Social Policy Assignment

***PLEASE NOTE: For this assignment, students will be graded on a different rubric (see below). MAKE SURE to include the required elements from the RUBRIC. (See below or CLICK HERE for Link to PDF of Instructions and Rubric)

Instructions

In this assignment, students will develop their policy advocacy skills by:

• Writing a letter or email to one of their representatives (from Module 5 assignment) advocating for a specific policy to address a social problem related to the student’s field placement or other area of interest

This assignment assesses the knowledge dimension of the following CSWE Competencies:

Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice

            3.1:   Understand how social welfare policies and structural forces can promote the well-

                     being of or oppress and marginalize individuals, families, and communities in our

                     society

Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice

            5.1:   Recognize how our work with individuals, families, and communities can inform

                     the policymaking process

Specifically students will:

Select a social problem that is related to your field placement or one that is of particular interest to you. Write a letter or email describing the social problem and advocating for a particular policy position with regards to this social problem. Ideally this would be a social policy and social problem in which one of your representatives has an interest – though this may not always be possible. The letter should be clear and concise – no more than two double-spaced pages and should contain the following elements:

• Definition and description of the social problem and the population whom it affects, including brief description of the scope of the problem based on a legitimate data source (make sure to include statistics on the scope of the problem and the source, e.g. “Nearly one in five children in the US lived below the poverty line in 2016, according the US Census Bureau.”)
• Description of the proposed policy and its potential to address the social problem and the affected population
• Discussion of how the proposed policy contributes to the advancement of human rights and social, economic or environmental justice and its potential to improve the well-being of the affected population
• Description of how social work training and experiences (using examples from field practice or other social work experience) are key to understanding and defining the social problem and the effects of social forces and policies on the individuals, families, communities, and organizations with whom we work
• Be well-written, with proper language, grammar, mechanics, and structure