This document discusses strategies for dealing with authorities in community practice, including submission of petitions, persuasion, negotiation, lobbying, advocacy, and confrontational strategies. Petitions involve collecting signatures to demonstrate support for an issue to decision-makers. Persuasion is used if no response is received after petitioning. Negotiation establishes communication between groups. Lobbying involves persuading those with decision-making power to take a supported course of action. Advocacy involves speaking on behalf of clients. Confrontational strategies occur when those favoring the status quo fight those favoring change. The overall goal is to create positive change for the community.

1. A PRESENTATION ON
Dealing with
Authorities
In Community Practice
BY: SAM SOTHEA, 1ST MSW

2. WHO ARE THE
AUTHORITIES?
Authorities are those persons, who have power to give
order and make other to obey
Authorities include all type of leaders. They are various
segments of the government and non-government
officials
In other words, authorities have to ensure conducive
environment for holistic and sustainable development of
people

3. How to deal with
Authorities
 For improving their conditions and providing their
dues to them, the following strategies can be
practiced to deal with authorities as and when
required;
(I) Submission of petition
(II) Persuasion
(III) Negotiation
(IV) Lobbying
(V) Advocacy
(VI) Confrontational strategies

4. (I)Submission of
petition
1. What is petition ?
 Submission of petition is a formal written
application and a collection of signatures from
people supporting your issue
 signed by affected and/or interested persons
 The petition is then presented to decision-makers
that have the power to create the change you want
Example: If you and your group want the city to
help control the traffic flow through your
neighborhood, you might draft a petition for a
stop sign to be placed at each intersection, or
for the speed limit to be reduced to 20 m.p.h.

5. 2. Why should you conduct a petition?
The main reasons that you should conduct a petition
drive are:
a. To heighten community awareness of your issue
b. To demonstrate widespread community support
for the changes you seek
c. To help bring about the changes you are seeking
 Example: Your group's goals are to reduce the
amount of waste sent to the landfill. An increase in
usage of recycled products would result in less
landfill space being used, as well as fewer natural
resources being used to produce completely new
products. You should include both of these
advantages in your petition.

6. (II) Persuasion
1. What is persuasion?
 After submission of petition to concern authority
when no response is received from him / her then
persuasion strategy is used.
 This also involves the adoption of set of actions /
procedures to bring about change
Example: Politicians campaigning door-to-door will
ring the bell with shirtsleeves rolled up to
persuade voters cast ballot for him/her. In the
same way, social workers try to persuade and
inform the decision makers why change is
important for a particular cause of action.

7. (III) Negotiation
1. What is a negotiation?
 "Negotiation" sounds formal, but actually it's
an everyday activity for all of us. We
negotiate in our communities about how
our tax money will be spent, what town
services we need, what kinds of industries
and jobs we'll welcome or reject, and what
we want for the future.

8. CONT…
 In negotiation communication linkage is
established between two or more than two
groups
 The community organizer may act as negotiator
if it is acceptable to all the concerned parties
Example:`Community Worker Negotiate with local
or national governments on arrangements for
refugees, or on food distribution to drought-
stricken communities.

9. (IV) Lobbying
1. What do we mean by lobbying?
 By lobbying, we mean persuading someone
with more decision making power than you, in
a particular situation, to take a course of action
that you support.
 "Lobbying" is a broad term. The people you
lobby are the decision makers.
 On a local level, this could mean a member of
the town council, or village head

10. 2. Why should you lobby decision
makers?
 Because you have a point of view, and you think
it is correct
 Because some other decision maker, and not you,
has the power to turn that point of view into policy,
and make it a reality
 Because you believe that decision maker is not as
well-informed as you on this particular issue
 Because you also believe that if you advise that
decision maker effectively, it will increase the
chances that he or she will decide in your favor
 And because you believe that if the right decision
is made, both you and the community will benefit

11. 3. When should you lobby decision
makers?
 Especially when:
• The issue at hand is controversial.
• There are others with opposing views
• The decision is highly important for you or your
group
• The decision makers, in your view, have not
made up their minds
• You know specific facts about the issue,
unknown to the decision makers

12. (V) Advocacy
1. What is advocacy?
 involves ‘pleading and fighting for the service
of the clients, whom the service system
otherwise rejects.
 In advocacy, the worker speaks on behalf of
client
Examples: The local hospital turn away a sick
patient, without treating him/her. Here, the
advocacy role of the social worker becomes
very crucial.

13. (VI) Confrontational strategies
 those who are in favor of status quo and those
who are in favor of change, fight with each
other
 Hence, the dynamics of conflict is inevitable in
the process of community organization and
action initiative.
Example: Community members feel that the
community is left helpless and action should
be taken by local authorities for improving the
community members' lives - education of their
children, their means of livelihood, religion,
taxes, or something similar.

14. Conclusion
 After all What the community wants is change
they want to see …
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Suggestion
THANK!