Which description best defines Social Planning?

• A. building relationships within the community through broad participation
• B. advocate, remedy imbalance of power, solve problems, advocate to lawmakers
• C. Expert driven consultants with community leaders to expand, develop, coordinate social policies and services
• D. increasing the ability of a community to act on its own behalf, make decisions and direct its own actions

Answer: (C)

Social Planning is the systematic, professional approach to shaping and coordinating social policies and services. It relies on trained planners or consultants analyzing needs, designing programs, allocating resources, and aligning efforts across agencies to achieve specific policy goals. This top-down, expert-led process contrasts with approaches that focus on broad participation, grassroots empowerment, or advocacy. The description that mentions expert-driven consultants working with community leaders to expand, develop, and coordinate social policies and services best captures this planning-and-coordination role.