Integrated Assignment
In order to demonstrate the integration of Social Policy, Person In Environment and Social Work Practice while providing an opportunity to integrate the knowledge, skill, and value base, the following assignment has been developed.
Choose an issue or life crisis related to a specific developmental period and design a social welfare program rooted in the values and ethics of the social work profession. Describe how your program will measure its effectiveness. Discuss the social work roles utilized to accomplish the program goals.
Examine existing institutional responses to the specific issue and target population selected. Your paper should clearly indicate an understanding of social policy, legislation, existing and proposed programming and possible funding sources responding to the chosen areas of human need.
Examine the issue or life crisis in light of age, appropriate bio-cognitive and psycho-social development. The program should address the gap or stress related to the expected age appropriate development. Identify the particular focus of your program as it relates to normative development and maximizing potential. The relationship between program goals and individual client goals must be delineated.
Discuss the ways in which your proposed program illustrates key principles of the Generalist Model of Social Work Practice. Identify the guiding values and ethical principles that inform the proposed program. The social work roles that will be a central part of the proposed program should be highlighted and the levels of intervention-micro, mezzo, macro-that most appropriately describe the proposed program should be addressed. Non-Social Work majors will be expected to complete the social policy component of the paper. Further guidance will be provided in class.
Papers must be typed, grammatically correct and should not exceed 12-15 pages. **(Non-social work majors will have a modified assignment)
All papers must be APA style and contain a work cited page and in text citations. Papers are expected to be submitted on their due date. No paper will be accepted one week past due date. Grades drop by five points for each day late. In order to complete this assignment, it is expected at least seven (7) scholarly sources will be used in conjunction with class lectures and reading assignments. Text books do not count as sources.
Questions to address for the Social Policy Component of the Integrated Paper:
1. What is the social problem that your proposed program addresses?
2. How is the problem perceived and defined? By whom and why? Are there differing views as to the definition of the problem?
3. In what socio-political context is the problem defined? What is happening in the larger environment to account for current attention given to the problem?
4. How are its causes and nature understood?
5. What are its dimensions – size, scope and trend?
6. Who are the participants calling for action on the problem? What kind of action is suggested and why? What objectives do they seek to accomplish and who do they represent?
7. Discuss the overall interventions that you have proposed in relation to the problem, and issues of social justice, social policy and social programs.
8. Analyze the policy/program selected (e.g., what are the goals and objectives, the benefits/provisions, to whom are they targeted, how is the program administered and financed)?
9. Evaluate the policy/program in terms of allocation, benefit, administration and financing.
10. Are there any unanticipated consequences?
11. Has the problem been redefined as a result of strategies attempted to date? 12. Given the current political environment, what further action is likely, if any?
Questions to be addressed for the Person In Environment component:
1. What is the life stage you are addressing?
2. Identify “normal”, average expectable, bio-psycho-cognitive-social development for the stage identified.
3. What, specifically, are the gaps or stresses your program is designed to address? In other words, who are your clients and why do they need the program (the group served and program objectives)?
4. What theories will support the goals and objectives of your program and the interventions proposed?
5. How will your program specifically address the gaps or stresses in order to maximize age appropriate expectations?
6. How will you measure your program objectives? What theory will be used in your evaluation method?
Questions to be addressed for the Social Work Practice component;
What does the social work research have to say about which generalist model interventions work?
What specific Social Work values underpin your proposed program? How are those values expressed ethically?
3. What social work roles are most appropriate for the staff identified in your proposed program? Why?
4. How will you evaluate your program’s success? (This must relate to the goals and objectives you have identified for your program.
