The document provides a history of the development of community organization in the United States, United Kingdom, and India. It discusses how community organization began as charity efforts in the US and UK in the late 19th century and expanded in the early 20th century. It then outlines the major periods of growth in the US including the rise of federations in the 1920s-1930s and expansion/professionalization in the 1930s onward. Similar phases of development are described for the UK and India, noting the emergence of community organization with government programs in both countries in the 1950s.

1. BY AMIT KUMAR MOB NO.: +919435028022/9708811272 EMAIL-amitranjanfn09@outlook.com
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DCTCL, CUJ RANCHI
WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES
BY
AMIT KUMAR
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF CONTEMPORARY AND TRIBAL CUSTOMARY LAW
CENTRAL UNIVIERSITY OF JHARKHAND
Lecture 2
History of Community Organisation
The group living nature of human beings have always led to formation of informal and formal
organization to meet the needs of people in groups. These organizations initiated a process and
method to help people who are ignorant, deprived and in conflict with law. Later on the idea
of welfare emerged into the welfare activities of formal organizations. Overcoming the
desperate problem of poverty and hunger that caused beggary was the first step taken as
community organization as part of social welfare activity in England. Elizabethan Poor Law
(1601) in England was the first effort in kind to deliver services to the needy and deprived.
Establishment of London Society was another crucial milestone in the history of community
organization that provided relief on charitable basis. These movements created significant
impact in the USA. In 1880, efforts were made to rationalize the act of charity and relief in
USA and they were classified into three periods:
The Charity Organisation Period, 1870-1917:
The London Charity Organization which was established in 1869 caused for the establishment
of the very first Charity Organisation Society (COS) in the Buffalo, USA in1877. Rev. S. H.
Gurteen, an English priest led this movement and within a short duration of six years the COS
was expanded to more than twenty-five American Cities. This charity organization has major
two objectives of providing adequate personal services to families and individuals in need and
to take necessary steps to tackle the problems and needs in social welfare. This COS initiated
for the promotion of co-operation among the welfare agencies.
The Rise of Federation 1917 to 1935:

2. BY AMIT KUMAR MOB NO.: +919435028022/9708811272 EMAIL-amitranjanfn09@outlook.com
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DCTCL, CUJ RANCHI
The idea of community chests and councils emerged and developed in this period. Community
chest is a voluntary welfare agency, co-operative agency of people, which was a strong local
structure to force for ensuring community welfare and handle huge funds. It started with the
increase of war chests in 1917 and ended with the enactment of social security act, here
emerged the public welfare programmes in 1935. More number of chests and councils emerged
after the First World War. In 1918, the American Association for Community Organisation
was organized as the national agency for chests and councils, which later became as community
chests and councils of (CCC) America. The Cincinnati Public Health Federation, established
in 1917 was the first independent health council in American City. In 1921, the American
Association of Social Workers was organized as the first general professional organisations,
which was established for training social workers and others were wished to get specialized in
community organization work.
Expansion and Professional Development in 1935:
Greater implementation of community organization process and programmes embarked in this
period as public welfare program. Origin of Federal Security Agency created a remarkable
involvement into government welfare programmes. In the year 1946 the agency was re-
organised and strengthened by which in 1953 the Department of Health, Education and Welfare
evolved. This was the period that ensured professional approach and development in the
activities and some of them were: The National Conference of Social Work in 1938-39 did
research on community organisation, which was published as Generic Community Welfare
Organisation. Another study was undertaken in 1940 but unfortunately due to the involvement
of American in World War II an active program was not ensured.
A National Conference of Social Work organized by the Association for the Study of
Community Organization (ASCO) in Baffalo in the year 1946 with the objectives to improve
the professional practices of organization of social welfare. In 1955, Association for the Study
of Community Organization (ASCO) was merged with six more professional organisations
with the intension of forming National Association of Social Workers. Community
organisation method is very well accepted as an important aspect of social work education in
the American Association of Schools of social work education. There is an active committee
of Council on Social Work at present. The first contemporary textbook on community
organisation titled “Community Organisation for Social Welfare” published in 1945 has been
written by Wayne McMillan.
During the period of World War II many councils and community services to serve. Among
which United Service Organization (USO) gained prime importance because it served the

