a programme provides in relation to its costs - Effectiveness - achievement of client outcomes - quality of life changes as a result of the programme ## What Are Programmes? - A programme is a prearranged set of activities designed to achieve a stated set of goals and objectives. - Programmes are staffed by specialists who work exclusively with a defined population or problem. However staff responsibilities may also cut across more than one programme. ## Effective Programmes - Designing effective programmes requires that social service professionals develop a thoroughly researched understanding about social problems, people in need, and social services. - It requires collection of data appropriate for monitoring & evaluation from start to finish of intervention to demonstrate the impact.