SOCW 6351: Social Policy, Welfare, and Change Week 8 Respond by 10/22/2021 to at least two colleagues who selected a

SOCW 6351: Social Policy, Welfare, and Change Week 8

Respond by 10/22/2021 to at least two colleagues who selected a different position from the one you selected by suggesting how the policy initiative can be achieved. Be sure to identify any challenges or obstacles you see in passing and implementing the initiative.

Support your response with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Discussion  Colleagues Response  1 

Leann Kaufman 

RE: Discussion – Week 8

Top of Form

The social work profession enjoys a long history of the child welfare system to support families and children’s victims of neglect and abuse. Literature research indicates that radical, poor, and ethnic minority families and children are disproportionally libelled, mandated, and reported in child welfare systems (Freelander et al., 2018). The social work system understands working with children as operating with the entire family and environmental factors. Unfortunately, social workers have an increased caseload and administrative caseload with low pay compared to the other professions. Recommendations on NASW policy involve allocating increased resources to help children facing community-based abuse prevention roles by fully funding and re-authorizing the Child Abuse Prevention Act. The policy that exists in Washington State supports innovation in protective services of children and conducts research, technical assistance, data collection, and program evaluations.

The Child Abuse Prevention Act aims to provide financial assistance for programs demonstration to identify, prevent and treat child neglect and abuse to create a national center on child abuse (Fahrudin et al., 2016). The program recognizes the role played by the federal government in supporting evaluation, research, and technical assistance as the law contains reporting and processes for eligibility. A policy initiative to further the position is promoting professional child protection involvement by providing incentives for students to peruse welfare work through educational leave and loan forgiveness. The improvement of the system requires social workers to receive adequate salaries, manageable caseloads, appropriate training to truly reform the system (Guerrini, 2016). The existing policies in my State focus on programs serving families and children, like the temporary assistance for the needy families through maternal, infant, and early childhood, maternal and child health services, and head starts offering child mistreatment services.

References

Fahrudin, A., Yusuf, H., & Malek, M. D. H. (2016). Child Abuse and Neglect: Psychological Impact and Role of Social Work. International Journal of Social Work, 3(1), 65-75.

Freeland, M., Easterling, T., Reiner, K., & Amidon, C. (2018). Prevention and Treatment of Child Maltreatment–The Role of the School Nurse. Position Statement. National Association of School Nurses.

Guerrini, F. (2016). » Dangerous Spaces–Endangered Youth. Considering Urban Space as a Relevant Dimension in Researching the History of Residential Care in Post-war Innsbruck «. Christina Antenhofer et al. (Hg.), Cities as Multiple Landscapes. Investigating the Sister Cities Innsbruck and New Orleans, Frankfurt/New York: campus, 495-512.

Discussion Colleagues Response 2Bottom of Form

Colin Roe 

RE: Discussion – Week 8

Top of Form

I have chosen to explore the position “Family-centered residential treatment programs for substance-abusing parents should be available to facilitate opportunities to help parents and children maintain the parent-child bond.” (NASW. 2009). As a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor in the state of Arkansas, this is an area of service which is grossly under-represented. In fact, I have no knowledge of any family-centered residential substance abuse treatment facilities in the state. After some digging online and consulting with both of my clinical directors, we decided it was reasonable to claim there is no such service in the state.

If I was going to introduce an initiative, it would be to actually make these facilities available. There are several facilities throughout the state offering inpatient substance abuse treatment. However, none of them offer a family-centered experience. I would like to advocate for programs that foster family preservation and give families the opportunity to get sober together while also supporting development of a parent-child bond.

In the state of Arkansas, there is a law called Garrett’s Law. Garrett’s Law allows for any newborn born with an illegal substance in their body due to the pregnant mother using substances while pregnant or development of a health problem due to the mother’s use to be removed from custody of the mother until a treatment plan can be completed by the mother (NCCD. 2019). I have had many clients whom have had their children removed because of Garrett’s Law. Unfortunately, I can only think of one client whom was successfully reunited with their child. I think this is, in part, due to lack of support provided to the parents. From my experience, the mother will be given a treatment plan with expectations and sent home. I believe development of inpatient programs that are family-centered and allow the mother to still have access to her baby while in treatment would potentially increase changes for successful treatment and still allow for development of a mother-child bond.

References

NASW. (2009). Child Abuse and Neglect. Social work speaks. pp. 42-48. Washington, DC: NASW Press.

https://class.content.laureate.net/d09fd3d2f4878627f4c16f048fc1c11d.pdf

NCCD Children’s Research Center. (September 2019). Summary of Garrett’s Law Referrals for

SFY 2019. Arkansas Department of Human Services Division of Children and Family Services.

https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Calendars/Attachment?committee=860&agenda=3076&file=Exhibit+E1+-+Garrett%27s+Law+Summary+-+SFY+2019.pdf

Follow Rubric Bottom of Form

Responsiveness to Directions

8.1 (27%) – 9 (30%)

Discussion posting fully addresses all instruction prompts, including responding to the required number of peer posts.

Discussion Posting Content

8.1 (27%) – 9 (30%)

Discussion posting demonstrates an excellent understanding of all of the concepts and key points presented in the text(s) and Learning Resources. Posting provides significant detail including multiple relevant examples, evidence from the readings and other scholarly sources, and discerning ideas.

Peer Feedback and Interaction

6.75 (22.5%) – 7.5 (25%)

The feedback postings and responses to questions are excellent and fully contribute to the quality of interaction by offering constructive critique, suggestions, in-depth questions, additional resources, and stimulating thoughts and/or probes.

Writing

4.05 (13.5%) – 4.5 (15%)

Postings are well organized, use scholarly tone, contain original writing and proper paraphrasing, follow APA style, contain very few or no writing and/or spelling errors, and are fully consistent with graduate level writing style.