Select a social work problem (e.g. chronic illness, family violence, substance abuse, child maltreatment, etc.) for research and analysis in the paper integrating social work theories, practice, policies, and research. As you select your topic, consider if you might be able to use this material to support your work later in the capstone paper, in which you will research and analyze the effectiveness of a social work intervention.
Select 10-15 empirically based research studies that inform about this particular social work problem, but not focused on treatment or interventions. Prioritize a few factors to discuss based on the priorities you find in the literature (e.g. a few ways that children are affected by a parent who is chronically or mentally ill).
The paper is to be about 12-15 pages in length, using APA style formatting and citations, including headings and subheadings.
Introduction—Engage the reader. Tell me what the paper is about and draw me a road map. What, why, how? What are you writing about? Why is it important to social work? How are you proceeding?
Identify and describe the social work problem (micro, mezzo, or macro). Include demographic information demonstrating how serious the problem is for people. Also, consider and address the social (and economic, if you can find or develop this part) costs to society resulting from this problem.
Identify and describe the causal factors that the literature suggests are the most important. Describe them, using empirically based research as the basis for your discussion. Discuss any theoretical perspectives suggested by the literature.
Identify current policies, programs, and services intended to address the social work problem. Describe the most important, again using empirically based research as the basis for your discussion. Discuss the empowerment and strengths perspectives in relation to these policies, AND the control, regulation, and potential bias toward communities of color.
Discuss the implications for social work practice, using empirically based research as the basis for your discussion, as well as your own integration of the findings.
Conclusion–What were the basic findings from your review? What are your final conclusions?
