Topic: Homelessness Among Teenagers

Mental Health Nursing

Social Justice Paper Criteria/guidelines

You are to choose one issue connected with social justice issues in mental health and present the topic to the professor for approval. In the issue paper, you are to state the issue, and in light of your research (using books, articles, interviews, internet resources, and artifacts of practice) discuss it in the context of society and the psychiatric consumer and in the context of psychiatric mental health nursing practice.

Your issue paper should answer the following seven questions:

• What is the scope of the social justice issue?
• What is the current situation?
• What are the societal impacts and consequences of the issue if it is not addressed?
• What long term changes must be made to improve and/or eliminate the situation?
• What current actions can be taken to lessen immediate impacts?
• What programmatic or corrective actions could produce these changes?
• Who else is addressing this issue in your organization? Why or If no one else is addressing it, Why not?

The paper will be evaluated according to its focus, coherence, depth, discernment, evaluation of different points of view, relevance, use of sources, and written quality. It should not be a mere report on the subject matter, such as one might be able to find in an encyclopedia, but rather demonstrate assimilation of and critical engagement with the issue as it relates to the conditions of social justice.

The paper will be 4 to 5 pages and must be accompanied by a bibliography of references in standard APA format, an application appendix and other appendices as necessary.

The final form of your issue paper will contain five basic elements in this order:

1. Title Page
2. Outline Page
3. Text of the Paper
4. Bibliography
5. Application Appendix

Constructing a Working Outline:

Based on your working thesis, list the primary reasons the thesis is true. These ideas may come from your own thoughts and observations and must be supported by the research conducted in step 2.

It is not enough to simply assert an issue. Place supporting evidence and reasons that the issue is connected to social justice under the appropriate primary reasons. Here is the basic format of an outline.

Example:

1. Working Thesis
2. First Primary Reason
2.1 First Supporting Reason
2.1.1 Reason, Evidence, or Example
2.1.2 Reason, Evidence, or Example
2.2 Second Supporting Reason
2.2.1 Reason, Evidence, or Example
3. Second Primary Reason
3.1 First Supporting Reason
3.1.1 Reason, Evidence, or Example
3.1.2 Reason, Evidence, or Example
4. Conclusion

Of course your actual outline may have more than two primary reasons and the number of supporting reasons and evidence will vary. Normally the outline will change during the course of writing your paper. Sometimes you will discover have to develop a more nuanced way of phrasing your thesis. This is to be expected.