3. BY AMIT KUMAR MOB NO.: +919435028022/9708811272 EMAIL-amitranjanfn09@outlook.com
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DCTCL, CUJ RANCHI
needs of military personnel. Many voluntary services emerged such as defence council,
American Red Cross and the United Service Organization recruited and coordinated the
volunteers. During this period there was a significant relationship found between the labour
and social work as part of community organization.
The other development aspects of World War II were that the rehabilitation of the physically
and mentally challenged, mental health planning, problems of the aging, prevention and
treatment of juvenile delinquency. Hence, there were entries of international organizations to
address these issues as separate bodies.
The current strategy in community organization is the development of new and innovative
community development programmes that provide services to the deprived areas in
international social welfare. This led to the concept of greater emphasis on community
development through self-help.
Community Organisation in UK:
Baldock (1974) has summarized the historical development in UK in to four phases.
The first phase: 1880-1920:
In this period the community work was mainly seen as a method of social work. It was
considered as a process of helping the individuals to enhance their social adjustments. It acted
as major player to co-ordinate the work of voluntary agencies.
The second phase: 1920-1950:
This period saw the emergence of new ways of dealing with social issues and problems. The
community organisation was closely associated with central and state Govt.’s programme for
urban development. The important development in this period was its association with
community association movement. The third phase 1950 onwards: It emerged as a reaction to
the neighbourhood idea, which provided an ideological base for the second phase. It was a
period of professional development of social work. Most of the educators and planners tried to
analyse the shortcomings in the existing system. It was also a period where the social workers
sought for a professional identity. The fourth phase: It is a recent period that has seen a marked
involvement of community action. It questioned the very relationship of community work and
social work. It was thus seen as period of radical social movement and we could see the
conflicts of community with authority. The association of social workers and the community
were non-professionalised during this period. Thus, it was during this period that conflictual
strategies were introduced in the community work, although even now there is no consensus
on this issue.

4. BY AMIT KUMAR MOB NO.: +919435028022/9708811272 EMAIL-amitranjanfn09@outlook.com
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
DCTCL, CUJ RANCHI
History of Community Organisation in India
Charity has been a deep-rooted cultural practices India as part of the religious ideology. In
India, the very concept of charity is deep-rooted in the religious philosophy. The existence of
community work in India was dormant between 1936 and 1952. Since, there were no jobs in
community setting, not many were getting employed and hence, professionals intended to work
in casework setting.
Govt. of India launched a community development project in 1952, which was the new era of
the emergence of community work. It was in 1952 that the community development project
was launched by the government of India and with this we find the emergence of a new era of
community work. This project brought the needs and ambitions of rural people to the public
and it made the people aware of their due rights and power to find solutions to solve their
problems. Community development project acted as a movement to promote the living style of
whole community with the active and collective participation. It was considered as a method
with two processes such as extension education and community organization. Extension
education aimed to improve the quality of life by enhancing the knowledge and skills and
community organization method aimed to setup Village Panchayat, Village cooperatives and
village schools. In this period, more thrust was given to rural projects where as social work
education mostly remained in urban areas. The social workers expanded their scope and
operational areas from their traditional approach to developmental sectors from 1970 onwards.
Community work concept was taken by schools as part of their extension work and voluntary
agencies took it as community development approach. However, the idea of community work
always aimed at welfare of the people.
The current phase of community work concept has been taken up by national and international
voluntary agencies and government as well. Community organization concept has been a
successful in implementing government projects. Companies have adopted this concept to
execute their CSR projects and they employ social workers to organize community to meet the
community needs. There are many Social Work institutes offering degree programmes on
Community Organization and Development and other allied areas of community work.