Social Welfare & Policy II CONTENTS Introduction Chapter 1: Social Worker Roles in Social Welfare and Policy Chapter 2: Depression and the New Deal Chapter 3: Civil Rights and the 1950s & 1960s Chapter 4: Social Welfare Policies 1970s-1990s Chapter 5: Social Welfare Policies 2000-Present Chapter 6: How is a Policy Made? (Structure and Design of Social Welfare Policies) Chapter 7: Overview of US Welfare Programs Chapter 8: Policy Practice Summary and Conclusion Reference Page Introduction Hello everyone and welcome to Social Welfare and Policy II

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Social Welfare & Policy II

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1: Social Worker Roles in Social Welfare and Policy

Chapter 2: Depression and the New Deal

Chapter 3: Civil Rights and the 1950s & 1960s

Chapter 4: Social Welfare Policies 1970s-1990s

Chapter 5: Social Welfare Policies 2000-Present

Chapter 6: How is a Policy Made? (Structure and Design of Social Welfare Policies)

Chapter 7: Overview of US Welfare Programs

Chapter 8: Policy Practice

Summary and Conclusion

Reference Page

Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to Social Welfare and Policy II. I wanted to provide a brief introduction to this course and information on this textbook. After taking Social Welfare and Policy I, you should be familiar with what social work is and the history of social welfare and policy up until the early 20th century. This course will expand on your current knowledge of social welfare and policy, as well as provide new information for you to learn. This course will review the following: A social workers specific role in social welfare and policy, continued history from the 1930s to present day, how a policy is made, generalist practice skills and advocacy in social work. This textbook has been provided to you to aide your learning, containing information retrieved from various creditable resources.

Chapter 1

Social Worker Roles in Social Welfare and Policy

Social Problems

What is the definition of a social problem? It is defined as any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed. (University of Minnesota, 2010). This definition can be viewed as both subjective and objective.

Objective view: Any condition or behavior to be considered a social problem must have a negative consequence for a large number of people. These conditions/behaviors and consequences can be heavily debated. An example of this is climate change. While many scientists say that climate change is a serious issue, fewer

than two-thirds of Americans in a 2011 poll reported believing that climate change is real and happening.

Subjective view: The above example leads into the subjective view on social problems, as there must be a perception that a condition or behavior needs to be addressed for it to be considered a social problem. While the objective view involves empirical evidence of negative consequences of a social condition or behavior, the subjective component involves a perception that the condition or behavior is indeed an issue that needs to be addressed (University of Minnesota, 2010).

Social Work in Policy Practice

The following has been retrieved from a book titled, ‘Policy Practice for Social Workers’, written by Linda K. Cummins, Katharine V. Byers, Laura Pedrick. The chapter is provided online by Pearson Higher Ed.

Policy practice is defined as using social work skills to propose and change policies in order to achieve the goal of social and economic justice. When doing policy practice, social workers apply generalist social work perspectives and skills to make changes in laws, rules, budgets, and policies and in the bodies that create those policies, whether they be local, state, or federal agencies or other decision-making bodies, in the pursuit of the social work mission of social and economic justice. The goal of policy practice in social work is to ensure social and economic justice in the social environment so that all people, regardless of their socio-economic status, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation, have opportunities to achieve success for themselves and their families.

Social workers do not have to be in political office or hold positions of power in order to affect policy. Social workers and social work students have both the skills and perspectives (concepts, values, and beliefs) that are important in the policymaking process. These skills and perspectives are rooted in social work’s history and experience of working directly with people to address the challenges and needs they face in their daily lives (Cummins, 2011).

The NASW Code of Ethics, which is intended as a guide to serve those practicing social work, has different parts that are specific to social justice and policy. The following excerpt is directly from the NASW Code of Ethics:

Value: Social Justice

Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.

Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social workers' social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).

Chapter 2

Depression and the New Deal (1930-1948)

The onset of the Great Depression occurred after the infamous stock market crash of 1929. Although vulnerable populations were already experiencing poverty (such as children, elderly, minorities, female-headed families and people with disabilities), many middle and upper-income families first experienced poverty in America during the Great Depression. These individuals enjoyed a strong economy of the 1920s, only to experience total shock after the start of The Great Depression. Between 1929 and 1933, unemployment in the United States jumped from three percent to twenty-five percent. In some major cities, unemployment rose to almost eighty percent (8 out of 10 workers were unemployed!) (Marx, 2020).

