Policy Practice
Policy affects every area of life. It is what determines laws, rules, and regulations that shape society. Some policies affect positive change, while others might be harmful either intentionally or unintentionally. Social workers are aware of how policies are impacting their clients and are leaders for positive change. They also recognize the way oppressive systems use policy to negatively impact the lives of vulnerable populations. Policy can be used positively to empower clients by establishing their rights.
Being able to navigate policy is important when assisting clients applying for any community service program. This also allows social workers to identify gaps is assistance programs in order to advocate with stakeholders for policy changes. Policy can serve to promote equity and equality, protect the vulnerable, and provide accessibility. As a professional social worker, I use my experiences with clients to inform policy practice and involvement. In this way, I plan to be an agent of positive change at the macro level.
5.1: Advocate with and inform stakeholders to impact policy change
Course Evidence: While taking Advanced Policy (SOCW 609) my group and I were able to create campaigning tools to promote policy change related to incarceration in Tennessee. Our campaign, Care First…Jail Last included a plan to identify, recruit, and engage stakeholders to further the cause. Materials were developed based on evidence based practice for recruitment. I collaborated to create a phone script, email script, and social media plan. These are all evidence-based practices learned about in the course to inform stakeholders.
5.2 Develop and implement a policy and/or advocacy plan
Field Evidence: While interning with Adoration Hospice, my field instructor and I identified the need for the agency to develop an oxygen safety policy. Some patients on hospice require being put on oxygen to improve breathing and comfort. There have been several instances where patients have causes injury or death by not practicing oxygen safety. I was able to research oxygen safety best practices and developed a new policy for the agency. I then presented it to Adoration’s clinical director.
Knowledge: Understanding of policy campaigning best practices were used for the activities in this competency. One of these practices, developing a pitch was important for both recruiting stakeholders and presenting the oxygen safety policy to the clinical director. This also required oral communication skills and policy writing skills.
Values: Social Justice is the value that I exemplify most when I engaging with policy. This value empowers me to step out of my comfort zone and take leadership in advocating for policy change. When developing the oxygen safety policy, I thought about how it may positively impact the clients I was serving. Similarly, when creating the policy campaign I considered how promoting rehabilitation instead of incarceration for those with drug charges may benefit vulnerable communities.
Skills: Skills used for this competency were campaign strategies as well as policy writing. This involved written communication skills as well as identifying evidence based practices. When developing oxygen safety policy, I had to be sure that it was clear, informative, and culturally sensitive.
Cognitive: Creating was the cognitive used for this competency. Both of these practice behaviors involved creating new materials. Since the agency did not have an oxygen safety policy, I had to develop one based on oxygen safety best practices that I was able to find. A similar process was used when designing campaign materials.
Affective: Characterization is the affective for this competency. I chose this for these activities because they involved action. For the oxygen safety policy, I was able to develop it and present it to the clinical director.
Theory: Power Elites Theory is the theory chosen for this competency. Power Elites Theory acknowledges that policy change comes from working with those in power. Both campaigning for stakeholders and presenting the policy to the clinical director at Adoration were done to collaborate with those in power to reach policy goals.