Final answer:
The level of social work described is the meso-level, which targets mid-sized units such as school systems or neighborhoods. Social workers at this level foster systemic changes by considering micro and macro factors and prioritizing adaptability and empowerment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The level of social work involved when making changes in a unit that is larger than families but smaller than communities is known as the meso-level. This level of social work focuses on groups such as neighborhoods, schools, or other organizational settings and aims to implement systemic changes within these mid-sized units. Social workers operating at this level often address issues that are too intricate for individual or family interventions but do not require broad policy changes that affect larger populations.
Meso-level interventions might include reorganizing a school's approach to addressing bullying, creating programs in a workplace to improve employee mental health, or developing community programs that support elder care within a neighborhood. These initiatives require a systemic perspective as highlighted by Foster-Fishman et al. (2007), as well as an understanding of both micro and macro factors affecting the system, as noted in the Grandmother Project Change through Culture report and other works by Freire and Hartman & Laird.
Adaptability and collaboration are crucial at this level, as the work of community psychology moves with the changes in community life and focuses on empowering individuals to regain a sense of agency, embodying co-liberation according to the case stories in community psychology practice literature.