Social Policy, Welfare, and Change WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT: POLICY PAPER
WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT
Social Policy, Welfare, and Change
POLICY PAPER
Think back to your passion and reason for pursuing social work. In Week 3, you used that as the basis for a deep dive into a social problem or issue and a related policy analysis. This week, you bring these threads together in a policy paper. The goal of a policy analysis such as this is to analyze as many facets of an issue as possible and existing policy for the goals of either improving policy or innovating with new policy. From this process, you develop the reasons and rationale for pursuing change.
TO PREPARE
Refer to your Week 3 Assignment and the feedback you received to apply to this Assignment. Note: You should not use your Week 3 Assignment verbatim, but you can draw upon what you established there to develop further for some aspects of this paper.
Refer to the Social Welfare Policy: Search Tips site listed in the Learning Resources for strategies for finding additional research. Also note that reputable non-profits and other organizations, some of which you will find throughout the Learning Resources in this course, can be good sources.
Submit a 5- to 7-page paper that addresses the following:
The social problem/issue
• Identify a social problem/issue you would like to address.
• Describe the context—historical and/or contemporary—of society’s perception and approach to this social problem/issue.
• What current research (including facts and statistics) supports the need to address the social problem/issue?
The policy
• Identify a specific policy that addresses the selected social problem/issue.
• Describe the historical context of the policy.
o Briefly provide enough detail about the social, economic, and political circumstances that inspired action.
o Include reputable references/resources to support current updates, implementation, and/or changes related to the policy.
The population and programs
• Identify the population served by the policy.
• What qualifies a client for inclusion in the policy?
• What successful or widely accepted programs have come out of the policy?
In practice
• What role(s) do social workers play in the success of the program?
• Does the policy work in practice as intended? Why or why not?
• Does the policy achieve its goals?
Social change
• Does the policy contribute to social justice? How? If not, explain how or why it does not contribute to social justice.
• Identify opportunities for improvement in the policy.
• Explain how you would go about improving the policy.
Sources
• You must reference a minimum of eight scholarly references, which may include electronic government documents and reputable websites.
• Your reference list should appear on a separate page, and it is not included in the 5- to 8-page requirement.
RESOURCES FOR THE ASSIGNMENT
READINGS
• Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
o Chapter 12, “Politics and Social Welfare Policy” (pp. 268–284)
• National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social WorkersLinks to an external site.. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.aspx
• Walden University Library. (n.d.) Social welfare policy: Search tipsLinks to an external site.. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/socialwelfarepolicy/searchtips
THIS IS THE WEEK THREE ASSIGNEMTS AND COMMENTS JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE
POLICY PAPER IDENTIFICATION
Social workers are central in solving social issues that affect vulnerable and underserved groups. One of the social problems of focus among providers is substance use among the military veterans, a population that faces unique stressors associated with deployment, trauma, reintegration difficulties, and physical and mental health challenges associated with the service. Due to the social justice and the well-being that the professionals uphold, there is a strong interest in enhancing access to comprehensive, equitable, and evidence-based treatment of substance use among veterans. This paper discusses the problem, goals to address that problem, policy in place, gaps in policy implementation, and finally how a social worker can help in policy advocacy and reform.
Identification of the Social Problem
Drug use among the veterans remains a critical and complex social issue. Veterans face various challenges including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, chronic pain, and trauma brain injury, making them susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse (Rachal et al., 2023). Opioid abuse in veterans has been of concern because of combat-related injuries and long-term pain management problems. This is complicated by other barriers such as stigma, lack of access to care, and poor coordination between Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the community-based programs. According to Popple and Leighninger (2019), social problems should be perceived in the context of their structure, economics, and politics, and therefore substance use among the veterans should be an evident focus of the policy analysis and interventions.
Goals for Addressing the Problem
The first goal to address substance use in veterans is to increase access to integrated mental health and substance use treatment. Most veterans have co-occurring conditions like PTSD, depression, and chronic pain, and coordinated and trauma-informed care is essential. The services in both VA and community environments can be expanded so that the comprehensive care is provided in a timely manner without long queues and limited eligibility criteria. Second, prevention and early intervention should be reinforced to mitigate the increment of substance use. This includes increased screening, outreach, and education of veterans especially those at greater risk because of PTSD, chronic pain or history of substance use. These objectives signify the focus of Popple and Leighninger (2019) on connecting the needs of people with the systemic strategies that foster the long-term social change.
