Getting Started: During This Course, You Will Conduct A Poli

Getting Started during This Course You Will Conduct A Policy Analysis

During this course, you will conduct a policy analysis related to social welfare. The policy analysis will have five sections. You will create your project incrementally throughout the course in Workshops Two through Seven. Each week, you will complete one section of the analysis and submit a piece of the whole so you can receive feedback from your instructor and improve your work before your final submission in Workshop Seven. As a social worker, you will be expected to demonstrate character, leadership, and scholarship in the arena of policy and its use in clinical practice.

Character is the product of constant action, striving daily to make the right choices. Through your work of advocacy toward policy reform, you are demonstrating such qualities as responsibility, fairness, and caring, and proving by example that you value character. Scholarship means a commitment to learning. Applying diligence and effort toward learning about policy and advocacy as a social worker can impact your practice positively as a professional. Leadership at your agency means having a positive influence on your colleagues.

In taking the initiative to learn about and advocate for policy reform, you can encourage others to attain the same objective, thus positively affecting your clients and your work toward social justice. Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to: identify social policies at the local, state, and federal levels that impact well-being, service delivery, and access to social services; assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services; analyze policies with regard to the advancement of human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice; and demonstrate character, scholarship, and leadership in becoming a world changer through application to personal life and professional social work practice.

Additionally, you will demonstrate Christ-like attitudes, values, worldviews, and ethical and professional behavior within advanced clinical practice.

Resources

  • File: Final Project.pdf (in the Shared Documents)
  • File: APA 6e Guide.pdf
  • File: APA Template for Assignments.docx

Background Information

In this assignment, you will write: Policy Analysis—Section 5: Recommendations. You will provide proposed solutions to increase social justice related to this issue/policy and then submit your final project with all five sections. You will be submitting this both for instructor and peer review.

Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade. Review the Final Project file for a description of the section you will write for this assignment. Review the IWU APA 6e Guide on how to cite sources properly. Complete the last section of your policy analysis using the APA Template for Assignments.docx file. Include three possible solutions to the issue, identifying which would lead to the highest level of social justice. Consider whether your chosen solution would be one that leads to the highest social justice or one that is more easily adopted or implemented despite offering less social justice.

Before finalizing your work, ensure that your document adheres to the following formatting requirements: 12-point, double-spaced Times New Roman font; one-inch margins on all sides; normal character spacing; proper APA formatting for citations, title page, and reference page; and correctly formatted headings. Review your assignment carefully, utilize spelling and grammar checks, and revisit APA guidelines for proper citation and formatting. Use the rubric as a self-assessment to make improvements before submission. Save a copy for your records and submit your final project via the assignment submission page by the end of the workshop.

Paper For Above instruction

In this paper, I will analyze a social policy pertinent to social welfare and develop strategic recommendations aimed at promoting social justice. The chosen policy pertains to access to mental health services for underserved populations, a critical issue that impacts health outcomes, social equity, and human rights.

The first step in analyzing this policy involves understanding its current provisions and implications. Despite the importance of mental health care, underserved groups—including low-income families, minorities, and rural populations—often face considerable barriers to accessing appropriate services. These barriers include limited availability of mental health providers, high costs, stigma, and geographic isolation, which exacerbate health disparities and hinder societal well-being. Recognizing these challenges is essential for proposing targeted solutions that foster a more equitable mental health system.

Based on this understanding, I propose three potential solutions to enhance access and promote social justice in mental healthcare. First, expanding federal and state funding for community mental health clinics would increase service capacity and reach underserved populations directly. This solution aims to eliminate geographical and financial barriers and is likely to have the most significant impact on social justice, as it directly addresses disparities.

Second, implementing school-based mental health programs nationwide would integrate mental health services into educational settings, ensuring early intervention and reducing stigma. While this approach promotes social justice by reaching children early, its implementation may face logistical challenges related to funding and resource allocation.

Third, leveraging telehealth technology to deliver mental health services can overcome transportation barriers, especially in rural areas. Telehealth has the advantage of rapid deployment and cost-effectiveness but may be limited by technology access gaps, potentially perpetuating inequalities if not carefully managed.

Among these options, expanding funding for community mental health clinics appears to lead to the highest level of social justice because it systematically targets structural barriers faced by marginalized populations and offers sustainable, wide-reaching benefits. Although implementing telehealth or school programs might be more feasible in certain contexts, they may not fully address the depth of inequities that expansion of community clinics can penetrate.

This analysis underscores the importance of strategic investment and policy reform in mental health to uphold human rights, reduce disparities, and promote social justice. Policies must prioritize equitable resource distribution, reduce stigma, and incorporate community participation to create sustainable change. As social workers, advocating for such comprehensive reforms aligns with our professional values and commitment to justice, equity, and human dignity.

References

  • Alakeson, V., Frank, R., & Lemley, T. (2018). The promise and pitfalls of telepsychiatry. Psychiatric Services, 69(10), 1134-1136.
  • National Institute of Mental Health. (2020). Mental health care disparities. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-care-disparities
  • Office of Minority Health. (2019). Mental health: Culture, race, and ethnicity. https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=4&lvlid=18
  • Reisner, S. L., et al. (2019). Advancing health equity for transgender populations: Policy strategies and opportunities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(Supplement 2), S133–S137.
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2021). Behavioral health services in rural areas. https://www.samhsa.gov/rural-areas
  • Thomas, K., & Morales, E. (2020). Addressing disparities in mental health services. Journal of Social Work, 20(3), 251-262.
  • World Health Organization. (2018). Mental health: Strengthening mental health promotion. https://www.who.int/mental_health/en/
  • Yehia, B., et al. (2021). Telehealth access and disparities during COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine and e-Health, 27(4), 384-387.
  • Zhang, J., et al. (2017). Community-based mental health initiatives: Lessons learned. Global Mental Health, 4, e8.
  • American Psychological Association. (2020). Ethical considerations in mental health policy advocacy. APA Policy Guide.

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