SWK 410 Policy Analysis Paper

SWK 410: Policy Analysis Paper

Students will choose a social problem, conduct an analysis on the issue which includes related policies and then create of a new policy or revise a current or past policy.

• The paper is worth 90 points.
• You are also to create PowerPoint on your policy to submit on DB 8.1 which is worth 10 points.
• Assignment is worth 100 points total.
• Papers must be typewritten, double-spaced and follow APA formatting.
• There should be a total of AT LEAST EIGHT (8) sources for the paper, with four (4) of those being peer-reviewed articles. Additional resources may include books, websites and government documents. Seek quality resources; generally .gov and .org are reputable. Do not cite Wikipedia, however the references provided at the bottom of the Wikipedia page are allowed.
• APA style and strength of sources, editing, formatting, writing style (grammar, sentence structure, flow of paper) and accurate citing of references will be considered in the grading process.

Suggestion: Use APA style Headings and sub-headings to help organize your paper and your writing. However, this does not mean you can copy/pasting the outline provide below and answer each section in some sort of question/answer format. This is an academic paper.

 Presentation

PowerPoint presentation should be 5 slides as follows:

Slide 1: Describe the social problem your policy is addressing

Slide 2: Provide a brief description of the policy proposal

Slide 3: Identify the theory that relates your problem/proposal

Slide 4: The Decision-Making Matrix

Slide 5: Explain how your policy advances human rights/social work values

Policy Analysis Paper

Paper should be 7-11 pages not including Title and Reference pages.

Outline Provided on the following pages.

SWK 410 Policy Analysis Paper

Outline for the Paper

1. Title page in correct APA format 5 points for APA Formatting including Title page, Reference page and citations with additional 10 points for writing quality

2. Problem background (3-4 pages)
   1. Scope of the problem—factual statements on the extent of the problem in the past, current, or future 5 points
   2. Past policies—key legislation and milestones including significant policy and funding shifts, major studies, and so forth 5 points
   3. Current policies—summary of current policies in the form of legislation, programs, and funding 5 points
   4. Key organizations/individuals—contacts for public and private organizations and key individuals Who would contact for support and how would you respond to critics 2 points
   5. Write a compelling rationale for a new or revised policy 3 points

3. The Proposal (4 -7 pages)
   1. Establish clear objectives, such as whether you wish to prevent a problem from emerging or address a problem or both (minimum 1 paragraph) 3 points

1. Intended outcomes that link proposed benefits or services with specific positive outcomes such as: (minimum 1 paragraph) 3 points

Below are examples of intended outcomes. This is not an exhaustive list. Your proposal may or may not have outcomes listed below. This list is just possible outcomes.

1. Improved mental health and health outcomes
2. Improved employment outcomes

• Improved income outcomes

1. Improved educational outcomes
2. Efficiency outcomes (reducing costs of existing programs that you will replace or revise with your proposed intervention)
3. Value-based outcomes including reducing inequality and advancing social justice

• Prevention of specific social problems due to the proposed intervention
• A combination of these or other outcomes

1. Characteristics of the target groups your policy brief is designed to help: (½ to 1 page) 5 points

This is a list of possible examples of target audience characteristics your policy may include. It is not an exhaustive list.

1. Their income levels
2. Their personal characteristics including ethnicity, race, and gender; sexual orientation; and age

• Place of residence (e.g., urban, rural, suburban)

1. Life experience, such as incarcerated persons, persons just released from prison, specific levels of students, and single parents
2. Place of residence by type of community, such as urban or rural areas, areas with specific populations such as low-income or mixed-income ones
3. A combination of several or more of these and other characteristics

SWK 410 Policy Analysis Paper

Also, include projected size of target group (1/2 to 1 page)

• Eligibility criteria such as income or age
• Number of proposed recipients

1. Discuss how the target group will be identified and brought into the intervention
2. Length of proposed services, such as relatively brief or longer interventions (1 paragraph) 3 points
3. Characteristics of proposed interventions (½ to 1 page) 6 points

Below are some examples of characteristics of interventions. Your proposal may include such characteristics, or it may not. This is not an exhaustive list.

1. Social services
2. Provision of resources

• Educational intervention

1. Mentoring
2. Navigational interventions
3. Medical services

• Other intervention
• Combinations of two or more interventions (e.g., tuition support college plus social services plus mentoring)

1. Specify a theory or theories drawn from social science, medical, economics, psychological, and other disciplines that are related to your proposal either through the reason for the problem you are addressing, your chosen interventions or your expectations for a successful outcome. (1/2 to 1 page)        10 points
2. Create a Decision-Making Matrix: Choose four (4) policy options related to your proposal as depicted in Table 8.3. These may include program feature, funding channel, staffing, financing mechanism, community factors, monitoring or any relevant aspect of your proposal. The matrix table should be designed per APA formatting. You may use quantitative or qualitative ratings. 10 points
3. Implementation of your policy: Identify key milestones in the policy brief such as a start-up phase, a phase when initial staff and facilities will be obtained, a period when key interventions will be initiated, and a period when services will be evaluated. (1/2-1 page) 5 points
4. Specify the proposed funding strategy (Government, Grants, Donations, Self-Sustaining, Fees) (1/2 to 1 page) 5 points
5. Explain how your policy advances human rights or social work values in the area of social, economic or environmental justice (minimum 1 paragraph) 5 points
6. Reference page(s)

SWK 410 Policy Analysis Paper

Remember to cite all information that is beyond common knowledge, even if it is a fact you know from your own experience. Once you begin writing about your policy, which is your own original ideas, citing is not necessary unless you refer to an outside fact that will then need to be cited.

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