Abstract
The Social Work profession is actively seeking appropriate assessment technology
for application in larger systems such as communities and societies. In the White
Paper for Social Welfare one of the key problems that is noted in almost all the
sections relates to the inadequacy of available information on the phenomena for
which the policy is to be developed. The lack of an adequate information system
makes balanced planning impossible (White Paper for Welfare, 1997). Although
still not used locally, the technology of social indicators offers one approach that
is designed to overcome information problems in social planning. The author has
developed a system of Social Indicators that was empirically validated in 1999.
Although this system has the potential to be a powerful macro assessment tool, it
has not been used much in practice. Since its development the author has done
further refinement of the system to make it of practical use to practice. The
practical value of the system is illustrated in this article. The author demonstrates
how indicator profiles developed for a small industrial village clearly identify and
predict high-risk behaviours in the village boundaries. To further illustrate the
value of the indicator approach, some of the advantages and disadvantages of
other methods such as a survey and qualitative interviews are reflected upon in the
article.