Readings

• 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].

o "SocialWork Policy: Benefit Administration and Provision" (pp. 75-76)

o "Working with Immigrants and Refugees: The Case of Luisa" (pp. 79-80)

• 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.

o Chapter 3, "SocialWelfare Policy Analysis" (pp. 35-55)

o Chapter 5, "Social/Economic Analysis" (pp. 77-96)

• Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2011). Policy basics: Introduction to the federal budget process.

Application: Analyzing Social Problems and Social Policy

For this Assignment, you will identify a problem that affects populations that social workers serve. Some examples of social problems include poverty, childe welfare/abuse, and homelessness.

Assignment (a maximum of 4 double-spaced pages in APA format): In addition to a minimum of six scholarly references, which may include electronic government documents and reputable websites, your paper should include:

• A description of the social problem your group selected and any known causes or explanations for the problem

• A description of the problem's prevalence in society

• A description of the specific population impacted by this social problem, if any. If the social problem selected does affect a specific population, include an explanation of why that might be the case.

• An explanation of the theories that support the problem and approaches scholars and policy analysts use to address the problem.