Representation of social work agencies: new definition, special issues, and practice model

Social Work administrators currently must respond to very diverse audiences in representing their agencies and programs. While skills in public relations, reporting, and community relations are viewed as essential, professional social work literature provides only limited conceptualizations and practice models. The authors propose a new definition of representation in social work agencies and suggest functional areas within which organized activities can be developed. The paper also includes: 1) a discussion of how several special issues such as the perception of welfare as stigma and agency interdependency affect the implementation of representational strategies; 2) a planning model that will assist administrators in strengthening the representation of their agencies' programs.