As this course comes to a close, consider and reflect on how you can become a lifelong advocate for social change in your future social work practice.

 As this course comes to a close, consider and reflect on how you can become a lifelong advocate for social change in your future social work practice. As a motivated policy advocate and social worker, your actions in your chosen profession will reflect your motivation to help relatively powerless, disenfranchised groups of people improve their resources, their opportunities, and their quality of life.

In this Discussion, you reflect upon your responsibility as a social worker, politically and professionally.

Post( 2 to 3 pages) your thoughts on this question: As a social worker, what is your responsibility to engage in political action? Identify an area of social welfare where social work policy advocacy is needed.

Required Readings

SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.

Community Toolbox. (2016). Chapter 8 Section 6: Obtaining feedback from constituents: What change is feasible? Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/structure/strategic-planning/obtain-constituent-feedback/main 

Community Toolbox. (2016). 12. Evaluating the Initiative. Retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/evaluating-initiative 

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 14, “Assessing Policy: Toward Evidence-Based Policy During Task 8” (pp. 488-503)

Midgley, J., & Livermore, M. M. (Eds.) (2008). The handbook of social policy (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 33, “The Future of Social Policy” (pp. 557–569) (PDF)

English, D. J., Brummel, S., & Martens, P. (2009). Fatherhood in the child welfare system: Evaluation of a pilot project to improve father involvement. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 3(3), 213–234.

Swank, E. W. (2012). Predictors of political activism among social work students. Journal of Social Work Education,48(2), 245–266.

Required Media

TEDx Talks. (2016, May 12). Problem-oriented policing: Where social work meets law enforcement: Derrick Jackson. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK8glFZuQw8