A Social Injustice Policy Paper – Description
Identify a social injustice or human rights violation faced by a client population your organization serves. Define why the issue you describe is a case of social injustice or a human rights violation. Refer to the NASW Code of Ethics or another definition provided in course readings to justify your application of the term to the social issue you describe. Draw on outside sources to describe the prevalence of this problem and how the nature or prevalence of the problem has changed over time. Argue that you are describing an important social justice issue and that as social workers we should pay attention to it. (1 page)
Current Policy Evaluation:
Describe one current policy (either federal or local legislation, an executive order, or a judicial ruling) that is designed to address this social justice issue and evaluate it. You may focus on a particular provision and do not need to take on all aspects of a large, complicated policy. To evaluate the policy, address the following issues:
To what extent is the policy addressing the social problem described above? Ex: the number of people who gained health insurance after the ACA passed.
To what extent is the policy falling short in addressing the social problem? Ex: the high cost of premiums on ACA marketplace insurance plans. Provide statistics and evidence for your characterization of the current policy. (1-2 pages)
Policy Implementation:
How is this policy being implemented? Depending on the policy, there could be several ways you could address this question, including but not limited to:
What funding is associated with this policy?
How are people or organizations held accountable for adhering to this policy?
How does this policy impact the way that services are delivered and evaluated?
Also, address whether and how this policy impacts your organization and/or its client population? (1 page)
Policy Recommendation:
Recommend a policy change to better address the social injustice you have described than current policy does. This could be a small change, like a change in the eligibility or funding levels of current policy (ex. extending eligibility for Medicaid to 200 percent of the federal poverty level), or a large change like a completely new policy that would take a different approach to addressing the issue (ex. passing the Medicare for All Act). Explain your recommendation and articulate reasons, supported by facts and evidence, why the policy proposal you have chosen would be the best avenue for addressing the issue in question. (1-2 pages)
Advocacy Recommendation:
In order to promote the policy change you recommend, what would it take to make the change happen? Describe one specific advocacy strategy that would increase the likelihood of your proposed policy change happening. Consider how you will collaborate with clients to advocate for and with them, and to incorporate their voices into advocacy efforts. Also describe challenges that may be encountered in trying to advocate for social change and how you might problem-solve those challenges. (1 pages)
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