Discussion Post: Identification of a Social Problem
As an astute social worker and professional policy advocate, you must be adept at identifying social problems that exist in your community or in an agency or organization with which you are acquainted. Your selection and investigation of a specific social problem serves as the foundation for your process of creating and implementing a policy that addresses that social problem.
In this discussion, you will identify a current social problem based on your personal and professional interests and consider its historical impact on populations, as well as potential steps for identifying a policy that proposes contemporary solutions to the problem. Your selection of a social problem and historical review of impacts will serve as a foundation for your Final Project Assignment-a Social Change Project-in the course (due in Week 10).
1. Review Chapter 2 of the Jansson text.
a. Focus on "Policy Advocacy Challenge 2.4" (pp. 39-40) for websites and examples of different ways to think about the relationship between social problems and policy.
2. Identify a social problem-for example, food insecurity, domestic violence, child maltreatment, policing, and so on-that you would like to investigate throughout the course. This can be a problem that has personal or professional meaning to you. You will use the social problem as the foundation for your Final Project Assignment-a Social Change Project- (although, you will work on it in multiple Assignments throughout the course).
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.