The Parameters of Network Intervention: A Social Work Application

Parallel to the recent expansion of knowledge about social networks and their implications for physical and emotional well-being, there has been a move by social policymakers and social work practitioners to engage actively in network interventions. These interventions are employed, for the most part, independently of theoretical developments in this area. This article builds on a review of network theories to present an analytical paradigm. By pairing the nature of the task to be met, as prescribed by contingency theory, with network accessibility, the paradigm aids in assessing the appropriateness and efficacy of a given intervention.