Policy Skills and Practice
Policy Skills and Practice
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Discussion 1: Policy Analysis and Application
According to the NASW Code of Ethics section 6.04 (NASW, 2008), social workers are ethically bound to work for policies that support the healthy development of individuals, guarantee equal access to services, and promote social and economic justice.
For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, including Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita. Consider what change you might make to the policies that affect the client in your case. Finally, think about how you might evaluate the success of the policy changes.
Post an explanation of one change you might make to the policies that affect the client in the case. Be sure to reference the case you selected in your post. Finally, explain how you might evaluate the success of the policy changes.
References
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore: MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
· “Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita” (pp. 81–83)
Discussion 2: Evaluating Policy Implications
When developing, implementing, or revising organizational policies, it is important that all potential consequences be considered. Social workers must be particularly sensitive to any negative consequences or unintentional harm the policies might cause for any individual or group.
For this Discussion, review this week’s resources, including the Johnson Family video. Consider the campus’ policies on how sexual assault accusations are addressed. How might the current procedures and policies negatively affect survivors of sexual assault? What changes might you suggest to the campus policies to better protect survivors? Finally, describe how you might evaluate the success of these policy changes.
Post an identification of how the current campus policies on sexual assault might negatively affect survivors and an explanation of the changes you might make to these policies that would protect sexual assault survivors. Be sure to reference the Talia Johnson case in your post. Finally, explain how you might evaluate the success of these policy changes.
References
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). ]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore: MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
· “Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita” (pp. 81–83)
Discussion 3: The Social Work Advocate in Politics
Social workers often have commitments to specific policies, laws, or funding of programs that are vital to the population they serve or an issue that they strongly support. Such commitments often lead social workers to become involved in political issues and the campaigns of specific candidates. Being a social worker, such campaign experiences, the outcomes of your efforts, and how effective you felt you were may affect your view of the political process and the likelihood of becoming involved in similar campaigns in the future.
For this Discussion, reflect on your experiences if you have ever participated in a political campaign. What was the outcome of your participation? If you have not participated in a campaign, choose a campaign topic you support or oppose and consider the ways you might like to participate in that campaign. Likewise, think about your experiences if you have ever lobbied on a topic. If you have not, choose a topic for which you might like to lobby in favor or against. Finally, consider how you think social workers might have a powerful and positive effect as elected officials.
Post an explanation of the role of lobbying and campaigning in social work practice. Then, explain how you think social workers might have a powerful and positive effect as elected officials. Finally, explain of the impact, if any, the experiences and opinions of your colleagues have had on your own experiences and opinions.
References
· Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2015). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education..
Chapter 12, “Taking Action: Policy Practice for Social Workers” (pp. 262-283)
· Rome, S., Harris, S., & Hoechstetter, S. (2010). Social work and civic engagement: The political participation of professional social workers. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37(3), 107–129. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Discussion 4: Reflections on Social Policy and Advocacy
Sharing your experiences of social policy practice and social advocacy with others is important because it often encourages them to respond to their interests and concerns and increases the likelihood that they may also become involved. You will also be able to share your strategies, successes, mistakes, lessons learned, and skills developed. As you share these experiences with your colleagues, they will also share theirs, and you will learn from each other.
For this Discussion, consider the topics of the course by reflecting on the experiences of your colleagues. Choose three posts from three different colleagues in the previous discussion (Discussion 3), and reflect on:
· The insights you gained from your colleagues
· How your colleagues’ experiences/opinions affected your own
· The varied perceptions of social work professionals and how they reflect professional ethics
