Policy Affects Practice

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Social welfare policy is a part of everyday life. It influences how services are delivered as well as who will receive the services. Policies evolve or develop in response to the needs of the people. As a social worker, it is important for you to understand how policy is impacted and developed by economic, political, cultural, and religious forces. Historical development of policy is relevant to the present as well as the future development of policy.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

• Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services. (PO 5)
• Demonstrate character, scholarship, and leadership in becoming a world changer through application to personal life and professional social work practice.
• Demonstrate Christ-like attitudes, values, worldviews, and ethical and professional behavior within advanced clinical practice. (ILO 1)

Resources

• Textbook: Social Welfare Policy: Responding to a Changing World
• Video: Student Practitioners Affect Policy
• File: How to Engage in Substantive Discussion Post.pdf
• Website: National Association of Social Workers

Background Information

In the field of social work, we need to develop our abilities to understand, analyze, and critique social policies (which are also known as laws or legislation, or even acts). Social policies may be developed at the city level, with city lawmakers enacting policies that affect the city’s population on a variety of fronts, including sewage treatment, programs to assist the city’s poor and homeless, how city lawmakers are elected, and other issues. Similarly, policies are enacted at the state and federal government level. All policies that we learn about today have been influenced by historical events. In this workshop, we will take a look at some of those historical events and how they have impacted certain groups.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Read the following in your textbook Social Welfare Policy: Responding to a Changing World:
   1. Chapter 1, “Welcome to the Future: Your Many Roles”
   2. Chapter 2, “Society and Social Welfare in Agrarian and Industrial Societies”
3. Read the ethical imperatives for advocacy as set forth in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
4. Watch the video “Student Practitioners Affect Policy”. You also can download and view the Student Practitioners Affect Policy Video Transcript.pdf file.
5. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:
   1. On pages 7–9 of your textbook, three major issues impacting the future of social work are discussed. Choose one of the issues that most interests you and explain how that issue might directly affect your future social work practice.
   2. Address what you will need to do to respond to these changes in your future social work practice if you are to meet the requirements for these evolving issues.
   3. The NASW Code of Ethics charges social workers with being change agents. How does your involvement in policy development make you a change agent? How could being involved in policy development impact your everyday service delivery to your clients?