SOWK-370 Social Welfare Policy and Services

Please note that this syllabus is intended as an example only. It may not exactly match each session of the class offered.

Instructor: Jeff Bryant MSW, LCSW

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General Course Description

This course examines the history and development of contemporary social welfare policies and services. The course begins with studying macro-directed theories of human behavior in the social environment. This first part is directly integrated with the HBSE - SOWK 360 course. These theories are integral for understanding the context of many of the policy issues we will be studying in this course. In addition, the theories also have relevance for the courses in the practice sequence. After this first unit, models for understanding the intent, adequacy, effectiveness, costs and equity of policies and programs are examined. Policy implications for practice with culturally diverse groups are studied. Implications for practice with different sizes and types of systems and populations at risk are explored. The value bases and the profession's positions on policies are examined. Basic ways to intervene in policy formation and change are explored. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in a political science course that explores state and local or federal governance is helpful. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in the Junior Practicum in Social Work is also helpful. Completion of or concurrent enrollment in the HBSE – SOWK 360 course is highly recommended

Prerequisites/Co-requisites

This course is open to any University of Indianapolis student, but is typically pursued by social work students (pre-admitted or admitted) and OT students (pre-admitted or admitted). Successful completion of this course is a prerequisite for SOWK 310 and 320, the Micro and Mezzo Social Work Practice courses.

Academic Course Standards

Criteria from the Council on Social Work Education Curriculum Policy Statement (CSWE C.P.S.) relevant to this course are as follows:

• Social Work Values and Ethics
  • B6.3 Programs of social work education must provide specific knowledge about social work values and their ethical implications and must provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their application in professional practice. Students must be assisted to develop an awareness of their personal values and to clarify conflicting values and ethical dilemmas. Among the values and principles that must be infused throughout every social work curriculum are the following:
    • B6.3.1 Social workers' professional relationships are built on regard for individual worth and dignity and are furthered by mutual participation, acceptance, confidentiality, honesty, and responsible handling of conflict.
    • B6.3.2 Social workers respect people's right to make independent decisions and to participate actively in the helping process.
    • B6.3.3 Social workers are committed to assisting client systems to obtain needed resources.
    • B6.3.4 Social workers strive to make social institutions more humane and responsive to human needs.
    • B6.3.5 Social workers demonstrate respect for and acceptance of the unique characteristics of diverse populations.
    • B6.3.6 Social workers are responsible for their own ethical conduct, the quality of their practice, and seeking continuous growth in the knowledge and skills of their profession.
• Diversity
  • B6.4 Professional social work education is committed to preparing students to understand and appreciate human diversity. Programs must provide curriculum content about differences and similarities in the experiences, needs, and beliefs of people. The curriculum must include content about differential assessment and intervention skills that will enable practitioners to serve diverse populations.
    Each program is required to include content about population groups that are particularly relevant to the program's mission. These groups include, but are not limited to groups distinguished by race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental ability, age, and national origin.
• Promotion of Social and Economic Justice
  • B6.5 Programs of social work education must provide an understanding of the dynamics and consequences of social and economic injustice, including all forms of human oppression and discrimination. They must provide students with the skills to promote social change and to implement a wide range of interventions that further the achievement of individual and collective social and economic justice. Theoretical and practice content must be provided about strategies of intervention for achieving social and economic justice and for combating the causes and effects of institutionalized forms of oppression.
• Populations At Risk
• B6.6 Programs of social work education must present theoretical and practice content about patterns, dynamics, and consequences of discrimination, economic deprivation, and oppression. The curriculum must provide content about people of color, women, and gay and lesbian persons. Such content must emphasize the impact of discrimination, economic deprivation, and oppression upon these groups.
  Each program must include content about populations-at-risk that are particularly relevant to its mission. In addition to those mandated above, such groups include, but are not limited to, those distinguished by age, ethnicity, culture, class, religion, and physical or mental ability.
• Human Behavior and the Social Environment
  • B6.7 Programs of social work education must provide content about theories and knowledge of human bio-psycho-social development, including theories and knowledge about the range of social systems in which individuals live (families, groups, organizations, institutions, and communities). The human behavior and the social environment curriculum must provide an understanding of the interactions between and among human biological, social, psychological, and cultural systems as they affect and are affected by human behavior. The impact of social and economic forces on individuals and social systems must be presented. Content must be provided about the ways in which systems promote or deter people in the maintenance or attainment of optimal health and well-being. Content about values and ethical issues related to bio-psycho-social theories must be included. Students must be taught to evaluate theory and apply theory to client situations.