Franklin D Roosevelt (FDR) was elected in 1932 with the anticipation that he would be either the worst or greatest president in American History, given the current state of the economy. Many Americans ideology of “poor people” changed – as many people who once looked down on poverty were now standing in line for relief themselves. The private, non-profit organizations that existed at this time were extremely overwhelmed and unable to meet the demand of requests for aide. The former American belief, expressed by President Franklin Pierce to Dorothea Fix, was that the federal government should not be involved in provided relief to the poor. However, due to the size of this national crisis, a national solution was very much needed (Marx, 2020).

The New Deal

To address the dire need throughout the nation, FDR took immediate action by establishing several federal agencies and programs to create job opportunities and provide relief. One major program was the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which was created by the Federal Emergency Relief Act in 1932. This program’s primary responsibility was managing the effort to distribute federal relief funds to individual states (Marx, 2020)

FDR’s New Deal led to many other policies new creation or adjustments made: Prohibition came to an end; The Homeowners Loan Act, Workers Progress Administration (WPA); National Labor Relations Act; The Social Security Act of 1935. Although many efforts were made on behalf on the New Deal with the FDR

administration, World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor is what ultimately ended the Great Depression in America (History.com editors, 2020).

Prior to The Great Depression and New Deal era, the overall profession of social worker shunned public relief, as many social workers were employed in private agencies. This era had a profound impact on the social work profession. Thousands of social workers were cast in new roles of public welfare. Many social workers took on new roles as administrative and supervisors in the new, public programs created. Henceforth, public welfare – specifically supervision, administration and policy work, would forever become an integral part of the social work profession (GISW, 2020).

Social Security Act of 1935

The Social Security act passed in the United States on August 14, 1935. This marked a new stage in the acceptance of the Federal Government of responsibility for the welfare of all of its citizens. This act created a national contribution for old-age retirement annuity for all workers in industry and commerce. Employers and their employees started their contributions in 1937. Benefits were payable to individuals in the beginning of 1940. By the time payments had begun, this system was expanded to provide survivor benefits and benefits for dependents of retired workers. In 1950, amendments were made to increase benefit amounts for elderly and survivors. This act also laid the basis for a nation-wide system of unemployment insurance. By 1937, all 50 states had adopted unemployment insurance laws and by 1939, all were paying unemployment benefits. The cost of these programs was (and currently are) financed by federal grants to the states. Along with the benefits already discussed, the Social Security Act also provided Federal grants to each state to support general public health programs. Some states and local government had existing public health programs in the beginning of the 1930s, however many areas of the country had only limited services and many were without any organized health protection. (Merriam, n.d.).

Chapter 3

Social Welfare in the 1950s-1970.

Dissatisfaction and criticism of social welfare began in the 1950s, revolving around the federal aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. Critics believed that the program had made welfare a way of life for many people, rather than its intent on short-term assistance. The 1950s is the first decade that began social welfare reform.

During the 1950s and 60s, social welfare reform began with states attempting to impose residency requirements on any individual applying for assistance, as well as removing illegitimate children from the welfare programs. Many states passed a rule referred to as “Man in the House”, which ultimately stopped individuals

from receiving benefits when a man was present in the home. However, during the late 1960s, these laws were removed on the grounds that the equal protection clause of the fourteen amendment of the US Constitution, requiring the government to treat all persons in similar situations equally.

After the election of President Lyndon B Johnson in the 1960s, the administration declared a “war on poverty”, with multiple programs provided to citizens in need: Head Start, the Job Corps, Food Stamps, Medicaid-funded education, job training, direct food assistance and direct medical assistance. During this era, although poverty declined, over four million new people signed up for the welfare programs.

When President Richard M Nixon was elected in 1968, conservative backlash began to take place against liberal policies that were created. President Nixon was the first President since FDR to offer major national welfare legislation. He introduced the 1969 Family Assistance Plan: he proposed giving needy families with children $1,600 annually, and as a work incentive, they were allowed to keep any earned income up to $4,000. The plan also required that all welfare recipients (except mothers with children under the age of 3) would be required to work. This plan was rejected by both conservatives and liberals. People with a conservative frame of mind suggested that this plan would expand public assistance, while liberals believed that the support levels were too low, and the work requirement was punitive. This proposed policy did not make it out of congress and was taken out of consideration in 1972.

