Within the Leadership, Mezzo, and Macro Practice (LMMP) area of specialization is the Leadership, Community, Advocacy, and Policy (LCAP) track. This track prepares students for a range of mezzo and macro practice roles within a variety of organizational and community settings. Historically social workers have been called upon to assume leadership and facilitative roles in areas related to personnel supervision and development, program management, agency/organizational administration, community organizing, policy development, and advocacy.

Whether rooted in a generalist or clinical model of professional education, social workers must have the requisite knowledge, skills, and values to perform their roles and have an impact as leaders, advocates, organizers, and administrators. Social work supervisors, program managers, administrators, community organizers, policy developers, and advocates must know how to work with diverse and multicultural communities, organizations, personnel, and clients. For social workers providing leadership in organizations that provide direct services, they must ensure quality and affirming service provision for all client populations.

The advanced track in Leadership, Community, Advocacy, and Policy is critical to effectively prepare the social work profession to maintain expertise in the operation of human service organizations, mobilization of communities in creating change, creation of policy, and promotion of legislation that promotes equity.

CURRICULUM

Students are required to complete the following courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
SOWK 650	Leadership & Supervision in Service Organizations	3
SOWK 652	Organizations, Program Development, and Evaluation	3
SOWK 653	Community Organizing and Policy Practice	3
Total Hours		9

Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations

Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.

MSW PROGRAM SPECIALIZED LMMP LEARNING OUTCOMES 

Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision-making and how to apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas. Social workers recognize personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. They also understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers understand the profession’s history, its mission, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Social Workers also understand the role of other professions when engaged in inter-professional teams. Social workers recognize the importance of life-long learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure they are relevant and effective. Social workers also understand emerging forms of technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice. Social workers: 

1. Practice self-reflection and self-evaluation in working through competing personal and professional values. ​
2. Apply and anti-racist and anti-oppressive framework to macro practice decision-making, considering NASW and IFSW ethical codes, research and practice-based knowledge, and applicable legal and policy information. 
3. Promote policies for organizational, community, and policy change that reflect social work values and challenge inequities. 
4. Demonstrate an understanding of social work supervision as an accountability mechanism in supporting ethical and professional social work practice. 
5. Identify discrimination and marginalization and prioritize the voices of affected populations. 

Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice 

Social workers understand how diversity and difference characterize and shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including but not limited to age, class, color, culture, disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, marital status, political ideology, race, religion/spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. Social workers understand that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim. Social workers also understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power. Social workers: 

1. Demonstrate proficiency in choosing and using a variety of communication styles to engage with people of various political ideologies, religious and cultural backgrounds, and points of view. 
2. Create engagement strategies that are inclusive and consider systems of power and intersectional identities, including areas of racism, sexism, nativism, etc.  
3. Recognize the discrepancies that may arise between respecting cultural differences of clients and constituencies and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
4. Develop leadership and other teams that reflect the diversity of the communities in which they work. 

Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice 

Social workers understand that every person regardless of position in society has fundamental human rights such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers understand the global interconnections of oppression and human rights violations and are knowledgeable about theories of human need and social justice and strategies to promote social and economic justice and human rights. Social workers understand strategies designed to eliminate oppressive structural barriers to ensure that social goods, rights, and responsibilities are distributed equitably, and that civil, political, environmental, economic, social, and cultural human rights are protected. Social workers: 

1. Integrate knowledge of international human rights conventions and covenants, as well as human rights theories and frameworks, into practice that addresses social, economic, and environmental justice. 
2. Critically examine the political process to participate in organizational, community, and policy change addressing human rights and social justice 
3. Identify human rights and justice issues of clients and constituents. 
4. Develop strategies to address human rights and justice issues and to evaluate outcomes with key stakeholders. 

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice. Social workers: 

1. Critically analyzes research results on best practices in management and supervision from a variety of disciplines. 
2. Develop research questions with input from stakeholders and analysis of how the research process may impact, both positively and negatively, clients, programs, organizations, communities, and/or policies. Intentionally include the voices and experiences of those most affected by any type of inequality into the research process 
3. Critically analyze research findings and practice models to inform practice at all levels of macro practice, including teams, organizations, community, and policy 
4. Identify possible barriers and resistance to the conduct and dissemination of research, as well as any ethical, political, and other dilemmas that may arise. 

