Specific Policies

Question 1

Prepare: Prior to beginning this discussion, read Chapter 11 of Making Strategy Count in the Health and Human Services Sector and select a minimum of one scholarly article from the library addressing social and/or public policy issues related to a social challenge of interest addressed by human service organizations.

Reflect: Ultimately, human service organizations and policy are distinctly intertwined in a variety of ways. In this final discussion forum, you will examine the significance of social policy related to a particular challenge (e.g., poverty, child welfare, substance abuse, mental health, etc.) and determine components associated with successful health and human service delivery relationships.

Write: Summarize your scholarly article’s main points regarding the role that policy plays in your particular social challenge. After this, analyze how specific policies, Acts, legislation, etc. impact the effective delivery of services on multiple levels (ie., the individual, family, group, organization, and community). Lastly, discuss how human service organizations can champion effective social policies going forward, taking into consideration your understanding of what makes service delivery successful.

Question 2

Conduct some independent research and locate an article about a current event related to poverty that has affected your community.

Offer a 1-paragraph synopsis of the article. Then, in 1-2 pages, address the following:

Is this event something that is common in your community or more of an isolated incident? If it is something that is common in your community, what strategies would you suggest be implemented in your community to combat it? If it is a rare occurrence, why do you believe it happened? How would you advocate for your client if they were the victim in this situation?