The Nixon administration expanded many several social welfare programs during its time. Individual states were required to provide food stamps and Supplimental Security Income (SSI) consolidated aid for aged, blind and disabled individuals. The Earned Income Credit was also introduced as policy, providing the working poor with direct cash assistance in the form of tax credits.

“Workfare” was initiated by advocated of social welfare reform in the 1970s, with the idea that individuals receiving welfare would work off payments through public service jobs. This later developed into the concept of using education and job training to help recipients gain independence from welfare programs. By the 1980s, workfare had emerged as the future of social welfare reform (Welfare, 2003).

CHAPTER 4

Social Welfare 1980s-1990s

President Ronald Reagan was elected to office in 1981. Being a harsh critic on social welfare programs, he helped secure deep cuts in AFDC spending, including the reduction of benefits to working recipients of public assistance. States were also provided with the option of requiring the majority of recipients to participate in workfare programs. During this era, social welfare programs once again were subjected to many critics. It became the belief of many that welfare hurt the poor by making them less well-off and discouraging them from working, creating welfare dependency.

During the 1980s, forty states set up “welfare-to-work” programs that provided job education and trainings. The federal Family Support Act of 1988 (a bill to replace the existing AFDC program with a new Family Support Program which emphasizes work, child support and need-based family support supplements) adopted this specific approach, directing all states to phase in welfare-to-work programs by 1990. Each state was required to implement education, job training and job placement programs for all welfare recipients. This requirement was unsuccessful, as states lacked the necessary funding that was required to match federal funds provided. By 1993, only one in five eligible welfare recipients was enrolled in training or education program.

In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was put into place. This reform created personal responsibility and work a central idea to receiving welfare. It also shifted welfare to state responsibility. State governments were provided fixed blocks of money known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), requiring individuals that received this assistance to work. This program was also limited: families were only able to be a part of the program for five years. The ultimate idea was by placing a maximum amount of money states received from the federal government for welfare, programs would shrink rather than grow over time. By the late 1990s, the United States had a strong economy, and the unemployment rate was down to four percent. This created confidence in

social welfare reform and encouraged the continued use of it (Welfare, 2003).

CHAPTER 5

2000-Present time

The United States began to experience a slower economy in the early 2000s. The attacks on September 11, 2001, further slowed down economic growth in our country. States were experiencing cash deficits, with some deficits being extremely significant. While these issues were arising, the federally funded TANF program was due to expire in October of 2002. In May of 2002, the House passed the Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act (H.R. 4737). This bill would reauthorize TANF funding for an additional five years, as well as increase the minimum work requirement for recipients by five percent per year, so that states would have seventy percent of TANF families working full-time jobs by the year

2007. The bill also had other parts to it: it would continue to fund childcare through a block grant and would strengthen child support laws to increase money to mothers and children. It would also provide up to three-hundred million dollars each year for programs that encourage healthy and stable marriages (such as premarital education and counseling programs). Ultimately, this bill was not approved by the Senate. In September of 2002, Congress passed continuing resolutions to extend TANF through the end of March of 2003 (Welfare, 2003).

Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The Affordable Care Act, or ‘Obamacare’, is a comprehensive health care reform law that was enacted in

March of 2010. This law has three primary goals: (Healthcare.gov, n.d.).

1. Make affordable health insurance available to more people. This law provides consumers with subsidies (‘premium tax credits’) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level.

2. Expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults with income between 138% of the federal poverty law, known as Medicaid expansion.

- Not all states have chosen to participate in Medicaid expansion. The states that are not participating include: (12 states in total) Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi,

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Essentially, this means in order to qualify for Medicaid in one of these states, you must be determined as disabled or have minor children in your home with no income/extremely low income per month.

3. Support innovative medical delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.

Another major issue that the ACA addressed was pre-existing conditions. Prior to the ACA being put into law, insurance companies were able to deny a person coverage under the pretense of “pre-existing conditions”. Since the ACA has been put in place, health insurance companies can’t refuse to cover you or charge you more just because you have a “pre-existing condition” – meaning, a health problem you were experiencing before the date that new health coverage starts (U.S. Dept of Health & Human Services, 2017).

Chapter 6

How is a Policy made?

The information from this section was taken directly from USHistory.org, Titled ‘Policy Making, Political Interactions”.