Existing Policy Addressing the Problem
The VA Mission Act of 2018 is one of the most important policies that focus on substance use among the veterans. It expands access to healthcare enabling the veteran to obtain services, such as substance use treatment, provided by community-based providers in case VA services are unavailable (Sprong et al., 2024). The policy will enhance access, decrease excessive wait times and boost the availability of providers by enhancing community partnerships. Besides this act, VA has specific programs like Veterans Justice Outreach program, Substance Use Disorder Clinical Practice Guidelines and residential rehabilitation treatment programs that aim at assisting veterans with substance use problems.
Gap in Policy Implementation
The VA Mission Act still has significant gaps in providing the necessary service of substance use treatment to the veterans. One of the significant weaknesses is lack of trained community providers, in particular rural and underserved areas where the number of clinicians with training in behavioral health needs of veterans is minimal (Boscarino et al., 2020). It implies that increased eligibility may not necessarily be converted into actual access. The care coordination does not also seem to be seamless since veterans tend to report inconsistencies in the treatment strategies, medication adherence, and follow-up during the transfer between the VA and community systems (Sprong et al., 2024). The resultant stigma of substance use, as well as the apprehensions of losing disability benefits, only compounds the lack of motivation to help many veterans. Besides, the policy favors treatment over prevention, which leaves vulnerable at-risk veterans like those with chronic pain/PTSD without proper early intervention. These issues resonate with the argument of Popple and Leighninger (2019), who state that the results of the policies tend to be disappointing in the case when structural barriers are not addressed at a deeper level.
Role of the Social Worker in Addressing the Problem Through Policy
Social workers are essential in influencing the policies on substance use among veterans by working across the boundaries of advocacy, coordination, prevention, and evaluation. On the policy level, they may promote changes that would increase funding, improve rural service capacity, and conditions when it comes to integrating mental health and substance use treatment requirements. This may be through legislative testimony, association with veteran service organizations or joining national social work associations.
Social workers also contribute in enhancing coordination of care through identifying a lapse between VA and community systems and creating more clear referral pathways, shared care plans, and uniform follow-up procedures to aid continuity of care. Moreover, they are in a good position to increase preventive outreach, such as early screening, psychoeducation, and active engagement of veterans at high risk because of PTSD, chronic pain, or history of substance use. Popple and Leighninger (2019) states that social workers are capable of policy analysis, assessing the results of the program, and suggesting evidence-based changes.
Conclusion
Substance use among the veterans is a serious social concern that needs coordinated policy and practice measures towards it. Although the VA mission Act and its associated programs are aimed at enhancing access to treatment, there are still gaps in the provision capacity, coordination of care, and preventive outreach. Social workers as professionals have to advocate the improvement of the policy, integration of services, and early intervention as important measures to improve the situation in this complex issue.
References
Boscarino, J. J., Figley, C. R., Adams, R. E., Urosevich, T. G., Kirchner, H. L., & Boscarino, J. A. (2020). Mental health status in veterans residing in rural versus non-rural areas: results from the veterans’ health study. Military Medical Research, 7(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-00272-6
Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Pearson.
Rachal, J., Schrader, C. C., Schindler, A., & Ridpath, V. (2023). Substance and prescription misuse in military and veteran populations. Veteran and Military Mental Health: A Clinical Manual, 303-328. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-18009-5_17
Sprong, M. E., Tomlin, E., Blazer, S., Porcaro, C., Colby, S., Latham, L., … & Hollender, H. (2024). Utilization of the VA Healthcare system for veterans with and without substance use disorders: Resources for rehabilitation counselors. Journal of Rehabilitation, 89(4), 46-58. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edwin-Guzman-7/publication/381575081_Utilization_of_the_VA_Healthcare_System_for_Veterans_with_and_without_Substance_Use_Disorders_Resources_for_Rehabilitation_Counselors’/links/667483868408575b837bd697/Utilization-of-the-VA-Healthcare-System-for-Veterans-with-and-without-Substance-Use-Disorders-Resources-for-Rehabilitation-Counselors.pdf
WEEK 10 ASSIGNMENT
Social Policy, Welfare, and Change
POLICY PAPER
Think back to your passion and reason for pursuing social work. In Week 3, you used that as the basis for a deep dive into a social problem or issue and a related policy analysis. This week, you bring these threads together in a policy paper. The goal of a policy analysis such as this is to analyze as many facets of an issue as possible and existing policy for the goals of either improving policy or innovating with new policy. From this process, you develop the reasons and rationale for pursuing change.