Course Objectives and Measures

This course has the following objectives and measures:

• Objective 1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice by mastering models for understanding the history, etiology, and nature of social work policies, programs, and services. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.1)
  Measurement of this objective includes performance on examinations and class activities.
• Objective 2. Engage in practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession with an appreciation of, understanding of, and respect for the positive value of human diversity in many contexts. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.2)
  Measures include performance on examinations and participation in class activities and discussions,
  particularly the cultural experiences required for the Class Performance grade.
• Objective 3. Understand the forms and mechanisms of political, economic, and social oppression and discrimination. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.3)
  Measures include performance on examinations and participation in various class activities.
• Objective 4. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and the strategies of change that advance social and economic justice. (CSWE C.P.S.: B B5.7.4)
  Measures include performance on examinations and participation in various class activities and discussions.
• Objective 5. Understand the history of the social work profession and its current structures and issues. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.5)
  Measures include performance on examinations and participation in various class activities and discussions.
• Objective 6. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work to practice with systems of all sizes. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.6)
  Measures include performance on class projects, presentations, examinations and participation in various class discussions.
• Objective 7. Apply knowledge of bio-psycho-social variables that affect individual development and, behavior, and use theoretical frameworks to understand the interactions among individuals and between individuals and social systems (i.e., organizations, institutions, and communities). (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.7)
  Measures include performance on class projects, presentations, examinations and participation in various class discussions.
• Objective 8. Analyze the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, and agencies by developing an understanding of models for policy analysis and examination of specific policies under development. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.8)
  Measures include performance on examinations and participation in various class activities and discussions.
• Objective 9. Use communication skills differentially with a variety of client populations, colleagues, and members of the community, including basic familiarity with electronic mediated communications. (CSWE C.P.S.: B5.7.10)
  Measured by successful completion of papers, discussions, and Strategy Presentation.
• Objective 10. Awareness of the impact of social and economic forces on individuals and social systems. (CSWE
  C.P.S.: B6.7)
  Measured by performance on class projects and class discussions.
• Objective 11. Knowledge on how political, economic and social systems at the macro-level promote or deter people in the maintenance or attainment of optimal health and well-being. (CSWE C.P.S.: B6.7)
  Measured by successful completion of papers, discussions, and Strategy Presentation

Resources

Required

There are three required books for this course:

• Rose's Story - Rose, A Survivor of Our Social Services
  Family Service America, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1991.
• Understanding Social Welfare, 6th edition
  Ralph Dolgoff, Donald Feldstein, Louise Skolnik
  Longman Publishing, New York, 1997
• Affecting Change: Social Workers in the Political Arena, 4th edition
  Karen S. Haynes and James S. Mickelson
  Longman Publishing, New York, 2000

Course Design

The course has been divided into 4 separate and inter-related units. The course structure is as follows:

Unit I: Foundations for Understanding Social Welfare Policy and Services.

Each of you will read the book Rose's Story and will discuss the various institutions, organizations, and social values that impact the central characters and the circumstances in which they live. Rose’s Story offers an interesting and controversial look a person’s life long involvement with numerous social welfare policy and program interfaces from childhood through adulthood. This unit focuses on foundation theory for understanding and analyzing social welfare policy. Exploration of the American Myth and forms of blaming the victim are explored and discussed. Motivation and personality theories are a direct extension of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) foundation courses. Readings, handouts, and class lectures and discussions include HBSE models for understanding the dynamics of basic political and economic exchange, value assumptions, and social and economic justice. This unit includes a brief (five page) paper analyzing how people like "Rose" are affected by social welfare policies and programs and can be better understood by use of the theories that you have learned.

