Community Level Change Model
South Bay Center for Counseling has been instrumental in developing and implementing a primary prevention model designed to integrate three strategies: building neighborhood based and/or common link social networks; increasing economic opportunities and career pathways; and, increasing access to and utilization of family desired, beneficial services, activities, resources and support throughout Long Beach and the South Bay Communities of Los Angeles (LA County, Service Planning Area 8).
The goal for South Bay Center for Counseling has been to implement an innovative strategy that could support and galvanize community residents to create their own community response to improving their communities and contributing to safe and supportive environments for their and the neighborhood's children.
To this end, South Bay Center for Counseling has developed a “Community Level Change Model” through their leadership in The Children's Council of Los Angeles. This “Community Level Change Model” highlights the logic behind the building of resilience (at the individual, family and social level) and community level changes sought. It is a graphic representation (graphic below) of a theory of change built upon research, some key assumptions, and years of implementing and learning from community based prevention strategies.
Within the model, the foundation for achieving individual family and community level change is developing relationship based resident groups (sometimes referred to as Neighborhood Action Groups or NAC's) through the organizing model developed over the past ten years by South Bay Center for Counseling. Based on the Asset Building Community Development Model of John McKnight, resident groups are formed by members coming together to deepen their connections with one another, be each other's support systems, to learn and grow as individuals, and to become more aware of and involved in improving their neighborhoods.
Relationship Based Organizing is a specific organizing model developed by South Bay Center for Counseling that recognizes and harnesses the power, and inherent skills and talents of individuals to create and drive the changes they determine are necessary to improve the lives of their families, friends and neighbors. South Bay Center for Counseling has long held that while services may be necessary for anyone at various points in one's life, services themselves are not sufficient for achieving community level change no matter how well they are delivered and in some instances services actually create dependency within individuals and families. Thus, the relationship based organizing model developed by SBCC is not based on needs and services, but rather builds on the strengths and asset of individuals. And recognize that it is the strength and commitment of these individuals, community residents, who create the safe nurturing and responsive environments critical to mitigating abuse and neglect.
Residents participating in Neighborhood Action Groups make social connections, increase their resilience for coping with stress, gain a knowledge of parenting techniques and the stages of child development, foster their children's social and emotional growth, and create mutually supportive relationships that provide concrete support in times of need. From these “protective factors” comes a greater sense of community and connectedness, plus a move toward civic engagement that is truly resident-owned and resident-led. Resident owned and led actions result in partnerships that change institutional policies and practices, transforming and creating neighborhood assets such as high-quality schools and child care, economically viable jobs, good affordable health care and mental health services, safe and affordable housing, safe streets and parks, and other community elements like libraries, banks, stores, transportation options, and so on. Ultimately, these neighborhood level assets contribute to the health and well being of those living within them contributing to the community level outcomes of good health, safety and survival, economic well-being, social and emotional well-being, and education and workforce readiness.
This Community Level Change Model is a developmental process supported by research within each stage of development. The fields of Early Childhood Development and Education stress the ecological context of child and family development, where healthy communities support families in the complex and multifaceted tasks of raising and nurturing children. Research within this domain has identified key behaviors or “protective factors” that contribute to positive outcomes for children. These protective factors include: parental resiliency of hope and personal power to act to improve oneself, one's family, and one's community; knowledge of nurturing parenting; social connectedness; ability to access basic services in times of need, and the social/emotional competence of young children.
Social scientists have long held that the neighborhood where one lives is a unit of social identity and action that should support those who live there through a range of facilities, service and provisions for every day life. In addition, the approach is predicated on a belief that relationships among and between community residents not only contributes to self efficacy, but can create a sense of belonging and community pride that will enhance communities, and improve individual and family functioning. As a unit of action, neighborhood groups both negotiate and collaborate with outside interests and improve individual and family capacity, health and well-being.
Thus, community building or seeking positive neighborhood level change involves strengthening the neighborhood to serve as the unit of action for linking individual behavior to the broader influences and trends that are driven by factors beyond an individual's control, such as the economic base, changes in economic trends, policy changes that influence access to needed resources and support such as education, and healthcare among others.
The variables or points of intervention at the neighborhood level thought to link micro-level influences or individual behaviors to macro-level changes or societal trends named by social scientists involve increasing the density of social ties, acquaintanceship and networking, and civic participation. Social networks then influence formal and informal mechanisms of support, resource distribution and control.
The Public Health community has long understood that there is a link between an individual's health and social determinants of health, including the social, environmental and economic conditions within which an individual resides and interacts. Social determinants of health are identified as food supply, housing, economic and social relationships, transportation, education and health-care. The higher the quality of these resources and supports, and the more open the access for all community members, the more community outcomes will be tipped toward positive outcomes.
Thus, improving conditions at the individual and community level involve improving societal conditions, including social and economic conditions (freedom from racism and discrimination, job opportunities and food security), the physical environment (housing, safety, access to health care), the psycho-social conditions (social network and civic engagement), and psychological conditions (positive self-concept, resourcefulness and hopefulness).
The intervening factors promoted by the public health field include: building a sense of community, increasing social networks and social supports, increasing opportunities for civic participation and leadership, increasing political influence and establishing and strengthening organizational networks.
Social Network Research and Theory has identified the developmental process necessary for social networks to serve as vehicles for change for individuals and within neighborhoods. Individuals first connect by bonding or linking with people most like them. Individuals within the network or the network itself must then bridge with or connect to people or groups they may not otherwise engage, increasing access to resources, such as education, employment, training opportunities and then ultimately expand one's opportunity, and access, to build alliances with individuals in positions of power over resources for economic and social development.