Policy
Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
“Social work practitioners understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know the history and current structures of social policies and services; the role of policy in service delivery; and the role of practice in policy development.” -CSWE (2008)
Touring the state building in Nashville Tennessee with my policies and social justice instructor Samson Chama
Practice Behaviors
a. Advocate with and inform key stakeholders to optimize the impact of policy.
Learning evidenced by:
- With a cohort group, drafting a policy brief and presenting it to our state senator in Nashville Tennessee.
- Analyzing Tennessee Statute 38-8-106 which violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. I discuss the problems with this policy and potential alternatives in the following Policy Brief and Policy Paper. I have continued to advocate for individuals with mental disabilities by writing to local and state elected officials and petitioning to have state laws changed as it pertains to individuals with mental disabilities.
- Collaborating with the local chapter of the NASW to help bring about social change and promote social justice in the city of Chattanooga as documented in Journal 24.
- Collaborating with local politicians to engage in a review of policy that impacts city employees and the use of the Employee Assistance Plan as documented in Journal 14.
b. Craft and implement a full systems policy/advocacy action plan.
Learning evidenced by:
- Researched and advocated for needed policy changes in Tennessee Law dealing with individuals with mental disorder as seen in this paper.
- With my cohort group, planning a financial literacy class for a low-income Hispanic population based on this Work Plan and a community assessment. A logic frame was then created to guide program development.
- Implementing said financial literacy class in collaboration with The Coalition of Latino Leaders (CLILA) and other key stakeholders. The project proposal can be seen here. The details of the social marketing campaign that helped fund this project can be seen here.