09 Jun Policies and Social Problems

Discussion 2 Policies and Social Problems

Why is it important for social workers to understand policy? When you think of policies, you may tend to think of the federal policies that support services such as Medicare and state policies that support education and welfare services. However, sometimes the policies that impact clients the most are the policies of agencies and organizations.

An “agency or organizational policy” is a policy. For example, it might be part of a county welfare agency that requires an administrator at a juvenile correction facility to report any individual who is an illegal immigrant that comes to that facility.

In this Discussion, you will identify an internal policy at an agency or organization with which you are familiar. It can be a public agency, a for-profit human services provider, or a nonprofit community agency. Then you will explore the relationships that exist between the policy, organization, and client or population.

To Prepare:

Read Chapter 2 of the Jansson text. 

Revisit Chapter 1 of the Jansson text as needed. 

Focus on pages 14–15 for an explanation of different types of policy.

Search for and select one social work agency or organization. This can be an agency or organization you currently work for or have worked for in the past or one that you find by searching online. You will use this agency or organization as an example in your Discussion. 

I worked for Beverly Helping Hands (a Mental & Behavior Counseling Agency)

Review the mission of the agency or organization and the population they serve. 

You can find examples of populations effected by social problems on page 9 of the Jansson text.

Identify a policy within the agency or organization and consider how it relates to the mission and population they serve. 

Post the name and mission of the social work agency or organization you selected. Then address the following: 

Explain why you selected the agency or organization. 

Describe the related policy and the problem it addresses. 

Explain how the policy supports the mission and impacts (positively or adversely) the clients of the organization.

References 

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning. 

Chapter 2, “Articulating Four Rationales for Participating in Policy Advocacy” (pp. 31–68) 

Hoefer, R. (2015). Princess wants a dog park: Using theory and evidence to understand advocacy and improve policy practice education. Journal of Policy Practice, 14(3/4), 165–170. https://doi.org/10.1080/15588742.2015.1049066

Document: Resources for Policy and Advocacy Work (PDF)

These websites will help you as you search for information regarding your selected social problem, policies, and policy alternatives throughout the course.