RE: SOCW6361 - Discussion - Policy Process and Public Opinion (WK3)

User Generated

znznornefpbhcbaf

Humanities

Description

Managing public opinion and understanding the balance between its influence and your advocacy goals is a delicate matter. It is a task fraught with uncertainty because, as a policy advocate, you must navigate through the territory of politicians, bureaucrats, and lobbyists whose primary goals are to appease and please their constituents.

In this Discussion, you select a social problem that is of interest to you and identify how public opinion influences the process and political approaches involved in addressing that social problem.

To prepare: Refer to your Week 2 Small Group Discussion Forum for ideas.

  • Post a description of the importance of public opinion in addressing the social problem you have selected.
  • How does public opinion influence political approaches to the problem? Explain.
  • What policy advocacy approaches and skills can you use to address the problem with political leaders?
  • What are the social justice implications of your approach?

Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week's resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide (3) full APA-formatted citations for your references. I have included the assignment from week 2 for your review.

Unformatted Attachment Preview

SOCW6361 Week Two Discussion Discussion 1: Policies and Social Problems Post the policy at an agency or organization with which you are familiar. Describe the organization, the policy, and the social problem it addresses. At Behavioral Health Systems in Maryland, the mission is to develop, implement and align resources, programs and policies that support the behavioral health and wellness of individuals, families and communities. The agency provides mental health services for the city of Baltimore. One policy at the agency is to embrace diversity and to provide all clients with equal access to care despite their race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual preference, disability, or any other characteristic (Behavioral Health Systems, 2018). Social workers must be committed to promoting laws and supporting the values of every client at the agency, but they must also be self-aware and committed to understanding the client’s cultural differences (Bender et al., 2010). Many clients lead lives that may not align to the values of the social worker. The policy is to embrace diversity. One vulnerable population that benefits from the policy is members of the LGBT community. The LGBT community is a vulnerable, marginalized community requiring access to unbiased care. The company requires every worker to take a training course to learn about each of the different groups of clients that are served to ensure the social worker can practice with compassion and without bias. The social problem it addresses is access for diverse populations to mental health services. Behavioral Health Systems provides services to all populations. Citizens from all backgrounds have access to mental health and substance abuse services based on what they are able to pay. Behavioral Health Systems. (2018). Out Mission. Retrieved September 3, 2018 from http://www.bhsbaltimore.org/about-bhsb/our-mission/ Bender, K. et al. (2010). Exploring the Relationship between Self-Awareness and Student Commitment and Understanding of Culturally Responsive Social Work Practice. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 19(1), 34–53. Discussion 2: Small Group Discussion: Community Work and Collaborations Describe your experience working in groups or as a team. Working in teams can be both fulfilling and frustrating. Some team members were motivated and had the same sense of urgency to accomplish goals while other team members preferred a slower more meticulous approach. Th different styles for reaching goals can be frustrating, but with good leaderships and communication most team problems were easily resolved. I have also been in teams where there was a high degree of conflict which has made it more difficult for the team to reach goals. Explain the importance of collaborating with different groups and building coalitions in order to advocate for community and policy change. Social workers do not only provide assistance to the individual client, they help support change at the macro level. to initiate change for the wider community, the social worker must be able to collaborate with other stakeholders to affect positive, social change. Collaboration is necessary because it unifies different groups in society who can help affect positive change. Collaboration is effective teamwork, professional cooperation, and the enhancement of existing collaborative relationships such as worker-to-client, worker-to-colleague, worker-to-agency, agency-to-agency, and worker/agency-to-community/ society, to create social change (Soska et al., 2018). If these groups do not collaborate, change will be impossible. Thinking about the wiki project you will do during this course: List one strength you will bring to your group. I have a sense of urgency. When goals are set, I am motivated to complete tasks and meet team goals. My willingness to provide work on time and to support the efforts of the rest of the team will support collaboration and communication. I act promptly, decisively, and without delay. The team and team goals will always be a priority. Describe a potential difficulty that may occur within the group and explain a strategy you will recommend to your group to address that difficulty. I tend to get impatient when other members of the team fail to do their part. This causes delays which will negatively impacts the clients we serve. To ensure all team members are on the same page, there must be effective communication. Creating a communication plan will help alleviate any miscommunications and guide efforts to make a positive social change (Obregón & Tufte, 2017). Without clear direction, there will be delays and the team’s ability to collaborate will be les effective. Obregón, R. & Tufte, T. (2017). Communication, Social Movements, and Collective Action: Toward a New Research Agenda in Communication for Development and Social Change. Journal of Communication, 67(5), 635–645 Soska, T. et al. (2018). Community, Organization, and Social Action: Reframing Macro Practice for Action. Journal of Community Practice, 24(2), 119-122
Purchase answer to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

...


Anonymous
Great study resource, helped me a lot.

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Similar Content

Related Tags