Finding the Balance: Combining Community Capacity Building with Family Support in ACT Schools
Schools as Communities was implemented in the ACT in 2001. The Schools as Communities program is underpinned by research supporting the effectiveness of early intervention, cross-sectoral collaboration and “whole of community” approaches to improving outcomes for children and young people at risk. The program has two strands. The first strand consists of Community Outreach Workers working from selected school sites with families and communities. The second strand provides funding for strategic projects across the ACT community to enhance partnerships. The Community Outreach Workers have a dual role, combining family support work and community development work. There is currently a team of eight Community Outreach Workers in 12 schools in the ACT.
This paper describes the Schools as Communities program and explores the balance between family support work and community development work. The paper focuses on a Community Outreach Worker’s role at schools in two adjacent suburbs in the ACT, which are demographically similar in terms of socio-economic status, employment and single parent households. The balance between community development activities and family support is different in these two communities. In a school environment where community development activities are embraced by the school staff and the families in the school, the family support role is reduced and the worker’s time is spent on further capacity building work. Conversely, where community development work is limited, the caseload for work with individuals and families is higher. Strategies for working within this situation are discussed.
The work of the Schools as Communities team demonstrates the value of community capacity in meeting the needs of children and young people at risk. The paper discusses the ways in which social work knowledge, skills and values inform the day to day work of a Community Outreach Worker.