Engage in Policy Practice

As an advanced practice social worker, my role is to be engaged in policy practice. I will stay abreast of policies at the federal, state, and local levels that affect my clients; and I will work to advocate for issues that impact clients’ social, economic, and environmental well-being. I will seek to understand my role in policy development and how to implement policy within my practice setting, whether that be at the micro, mezzo, or macro level, in order to better enhance the efficient delivery of social services.

“Unless our conception of patriotism is progressive, it cannot hope to embody the real affection and real interest of the nation”.  Jane Addams

PRACTICE BEHAVIORS:

5A: Advocate with and inform stakeholders to impact policy change.

Academic Evidence:  In my Mental Health Emphasis class in the summer of 2019, I researched and analyzed a policy and wrote an advocacy paper and letter concerning a proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on the issue of Medicare reimbursing mental health services provided by tele-health in someone’s home.  I sent the advocacy letter to the current chairman of the Ways and Means Committee where the bill had been sent for review, encouraging his support in favor of the proposed bill.  This is a social justice issue, as those who have the most to gain from this proposed bill are low-income people living in rural areas.  I gained knowledge of the current policy on this issue and how the proposed changes to policy can benefit clients throughout the U.S.  It required both research and writing skills in studying the issue before contacting the influential lawmaker who is in the best position to impact policy change.

Field Evidence:  I looked at policies affecting opioid drug addiction and hospice organizations and discussed with my field instructor how these influence our agency and then journaled about my findings.  This exercise required research skills in order to learn about current policies concerning this issue.

5B: Develop and implement a policy and/or advocacy plan.

Academic Evidence: In my Advanced Social Policy class, I led a group project that advocated for Automatic Voter Registration in Tennessee.  We created a policy action plan on this issue and then presented a powerpoint on the topic.  Through this project I gained knowledge on the important first step of the voting process, which is voter registration.  I researched and wrote the literature review, learned how to do a fact sheet and policy brief and then wrote the majority of the advocacy plan.  The goal was to apply pressure on Tennessee lawmakers to pass a bill that was introduced earlier in 2019 for automatic voter registration in Tennessee.

Field Evidence:  I researched federal and state policies pertaining to hospice, such as death certificate policies, embalming, caskets, burial and cremation, funeral home laws, and policies on transporting bodies across state and national lines.  These various policies are grounded in systems theory, as the various organizations work together in an integrated fashion. I discussed (affective level: responding) these findings with my field instructor and wrote a detailed journal entry about the practical information that I learned to help with advocating for hospice patients and their families. This project exemplifies the NASW value of competence, as I try to learn as much as I can about hospice social work.  It also demonstrates (cognitive level: application) the code of ethic involving the right to self-determination in honoring a hospice client’s wishes in death and dying.

Other Evidence: I wrote an organizational policy for a nonprofit proposal in my Advanced Administrative Practice and Leadership class that corresponded with federal sexual offender policies.  In writing the proposed policy for my project of having a community garden in the local food desert of East Chattanooga, I researched both state and federal policies in order to gain knowledge about sex offender laws and registries and how they would apply to a community-based project. I created (cognitive level: synthesis) the organizational policy for the nonprofit proposal as a result of this research.

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