After learning so much about policy, the question remains: How exactly is a policy created in the United States? There are many parts to policy creation and made different groups involved.

“Public policy is a goal-oriented course of action that the government follows in dealing with a problem or issue in the country. Public policies are based on law, but many people other than legislators set them. Individuals, groups, and even government agencies that do not comply with policies can be penalized. This complicated process goes through a predictable series of steps”:

1. Recognizing the problem. At any given time, many conditions disturb or distress people, such as unsafe workplaces, natural disasters like tornadoes and earthquakes, crime, pollution, or the cost of medical care. But all disturbing conditions do not automatically become problems. People have to recognize that government can and should do something about them. For example, most citizens probably do not expect government to prevent hurricanes. However, they may expect government to help hurricane victims through quick relief actions.

2. Agenda setting. An agenda is a set of problems that government wants to solve. Usually there are so many of them that they must be prioritized, with some problems getting earlier and more attention than others. Agenda setting may respond

to pressure from interest groups, political parties, the media, and other branches of government. Agendas usually are reshaped when a new President takes office or when the majority party in Congress changes after an election. A crisis such as war, depression, natural disasters, or a tragic accident, almost always re-prioritizes issues.

3. Formulating the policy. At this stage, usually several conflicting plans from various political interests take shape. Various players — the president and White House aides, agency officials, especially appointed task forces, interest groups, private research organizations, and legislators — may take part in formulating new policy.

4. Adopting the policy. Once various plans are presented, one policy is accepted by the decision-makers. In many cases, a policy is adopted when Congress passes a law. Policy adoption may also take place when the President signs an executive order or when the Supreme Court rules on an important case. Policy is often built in a series of small steps passed over time by different players, and eventually, a complex policy emerges.

5. Implementing the policy. Most public policies are carried out by administrative agencies in the executive branch, although sometimes the courts get involved in implementing decisions they make. Agencies use many techniques to see that policy is carried out. Sometimes they punish people and organizations who do not comply with policy. For example, a state can take a driver's license away from a bad driver. Or the government may offer incentives, like tax breaks for contributing to the presidential election campaign. They even appeal to people's better instincts, such as using the slogan, "Only you can prevent forest fires.”

6. Evaluating the policy. Policy makers often try to determine what a policy is actually accomplishing or whether or not it is being carried out efficiently. Often the evaluation process takes place over time with contributions from many of the interacting players. Most evaluations call for some degree of change and correction, and inevitably, at least some of the players

will disagree. The whole process then begins again, starting with re-recognition of the problem.

Decision-making, then, is a continuous process with numerous people participating. At any given time, government is at various stages of policy-making in a never-ending quest to provide solutions to countless societal problems.” (USHistory.org, 2008).

CHAPTER 7

Overview of the US Welfare Programs

There are six major welfare programs that exist in the United States today. They include: Temporary Assistance for those in Need (TANF), Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Programs, Supplemental Security Income and Housing Assistance (Amadeo, 2020).

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (often referred to as SNAP or food stamps), provided eligible people with benefit cards, that can be used like debit cards, to buy food at grocery stores and farmer markets.

In 2017, this program was utilized by 42.6 million people. The average individual received $126 per month. The total cost for this program during this time was over $70 billion. Of this total accrued cost, 93% was spent on food and 7% was spent on administrative costs. A recipient that does not have any children is required to work after three months of being on the program. However, the program waives the work requirement for those who live in areas with high unemployment rates (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Medicaid provides free or low-cost health benefits to adults, kids, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities.

In 2017, this program paid for the health care of 75.1 million low-income adults and 30 million children. Medicaid will pay for costs that Medicare does not cover. When the Affordable Care Act was passed, it increased Medicaid coverage by a total of twenty-eight percent. This act also raised the qualification income level and allowed single adults to qualify for the program. (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a tax credit for families with at least one child and benefits those working with low to moderate income. In order to qualify for this credit, you must meet certain requirements and file a tax return (one must still be filed even if you do not owe any taxes or are not required to file). EITC reduces the amount of tax you owe and may provide you with a refund. To provide an example: A family of four (married, filing jointly) must earn less than $51,492 a year to qualify. This credit resolved poverty issues for almost 9.4 million people and costs just one percent of the amount paid out to administer it. (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Housing assistance includes subsidized housing, housing vouchers and public housing programs to help low-income families, seniors and individuals with disabilities get into affordable private or government-owned rental housing. Individuals that qualify do not pay more than 30% of their income in rent. (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF or often referred to as “welfare”) provides a cash benefit for a limited time to qualified, low-income families that are working towards self-sufficiency. The TANF program may also provide non-cash benefits, such as childcare and job training.

