Section 1 of your paper includes the INTRODUCTION and the ENGAGEMENT PLAN – each described below: Introduction
Describe your chosen macro client in terms of population, problem, and arena.
Discuss the political/policy context briefly. Give the reader a very broad-strokes outline of your assessment and hypothesis of change. This should not be more than a page of text. Engagement (See Chapter 3 in Social Work Macro Practice for a thorough explanation of this step.) In this portion of the paper, lay out a plan of how to meaningfully and respectfully engage with the macro client. This should include plans of how to “hear” members’ voices, explore the impacts of discrimination and oppression, and engage the macro client in participation in the planned change process. First-person voice is acceptable in this section, as you will describe your personal limitations to understanding the perspectives of the macro client.
This should be approximately 1 page of text. Note:
Section 1 includes your title page, written text, and your reference page. You will use the same title and reference page for each submission, just adding references as you go. At a minimum, you should have 3 sources in this section. This will include your textbook, as you will use Chapter 3 for your engagement plan and should also include at least two sources of demographic data about the population referenced in the introduction. Utilize HEADINGS per APA format in section
1 – title your headings INTRODUCTION and ENGAGEMENT. You may use sub-headings as needed/desired. Assessment
1. Identify the problem. You are expected to do a thorough literature review of the problem they have chosen. At this step, a problem statement should be developed that includes the specific dynamics and dimensions of the problem, the impact of the problem on the functioning of the community, the history of the problem in this community, and social policies relevant to the defined problem. Identifying the problem often takes the most time to complete and the most pages to articulate. This section should take about five pages of text. Be sure to include: Prevalence and demographic statistics Statistics on outcomes and severity of the impact of the problem History of the problem Relevant social policies Section 2 should utilize a minimum of 4 peer-reviewed journal articles that help to understand the macro problem as well as a handful (this varies, assume at least 3-4) of sources such as government websites, etc. to help provide your statistics and demographic information.
2. Current efforts to address the issue. One of the most important aspects of identifying and addressing a social issue is to have a good understanding of what efforts exist in your community (and potentially at the state and local level) that target your issue and how those efforts are working. This section should also include practices that have been evaluated and proven effective. These practices may be classified as best practice, research-based practice, or evidence-based practice. As best practices are presented, discuss where there are gaps in service for the macro population. This section should be two to three pages in length. You should use 3-5 quality sources here. Be sure to include: Existing interventions to address the issue/problem (programs, community groups, advocacy, grassroots efforts)—these may be local, national, or global. Organizations’ websites are the most common way to find information about these interventions and should be cited. Three to five interventions will be enough for this paper.
Evidence-based practices, research-based practices, or “best-practices”—these may be from literature or based on evaluation and technical reports. Again, three to five evidence-based practices are appropriate for this section. Gaps in services—this should only be a couple of paragraphs.
3. People of influence, allies, and assets. In this section, you will first identify systems, organizations, people, or groups that will influence the macro change process. Depending on your intervention idea, your action system may include just a few people or multiple agencies. Include external organizations/people who will be resources for your project and those who may be barriers. Present a plan for how to work alongside the macro population and include the clients’ values and voices in the decision-making processes. This section should include a strengths perspective by identifying assets the macro client has to be leveraged in the planned change. See Chapter 9 in the text for details and ideas. This section should be two to three pages in length. 4. Summary of need and hypothesis of change. After you have identified current efforts, supporting evidence for those efforts, and gaps in services, assets, and people of influence, you will summarize the problem and the need by developing a working hypothesis of change. See text for description (pp. 107–112). One practice model of macro practice will be selected as an approach to the identified need.
Thorough rationale should be given. This should not be more than a page in length. Conclusion Summarize the plan for engagement, the assessment, and the hypothesis of change for macro practice.
Make sure to retain a strengths-based perspective and a macro lens to make a clear argument of why a macro intervention is needed for this client.
This summative section should only be a couple of paragraphs in length.
