VIII. The Creation of Law and Public Policy
Public policy is the study, creation, and implementation of laws, regulations, funding priorities, or other actions on a specific public issue by a local, state, or federal government 1. The creation of public policy is a very long and complicated process. Public policies that start in the Legislature have to go through a complex process of which many lawyers do not understand how the legislative process works. The Executive takes the law and refines it through executive agencies which then create rules and regulations of the public policy. The Executive agencies’ process of creating public policies has led to a complex web of relevant rules and regulations that are necessary to create public policy. The law is fully formed under the Judicial Branch. As a result, courts wield significant power in determining how policy affects the public 2. Political science studies public policy to see how the policies are created, and how different variables will influence the policies, and have developed elaborate theories on how public policy is made 2. Often these theories and the discussion that they raise are frequently detached from the real-world implications of public policy 2. While a primary objective of legal education is to learn the fundamental nature of law; it seeks to identify the core elements of law and legal doctrines. Lawyers left in a position to be able to interpret the courts’ decisions.
VIII. A. How a Bill Becomes Law- Federal and State
This educational infograhic shows how a bill becomes a law in United States. A bill can be introduced in either of the House of Representatives or the Senate, the two houses of Cogress. Then the bill is referred to a comittee. If the bill is approved, the next step is to be debated and then vodet upon by the entire house. If the house does not approve the bill, it can be send back to the committee it came from or abandon it.
In case of approving the bill, it goes to the other house where they repeat the same process. If the bill is approved once again, then it goes to the President. Only in case the President signs it, then the bill becomes a law. The President of the United States has has the option to veto the bill and send it back to Congress. Both houses of Congress then have three choices: changing the bill so it is more to the President’s liking; agreeing that the bill will never be passed and let it go or voting to override the President’s veto. - Infographic Plaza
VIII. B. Policy Models in Action
Practice Models Used in Social Work
Read on to discover how these practice models are used by social workers in a variety of settings.
Problem Solving Model
Proposed by Helen Harris Perlman in her book Social Casework: A Problem-solving Process, the problem solving model. Ms. Perlman posited that “success could be achieved by partializing – or separating into manageable segments – a client’s intertwined problems and focusing on one specific issue the client and social worker agreed needed to be resolved at a given time”, according to The University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Utilizing this model, social workers are employed to address one concern of a client as to be resolved, at any given time. This allows for therapy for clients to be more manageable.
Task-Centered Practice
Beginning at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, task-centered practice (TCP) is a four step process that trains social workers to work with clients in establishing specific and achievable goals based upon their concern for therapy. Through this model, social workers empower clients to drive their therapy by asking what they most want to work on to address their problems.
Solution-Focused Therapy
Solution-focused therapy was developed out of necessity, as a brief theory, in an inner city outpatient mental health setting by Steve de Shazer, Insoo Kim Berg and their colleagues. This approach focuses on finding solutions in the from the past, for the present — in hopes of achieving quicker problem resolution. Social workers may use this theory when focusing more on the present and future, asking questions like “What would you be doing this weekend that supports your therapy goals?”.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy can be an effective way of separating a client from their problems. By examining a person’s life story, this social work practice model externalizes struggles, allowing individuals to adopt a new perspective and see the bigger picture. From a distance, they may be able to reframe their situation—recognizing that their self-worth and purpose are separate from their problems. When told from a third-person perspective, a story of hardship may transform into a story of resilience.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the leading treatments for many mental health conditions. This social work practice model focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—encouraging clients to identify patterns of irrational and self-destructive thoughts and behaviors that impact emotions.
Crisis Intervention Model
Crisis intervention includes seven stages: assess safety and lethality, rapport building, problem identification, address feelings, generate alternatives, develop a plan of action, and follow up. This social work practice model is used when someone is experiencing an acute crisis — and is commonly used with clients who are expressing suicidal intent.