Discussion 1: Policy Analysis and Application

According to the NASW Code of Ethics section 6.04 (NASW, 2008), social workers are ethically bound to work for policies that support the healthy development of individuals, guarantee equal access to services, and promote social and economic justice.

For this Discussion, review this week's resources, including Working with Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita. Consider what change you might make to the policies that affect the client in your case. Finally, think about how you might evaluate the success of the policy changes.

· Post an explanation of one change you might make to the policies that affect the client in the case. Be sure to reference the case you selected in your post.

· Finally, explain how you might evaluate the success of the policy changes.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

References:

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore: MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
"Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita" (pp. 81-83)

Rome, S., Harris, S., & Hoechstetter, S. (2010). Social work and civic engagement: The political participation of professional social workers. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37(3), 107-129.


Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Rita

Discussion 2: Evaluating Policy Implications

When developing, implementing, or revising organizational policies, it is important that all potential consequences be considered. Social workers must be particularly sensitive to any negative consequences or unintentional harm the policies might cause for any individual or group.

For this Discussion, review this week's resources, including the Johnson Family video. Consider the campus' policies on how sexual assault accusations are addressed. How might the current procedures and policies negatively affect survivors of sexual assault? What changes might you suggest to the campus policies to better protect survivors? Finally, describe how you might evaluate the success of these policy changes.

· Post an identification of how the current campus policies on sexual assault might negatively affect survivors and an explanation of the changes you might make to these policies that would protect sexual assault survivors.

· Be sure to reference the Talia Johnson case in your post.

· Finally, explain how you might evaluate the success of these policy changes.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

References

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Sessions: Johnson family (Episode 4 of 42) [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://class.waldenu.edu

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Johnson Family Episode 4
Program Transcript

Discussion 3: The Social Work Advocate in Politics

Social workers often have commitments to specific policies, laws, or funding of programs that are vital to the population they serve or an issue that they strongly support. Such commitments often lead social workers to become involved in political issues and the campaigns of specific candidates. Being a social worker, such campaign experiences, the outcomes of your efforts, and how effective you felt you were may affect your view of the political process and the likelihood of becoming involved in similar campaigns in the future.

For this Discussion, reflect on your experiences if you have ever participated in a political campaign. What was the outcome of your participation? If you have not participated in a campaign, choose a campaign topic you support or oppose and consider the ways you might like to participate in that campaign. Likewise, think about your experiences if you have ever lobbied on a topic. If you have not, choose a topic for which you might like to lobby in favor or against. Finally, consider how you think social workers might have a powerful and positive effect as elected officials.

· Post an explanation of the role of lobbying and campaigning in social work practice.

· Then, explain how you think social workers might have a powerful and positive effect as elected officials.

· Finally, explain of the impact, if any, the experiences and opinions of your colleagues have had on your own experiences and opinions.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

References

Rome, S., Harris, S., & Hoechstetter, S. (2010). Social work and civic engagement: The political participation of professional social workers. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 37(3), 107-129.

Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2015). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

DISCUSSION 4: Systems Perspective and Social Change

Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2016) stated, "Clients are affected by and in constant dynamic interactions with other systems, including families, groups, organizations, and communities" (p. 35-36). As a social worker, when you address the needs of an individual client, you also take into account the systems with which the client interacts. Obtaining information about these systems helps you better assess your client's situation. These systems may provide support to the client, or they may contribute to the client's presenting problem.

For this Discussion, review "Working With People With Disabilities: The Case of Lester."Consider the systems with which Lester Johnson, the client, interacts. Think about ways you might apply a systems perspective to his case. Also, consider the significance of the systems perspective for social work in general.

· Post a Discussion in which you explain how multiple systems interact to impact individuals.

· Explain how you, as a social worker, might apply a systems perspective to your work with Lester Johnson.

· Finally, explain how you might apply a systems perspective to social work practice.

Be sure to support your posts with specific references to the resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.
References

Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Working With Clients With Disabilities: The Case of Lester