The Federal government provides grants to States to run the TANF program. In 2017, TANF provided income to 2.5 million individuals. Of the total number, 1.9 million were children. On average, a three-person family receives $447 per month. Unfortunately, despite this assistance, many families continue to remain under the poverty line. (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides cash payments (to assist with food, clothing and shelter) to low-income seniors and low-income adults/children with qualifying disabilities. In 2017, approximately 8.2 million people received an average of %551 per month. Of this total number of people, 7.3 million are blind or disabled. (The Six Major U.S. Welfare Programs, n.d.)

Other assistance programs include:

Food aid programs: WIC (The Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, infants and children) provides food or vouchers, education and referrals to help feed pregnant women and children up to the age of six. In 2017, 7.3 million people received WIC each month and more than 75% were children or infants. The Child Nutrition Program provides free or low-cost meals and milk to children at schools and daycare centers, which served 30 million children in 2017. This program cost the federal government 12 billion dollars. (Amadeo, 2020).

There are also monthly food packages and farmer market coupons available to senior citizens who are considered low-income status.

Healthcare: Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – This program offers free or low-cost medical (hospital care, medical supplies, tests, preventative care and routine check-ups) and dental/vision care to uninsured children up to age nineteen whose family income is above the level of eligibility for Medicaid but below their state’s CHIP limit.

Housing: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): this program assists low-income households pay heating and cooling bills and offers low-cost home improvements to reduce those costs.

It is important to know that the programs listed above have requirements: all of the programs have income limits, most programs require you to be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen and many of the programs have individual state requirements like family’s size and financial resources.

CHAPTER 8

Policy Practice

“Policy practice in social work rests, to a good extent, on the value of social justice” (Gal, et el., 2008)

Social justice can be defined many ways and is clearly defined as a core value in the NASW Code of Ethics. Generally, social justice is a vision of a society in which all people have equal access to social rights; a society in which unacceptable inequalities in income, wealth and opportunities are reduced. As social workers, when we identify with this value, we will become more supportive of different types of interventions that seek to further this social goal, thus making a social worker more likely to adopt policy practice.

Policy practice rests on the understanding that individuals’ problems and distress are rooted not only in person factors but also social ones. If environmental stressors are the key issue of distress (rather than within the individual), a social workers role is to assist in bringing change in those external factors that have a negative impact on the individual. Policy practice is a specific type of intervention that would be beneficial in reaching this goal. Policy practice aims to promote policies that would extend social rights to all, especially to individuals living in poverty and social exclusion, and to change policies that restrict social rights (such as social inequalities). (Gal, et el., 2008).

You may be wondering what type of specific social worker job may relate directly to policy practice. Here are five examples (Social Work Degree Guide, n.d.).:

1. Community Social Worker: As a community social worker, you will be working directly with members within a community. This will include working with a diverse population in communities of different types and sizes. You will offer services to individuals to improve their situation, whatever it may be (poverty, lack of support, in-home services, etc.). You will have first-hand knowledge of the major issues within that community, allowing you to work with local governments, community organizations and businesses to solve problems within the area. This is a great way to affect policy on a small scale and you will be able to gain experience needed to move into state or nation policy-making roles.

2. Social Work Researcher: When working in this particular area, you will complete in-depth studies in a particular area of interest. Researchers are employed in government agencies, schools, non-profit organizations and policy think tanks. This position helps social service providers better understand the populations that they serve and conduct research into the efficacy of different social work models.

3. Social Work Administrator: If you work in this field, you can ascend to positions in community organizations, clinics, non-profit agencies and government agencies. As an administrator, you will be responsible for making key decisions on behalf of organizations. Next to actually running the organization, administrators set policy in the field as a whole by participating in organizations and advocacy efforts. As an administrator, you will have the power to change policy by building relationships with influencers in related fields.

4. Medical Social Worker: When you think of this position, you may imagine a social worker working one-on-one, providing services to patients and their families. However, there are more possibilities when working in this role. Medical Social Workers can ascend to leadership positions in community clinics, hospitals and other health care settings. Professionals that ascend to these roles are often responsible for evaluating the ethical and humanistic aspect of various medical situations.