Unit II: The Dimensions of Social Policy and Services

This unit explores contemporary policies and services in America and their historical evolution. Various definitions and key concepts will be presented though lectures and readings in the main text, Understanding Social Welfare. Beginning with a brief review of history beginning with ancient cultures, through the Middle Ages and onward to the experiences of today’s global society, the history of social work and the evolving of social welfare polices and programs are explored. Policy evaluation will be approached through examination of the efforts it takes to deliver the policy, quality of the policy, its effectiveness, and efficiency. In doing so, an overview to how to examine the political process is provided.
This unit is designed to also give a broad overview of the dimensions of services and a very fine-grained understanding of many of the more common public and private programs any social worker should be aware of for practice. (Medicare, Medicaid, TANF, Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, SSI, etc.) Class readings, lectures, and class activities are provided on how the social work generalist may be impacted in their work in not-for-profit and private social welfare agencies. Therefore, a foundation of understanding of how not-for-profit social welfare agencies exists and operate is developed as to better understand the influence of social welfare policies and programs on clients and the community at large.

Unit III: The Profession's Policy Positions

We will examine the profession of social work's stance on many different policy issues. The NASW Delegate Assembly has generated many policy statements over the years. These serve to help clarify and interpret what social workers should do, along with the Code of Ethics that have been studied in previous social work foundation courses. Each of you will become familiar with a policy (policy paper) by the National Association of Social Workers or a social welfare issue on various problems, policies, services and programs.

Unit IV: Policy Practice - Taking Action

This unit addresses advocacy for social justice. In addition to understanding macro-level institutional behaviors in social and economic contexts, effective practice means generating, interpreting and implementing policy and services. Many people feel "powerless", and the theories from Unit I certainly suggest that individuals often have marginal influences on larger systems. Yet this need not be the case and the social work profession has a history of advocacy as studied in Unit II. This unit explores some of the techniques needed for promoting social welfare policy change.

Course Evaluation

Students will be evaluated by performance on the following measures:

1. Writing assignments: 20%
   This is the (five-page) paper on Rose's Story. You will take a look at Rose's life and how her involvement with numerous social service agencies and how this interacts with the theories you learn in this class. A handout will be given in class on the details of this paper.
    
2. Midterm Examination: 25%
   There will be a mid-term exam designed to measure comprehension of the course content. This will be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, definitions, fill in the blank and short answer. A study guide will be provided.
    
3. Policy Journal and Presentation: 20%
   This project will consist of you and your partner, or you can work on this by yourself, monitoring and analyzing how a social problem or political issue is covered by different media sources. Media can influence how the public perceives social welfare policy issues. Your Policy Journal will be made up of different media products which reflect how your problem or issue is covered by popular media. The goal will be for you to show the impact of the media on public opinion, how the media can be used politically and the effect of the media on the problem or issue you selected. You will present your Policy Journal at the end of the semester. A handout will be given out later in class with more details of this assignment.
    
4. Policy Paper: 20%
   You can examine an existing social welfare policy or create one on your own in your policy paper. Other ideas could be to look at a NASW policy, existing legislative law/policy, or a specific population at risk. More information will be given to you in class. When you turn in this assignment please have a second copy to turn in without your name and only your date of birth on it. This is for the portfolio.
   
5. Class Performance - 15%
   Class performance grade is comprised of the following: attendance, groups and participation in class discussions.

Extra Credit

This may be earned by brining in current newspaper articles, information off the Internet or magazines related to the topics in this class. You will bring in the article, give a brief summary and the professor may generate comments from other students. Put your name and the date on the article and turn into the professor. There is a maximum of 5 articles for the semester. This could make a difference in a letter grade.

Portfolio Requirement

The portfolio requirement for this course is one copy of the Policy Paper.

Course Policies

1. Attendance is mandatory and participation in discussions and activities is expected.
2. Paper, exam, and assignments are due on assigned dates. Late work will not be accepted w/out significant penalty, and no make-up exams will be given, except for extreme emergency that needs to be approved by the professor.
3. All University policies regarding Academic Misconduct will be strictly followed, including pre-grading. Any student who plagiarizes will receive an “F” in this course.
4. Pre-grading of the paper, with opportunities to revise in order to improve the grade, is available to all students. However, students may only take advantage of this prior to the pre-grade deadline. All pre-graded papers must be submitted with the final revision. Students are encouraged to utilize the University's Writing Lab if experiencing difficulty with conceptual development, grammar, or composition, as the student is expected to prove proficiency in these areas.
5. Pagers and cell phones must be turned off or in silence mode during class, and must be turned off during exams unless otherwise approved by the professor.
6. For the exam, students will receive a comprehensive study guide and participate in a review session.
   Only content from this study guide, or that which is added to the study guide during review, will be covered on the exam.
7. The professor is committed to being available to students when needed. Students may utilize Email or Voice mail to reach the professor. Office hours are posted on my door in Good Hall room 216. Students should feel free to stop by or call outside of formal office hours. However, office availability is not limited to these times. It is advantageous to make an appointment when possible, but this is not necessary