TO PREPARE
Refer to your Week 3 Assignment and the feedback you received to apply to this Assignment. Note: You should not use your Week 3 Assignment verbatim, but you can draw upon what you established there to develop further for some aspects of this paper.
Refer to the Social Welfare Policy: Search Tips site listed in the Learning Resources for strategies for finding additional research. Also note that reputable non-profits and other organizations, some of which you will find throughout the Learning Resources in this course, can be good sources.
Submit a 5- to 7-page paper that addresses the following:
The social problem/issue
• Identify a social problem/issue you would like to address.
• Describe the context—historical and/or contemporary—of society’s perception and approach to this social problem/issue.
• What current research (including facts and statistics) supports the need to address the social problem/issue?
The policy
• Identify a specific policy that addresses the selected social problem/issue.
• Describe the historical context of the policy.
o Briefly provide enough detail about the social, economic, and political circumstances that inspired action.
o Include reputable references/resources to support current updates, implementation, and/or changes related to the policy.
The population and programs
• Identify the population served by the policy.
• What qualifies a client for inclusion in the policy?
• What successful or widely accepted programs have come out of the policy?
In practice
• What role(s) do social workers play in the success of the program?
• Does the policy work in practice as intended? Why or why not?
• Does the policy achieve its goals?
Social change
• Does the policy contribute to social justice? How? If not, explain how or why it does not contribute to social justice.
• Identify opportunities for improvement in the policy.
• Explain how you would go about improving the policy.
Sources
• You must reference a minimum of eight scholarly references, which may include electronic government documents and reputable websites.
• Your reference list should appear on a separate page, and it is not included in the 5- to 8-page requirement.
RESOURCES FOR THE ASSIGNMENT
READINGS
• Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
o Chapter 12, “Politics and Social Welfare Policy” (pp. 268–284)
• National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social WorkersLinks to an external site.. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.aspx
• Walden University Library. (n.d.) Social welfare policy: Search tipsLinks to an external site.. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/socialwelfarepolicy/searchtips
THIS IS THE WEEK THREE ASSIGNEMTS AND COMMENTS JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE
POLICY PAPER IDENTIFICATION
Social workers are central in solving social issues that affect vulnerable and underserved groups. One of the social problems of focus among providers is substance use among the military veterans, a population that faces unique stressors associated with deployment, trauma, reintegration difficulties, and physical and mental health challenges associated with the service. Due to the social justice and the well-being that the professionals uphold, there is a strong interest in enhancing access to comprehensive, equitable, and evidence-based treatment of substance use among veterans. This paper discusses the problem, goals to address that problem, policy in place, gaps in policy implementation, and finally how a social worker can help in policy advocacy and reform.
Identification of the Social Problem
Drug use among the veterans remains a critical and complex social issue. Veterans face various challenges including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, chronic pain, and trauma brain injury, making them susceptible to alcohol and drug abuse (Rachal et al., 2023). Opioid abuse in veterans has been of concern because of combat-related injuries and long-term pain management problems. This is complicated by other barriers such as stigma, lack of access to care, and poor coordination between Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the community-based programs. According to Popple and Leighninger (2019), social problems should be perceived in the context of their structure, economics, and politics, and therefore substance use among the veterans should be an evident focus of the policy analysis and interventions.
Goals for Addressing the Problem
The first goal to address substance use in veterans is to increase access to integrated mental health and substance use treatment. Most veterans have co-occurring conditions like PTSD, depression, and chronic pain, and coordinated and trauma-informed care is essential. The services in both VA and community environments can be expanded so that the comprehensive care is provided in a timely manner without long queues and limited eligibility criteria. Second, prevention and early intervention should be reinforced to mitigate the increment of substance use. This includes increased screening, outreach, and education of veterans especially those at greater risk because of PTSD, chronic pain or history of substance use. These objectives signify the focus of Popple and Leighninger (2019) on connecting the needs of people with the systemic strategies that foster the long-term social change.
