SWU182 - A Social Services Perspective of Government

The services that social workers provide are vital to supporting the well-being of people throughout the United States. Social workers have become even more essential as economic inequality and health disparities increase, as the population ages, and as the middle class struggles to maintain stability.

Federal policymakers play critical roles in promoting policies that help individuals, families, and communities to fulfill their potential and to lead healthy, productive lives. - NASW

VII. Policy Models
   A. Incrementalism
   B. Elite Theory
   C. Rational Theory
   D. Critical Theory

Although a great part of the association’s energy is spent on the following issues, NASW’s work on Capitol Hill is not limited to these areas, but is driven by the agenda that members of Congress set for themselves. - NASW

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and University of Michigan have released a paper, The White House as a Field Placement Reflections on the Past and a Future for Policy and Political Practice, that features a speech by social worker and White House Fellow Harold Richman. The paper explores macro policy field placements, political social work, and policy practice roles for social workers.

http://www.socialworkblog.org/wp-content/uploads/The-White-House-as-a-Field-Placement-Reflections-on-the-Past-and-a-Future-for-Policy-and-Political-Practice.pdf

The Grand Challenges for Social Work is a groundbreaking initiative initiated by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. It aims to champion social progress powered by science and calls for collaboration among individuals, community-based organizations, and professionals from all fields and disciplines to tackle some of our nation’s toughest social problems^{1 2}.

The Grand Challenges for Social Work promotes:

• Individual and family well-being
• A stronger social fabric
• A just society that fights exclusion and marginalization, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust, and offers pathways for social and economic progress².

Some of the specific challenges include:

• Ensuring healthy development for youth
• Closing the health gap
• Building healthy relationships to end violence
• Advancing long and productive lives
• Eradicating social isolation
• Ending homelessness
• Creating social responses to a changing environment
• Harnessing technology for social good
• Eliminating racism
• Promoting smart decarceration
• Building financial capability and assets for all
• Reducing extreme economic inequality
• Achieving equal opportunity and justice¹.

This initiative is a call to action for everyone in social work and related fields². It’s an exciting campaign that encourages thinking bigger and doing more to solve some of society’s greatest challenges¹.

Learn more:

1. grandchallengesforsocialwork.org  2. grandchallengesforsocialwork  3. resources.noodle.com   4. onlinedegrees.unr.edu

Today, Craig is going to talk about social policy - in the United States this means achieving one of three goals: protecting Americans from risk, promoting equal opportunity, or assisting the poor. Many Americans strongly believe in individualism, that is self-reliance, but since the Great Depression and the New Deal the government’s role has increased significantly. We’re going to focus on two social policies that came out of the New Deal - Social Security and what we tend to think of as “welfare” - and talk about why they’re still around now and potentially the future. These and other social policies are not without controversy, as things tend to be when involving our tax dollars, and we’re going to talk about that too.