Class Schedule

Unit I: Foundations for Understanding Social Welfare Policy and Services

Week 1
Introduction and Overview of the Course

Initial introduction, overview, orientation to texts, also looking at Social Welfare vs. Social Work
The impact of Social and Economic structures on all of us.

Read:
1. Begin reading Rose's Story.

Week 2
Theories and Methods for Understanding Policies and Programs

Theories of institutional, organizational, and corporate behavior
Read:
1. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 1, "Socio-Economic Structure and Mutual responsibilities."
2. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 2, "Social Values and Social Welfare"
3. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 6, "Concepts for Social Welfare"
4. Continue reading Rose's Story.

Handout: Go over Handout on “Rose’s Story”

Week 3
Class discussion: Rose's Story: The Values it Presents and theories that may "explain" it.

Read:
Finish reading Rose's Story.
Handout: Go over Policy paper

Unit II: The Dimensions of Social Policy and Services
Historical and Ideological Perspectives of Social Welfare Policy

Week 4
Historic Dimensions of the Profession
Historical antecedents to modern social work: a not so friendly visitor..

Read:
1. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 3, "Social Values and Social Welfare: England from the Middle Ages.."
2. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 4, "Social Values and Social Welfare: The American Experience"

Due: Writing assignment on Rose's Story.
Handout: Go over Policy Journal

Week 5
Poverty and the Redistribution of Wealth
Definitions of poverty. Diversity and Populations at Risk.

Read:
1. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 5, "America, Poverty, Two Paths, and Dreams"
2. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 9, "Current Social Welfare Programs: Economic Security"

Week 6
Auspice, Policies, Alternatives, and the Quality of Life
Auspice and alternative services...filling cracks or cutting edge?
The theories and policies behind the alternative to social welfare programs.

Read:
1. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 11, "Non-Profit and Private Social Welfare"
2. Affecting Change, Chapter 3, “Social Work Values versus Politics”

Week 7
Contemporary social and political theory.
An introduction to the theory of rationality and social criticism.
Traditional Policy Analysis: Process and Purpose, Fiscal impact, Legislative intent, Political Process, Human Costs Issues, Congruence with Social Work’s Mission and Value Perspective

Handout: Study guide for Mid-term and review.

Unit III: Policy Positions and Programs

Week 8
Mid-term Exam

Read:
1. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 7, "Examining A Social Welfare Program".
2. Understanding Social Welfare, Chapter 10, "Social Welfare Programs: Sustaining the Quality of Life"

Week 9
Policy Formation - Diversity and Populations at Risk

Handout: Go over Class presentation

Read:
Affecting Change, Chapter 4: "Policy Models for Political Advocacy"

Week 10
Politics

Read:
1. Affecting Change, Chapter 1, “All Social Work is Political.”
2. Affecting Change, Chapter 2, “The Emergence of Social Work Polity.”

Due: Pre-grade for Policy Paper.

Unit IV: Policy Practice - Taking Action

Week 11
Policy Advocacy

Read:
1. Affecting Change: Chapter 6 "Influence Through Lobbying"
2. Affecting Change: Chapter 7 "Influencing Through Organizing Others"

Week 12
Monitoring the Bureaucracy

Due: Policy Paper

Read:
Affecting Change: Chapter 8 "Monitoring the Bureaucracy"

Week 13
No Class: Thanksgiving Vacation

Week 14
Action Methods and Techniques

Read:
1. Affecting Change: Chapter 9 "Political Action Committees"
2. Affecting Change: Chapter 10 "The Campaign"

Week 15
Policy Journals due the day of your Presentations
Policy Journal Presentations Due: Sign-up sheet will be passed out.

Week 16
Policy Journal Presentations Due: Sign-up sheet will be passed out.