Existing Policy Addressing the Problem
The VA Mission Act of 2018 is one of the most important policies that focus on substance use among the veterans. It expands access to healthcare enabling the veteran to obtain services, such as substance use treatment, provided by community-based providers in case VA services are unavailable (Sprong et al., 2024). The policy will enhance access, decrease excessive wait times and boost the availability of providers by enhancing community partnerships. Besides this act, VA has specific programs like Veterans Justice Outreach program, Substance Use Disorder Clinical Practice Guidelines and residential rehabilitation treatment programs that aim at assisting veterans with substance use problems.
Gap in Policy Implementation
The VA Mission Act still has significant gaps in providing the necessary service of substance use treatment to the veterans. One of the significant weaknesses is lack of trained community providers, in particular rural and underserved areas where the number of clinicians with training in behavioral health needs of veterans is minimal (Boscarino et al., 2020). It implies that increased eligibility may not necessarily be converted into actual access. The care coordination does not also seem to be seamless since veterans tend to report inconsistencies in the treatment strategies, medication adherence, and follow-up during the transfer between the VA and community systems (Sprong et al., 2024). The resultant stigma of substance use, as well as the apprehensions of losing disability benefits, only compounds the lack of motivation to help many veterans. Besides, the policy favors treatment over prevention, which leaves vulnerable at-risk veterans like those with chronic pain/PTSD without proper early intervention. These issues resonate with the argument of Popple and Leighninger (2019), who state that the results of the policies tend to be disappointing in the case when structural barriers are not addressed at a deeper level.
Role of the Social Worker in Addressing the Problem Through Policy
Social workers are essential in influencing the policies on substance use among veterans by working across the boundaries of advocacy, coordination, prevention, and evaluation. On the policy level, they may promote changes that would increase funding, improve rural service capacity, and conditions when it comes to integrating mental health and substance use treatment requirements. This may be through legislative testimony, association with veteran service organizations or joining national social work associations.
Social workers also contribute in enhancing coordination of care through identifying a lapse between VA and community systems and creating more clear referral pathways, shared care plans, and uniform follow-up procedures to aid continuity of care. Moreover, they are in a good position to increase preventive outreach, such as early screening, psychoeducation, and active engagement of veterans at high risk because of PTSD, chronic pain, or history of substance use. Popple and Leighninger (2019) states that social workers are capable of policy analysis, assessing the results of the program, and suggesting evidence-based changes.
Conclusion
Substance use among the veterans is a serious social concern that needs coordinated policy and practice measures towards it. Although the VA mission Act and its associated programs are aimed at enhancing access to treatment, there are still gaps in the provision capacity, coordination of care, and preventive outreach. Social workers as professionals have to advocate the improvement of the policy, integration of services, and early intervention as important measures to improve the situation in this complex issue.
References
Boscarino, J. J., Figley, C. R., Adams, R. E., Urosevich, T. G., Kirchner, H. L., & Boscarino, J. A. (2020). Mental health status in veterans residing in rural versus non-rural areas: results from the veterans’ health study. Military Medical Research, 7(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-020-00272-6
Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2019). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers (7th ed.). Pearson.
Rachal, J., Schrader, C. C., Schindler, A., & Ridpath, V. (2023). Substance and prescription misuse in military and veteran populations. Veteran and Military Mental Health: A Clinical Manual, 303-328. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-18009-5_17
Sprong, M. E., Tomlin, E., Blazer, S., Porcaro, C., Colby, S., Latham, L., … & Hollender, H. (2024). Utilization of the VA Healthcare system for veterans with and without substance use disorders: Resources for rehabilitation counselors. Journal of Rehabilitation, 89(4), 46-58. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edwin-Guzman-7/publication/381575081_Utilization_of_the_VA_Healthcare_System_for_Veterans_with_and_without_Substance_Use_Disorders_Resources_for_Rehabilitation_Counselors’/links/667483868408575b837bd697/Utilization-of-the-VA-Healthcare-System-for-Veterans-with-and-without-Substance-Use-Disorders-Resources-for-Rehabilitation-Counselors.pdf
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