5. Social Work Professor: When working in this position, you will have the opportunity to influence the lives of students who move into policy-oriented roles. You will also have direct influence on policy by setting curriculum and learning priorities at the institution you teach at. Social work professors also work closely with social work researchers to determine if priorities and needs in the field are changing as well.

Addition examples of social worker roles in policy:

· Implementing agency policies

· Advocate for changes in agency policies or new policies

· Advocating for changes in local, state and federal policies

· Lobbying for legislation

· Supporting candidates for office who will support the legislation

· Protesting Unjust policies

· Using the media to inform the public about social problems or unjust policies; garnering support for legislative/policy change

Micro/Mezzo/Macro

Micro, mezzo and macro social work all work to promote social justice and human well-being, with particular attention to vulnerable communities. While their core mission is essentially the same, micro, mezzo and macro social work achieve this mission through different means and methodologies (Master of Social Work, 2019):

Micro-Level Social Work: this is considered the most “traditional” type of social work practice. It is defined as working closely with individuals, families and small groups to counsel and provide support as clients navigate complex challenges and systems. While many assume micro-level social work with the therapeutic employment setting, it also includes non-clinical social work services, such as assisting clients with obtaining access to important resources. Practicing policy example: Advocating on behalf of your client (ex. Your client was denied for SNAP due to being $5 over the monthly limit – you could advocate on his behalf, asking for reconsideration and preparing an appeal on his case).

Mezzo-Level Social Work: Although practicing at this level may look quite a bit like micro-level social work, mezzo-level social work is primary focused on helping vulnerable populations at the large group, organizational, and small community levels. Practicing policy example: a social worker who works at a women’s advocacy center and who designs a program aimed at encouraging and supporting girls and young women in participating in social justice politics at grassroots level.

Macro-Level Social Work: This level of social work involves taking a broad view of the systematic causes of social injustice at the large-scale community, state, nation and international levels, and developing interventions that address these systematic causes. Macro-Level Social Work is founded upon helping large groups of people indirectly (compared to micro and mezzo, where you are working directly with the clients). Policy Practice Example: A social worker who works with government agencies and non-profit organizations to design and implement targeted campaigns against large-scale social issues such as socioeconomic inequalities, gender or racial discrimination, or injustices in the criminal system.

Advocacy

“The social work profession was founded in social change. Throughout the profession’s history, social workers have sought to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources and opportunities that allow them to meet their basic needs.”  (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.).

In the beginning of this text, we took a closer look at the NASW Code of Ethics and the core value of Social Justice. Now, let’s take look at social and political action. The following excerpt is directly from the NASW Code of Ethics.

6.04 Social and Political Action

(a) Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice.

(b) Social workers should act to expand choice and opportunity for all people, with special regard for vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited people and groups.

(c) Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and social diversity within the United States and globally. Social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, support the expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, advocate for programs and institutions that demonstrate cultural competence, and promote policies that safeguard the rights of and confirm equity and social justice for all people.

(d) Social workers should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of, and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability. (National Association of Social Workers, 2017).

As you can see from reading the above excerpt from the NASW Code of Ethics, acting as an advocate is a crucial part of policy practice. Advocacy refers to strategies used to influence others for the benefit of a particular client or cause. Advocacy can often involve persuasion as trying to change the beliefs and behaviors of others. (Barsky, n.d.) In this role, you will fight for the rights of others and work to obtain needed resources by convincing others of the legitimate needs and rights of members and society. As social workers, we are particularly concerned for those who are vulnerable or are unable to speak up for themselves. Advocacy can occur on the local, county, state or national level.

Examples of social work advocacy:

A social worker partners with organizations to change a county or state policy or law restricting their ability to provide needed services

A social worker joins a coalition to advocate for policy change

A social worker advocates on behalf of his/her clients within an agency for policy change that will benefit the clients in a positive manner

A social worker advocates on the behalf of her community by creating a petition to address social justice issues within the community.

Conclusion

It is my sincerest hope that after taking this course and reading this text that you feel more confident in the world of social welfare and policy. As you are well on your way to becoming part of such a rewarding, yet sometimes challenging, world of social work – I challenge you to take what you learned from this course and apply it in the real world. Start with your own community; recognize any and all issues of social injustice and instead of remaining in the shadows, take action!