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice 

Social workers understand that human rights and social justice, as well as social welfare and services, are mediated by policy and its implementation at the federal, state, and local levels. Social workers understand the history and current structures of social policies and services, the role of policy in service delivery, and the role of practice in policy development. Social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and they actively engage in policy practice to effect change within those settings. Social workers recognize and understand the historical, social, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences that affect social policy. They are also knowledgeable about policy formulation, analysis, implementation, and evaluation. Social workers: 

1. Communicate to stakeholders and policymakers the implications of policies and policy change in the lives of clients. 
2. Conduct and design a plan of organizational analysis and change, working with relevant constituencies, to evaluate interventions that impact clients and communities utilizing best practice models reflecting social work values, ethics, and the mission of the organization. 
3. Collect, maintain, interpret, and analyze data from both internal and external organizational environments, the community of stakeholders and diverse client groups to identify and prioritize social problems. 
4. Recognize how oppression and social injustice affects client groups, organizations and communities and being proactive in intervening. 
5. for human rights and justice.  
6. Understand strategies and techniques for advocating at local, state, and federal levels in policy development. 

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 

Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand strategies to engage diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may impact their ability to effectively engage with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers value principles of relationship-building and inter-professional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate. Social workers: 

1. Demonstrate ability to identify a comprehensive range of stakeholders in the relevant practice setting: organization, community, and/or policy. 
2. Demonstrate self-awareness and professional behavior in engaging with individuals, teams, community groups and organizations. 
3. Demonstrate verbal, written, and digital skills to engage multiple, diverse constituencies. 
4. Understand and demonstrate effective group and team facilitation and mediation process skills that facilitate engagement and collaboration. 
5. Define and recognize their own and others’ leadership skills to effectively promote stakeholder engagement and change. 

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in the assessment of diverse clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of assessment with diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and value the importance of inter-professional collaboration in this process. Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may affect their assessment and decision-making. Social workers: 

1. Analyze power distributions to identify influential decision-makers, whether formal or informal, among individuals, teams, organizations, communities, and other institutional entities 
2. Identify and create mezzo and macro interventions based on an assessment and analysis of assets, needs, benefits, service gaps, rights, and power and resource distributions. 
3. Demonstrate ability to collaborate with stakeholders throughout the assessment process. 
4. Analyze collected data and communicate summaries of the data in written and oral form as appropriate.  
5. Present options for intervention based on data-informed assessments. 
6. Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various metrics, analytical methods and tools, and data sources (primary & secondary, quantitative & qualitative)  

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 

Social workers understand that intervention is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are knowledgeable about evidence-informed interventions to achieve the goals of clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to effectively intervene with clients and constituencies. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing and implementing evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals. Social workers value the importance of inter-professional teamwork and communication in interventions, recognizing that beneficial outcomes may require interdisciplinary, inter-professional, and inter-organizational collaboration. Social workers: 

1. Articulates ethically sound, social work value-centered supervision strategies for employees, including performance reviews and corrective action plans.  
2. Engage with stakeholders in the identification of issues and policies that impact individual well-being and the communities and organizations that support them. 
3. Mobilize constituents to participate and lead in issue analysis and formulation of corresponding advocacy agendas with effective strategies and tactics to advance meaningful change for social justice, equity, and inclusion. 
4. Participate in coalitions, networks, professional associations, and community based organizing efforts to leverage political capital to challenge unjust structures of power and effect positive change.   
5. Formulate and persuasively communicate cogent arguments through effective written and oral formats that reach diverse audiences and utilize varied platforms.    

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities 

Social workers understand that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Social workers recognize the importance of evaluating processes and outcomes to advance practice, policy, and service delivery effectiveness. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in evaluating outcomes. Social workers understand qualitative and quantitative methods for evaluating outcomes and practice effectiveness. Social workers: 

1. Demonstrate ethical knowledge and awareness of evaluation guidelines that can be employed in assessment of practice and ensure confidentiality of engaged participants. 
2. Comprehend evaluation norms, benchmarks and guidelines as approved by NASW and CSWE that allow accurate and impartial assessments at all levels of social work practice.  
3. Illustrate comprehensive knowledge of human rights-based understanding of evaluation design, methods, approaches, and analysis that can be applied in simple to complex settings within social work mezzo and macro policy and organizational environments.  
4. Distinguish, explain, and apply various types of theo­ries of change and logic models to understand sys­tems thinking to identify and facilitate growth-oriented evaluative mindsets among all stakeholders.