SWRK 2001H Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Kathleen Wynne, Toronto Star, Tracy Maccharles
28 Jun 2018
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SWRK2001H: Foundations of Social Work 1
Wednesday, November 15th, 2017
Lecture 9 – Policy as Resistance
Social Policy
-Formally recog nize d outline of goals and how to achiev e the m
-Laws and regula tion s that gover n social service s
-Helps social servic e agen cie s to mak e decisions about allocation of resourc es
-Social work primarily plays a role in social policy for margin aliz e d or vulner a bl e popula tion s
-Policy impactin g social work is often at the gover n m e n t , health or welfare level
-Social policy gover n s 3 types of resourc e s:
oMoneta ry ben efits: such as Canad a' s social safety net and other forms of social welfare
oServices; such as social case w ork services – who is eligible, what is the ext ent of service availab
oRegulatio n s : rules that must be abide d by in social service s , such as the duty to report, accr e dit a
requir e m e n t s , occup a tio n al health and safety, workplac e violenc e, etc.
Policy Practice
-"design, imple m e n t a tio n , evalu a tion or refor m of policies"
-can be a sp ecialization or simply part of the work
-involve m e n t of the com m u n it y is crucial
-social workers can act as a bridge betw e e n the policy mak e r s and the com mu nity
Why Get Involved in Policy?
-Social policies deter min e wha t we do, what we cannot do and the resourc e s available to SU's
-There is a sep ara tion betwe e n "on the ground" workers and policy maker s
-We need to stand up when we se e that a policy does not me e t the need s of the com mu nity
-We are involve d in interpr e tin g policy, which has a direct impact on SU's
-This is a major step in addre ssi n g macro issue s in SU's lives
Phases of Policy Development
Problem identification analyzing the policy environment placing an issue on the agenda participating in policy development
implementing policies evaluating policy outcomes repeat
Problem Identification
-Are “life proble m s ” of SUs a social concern?
-What is the scope of the problem?
-How are citizens impacted by the problem
-How does the social environment impact the problem?
-Involve SUs in the process
-Assess the dynamics of the target population and the impact of the proposed policy
oCensus data
oGovernment reports and social service reports
oHealth and welfare reports
oAgency records, case studies, participatory action research
It's Never Okay: Problem Identification
-“Although we know that sexual violence often goes unreported, research indicates that there are 460,000 sexual
assaults in Canada each year. For every 1000 sexual assaults, only 33 are ever reported to the police; 12 result in
charges laid; only 6 are prosecuted and only 3 lead to a conviction” (p. 7)
-“Rape myths, attitudes and behaviours — so prevalent in our society — have had the effect of downplaying sexual
violence and harassment. These norms prevent people from seeking help or reporting an assault. They support a
rape culture, which has led to normalizing, even condoning, sexual violence and harassment” (p. 7)
-According to a 2013 global review of available data, 35% of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or
sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence (p. 7)
-“Sexual violence is about power and control, not sexual desire. It is an act of aggression against another person. It
is never the survivor’s fault. It is never okay” (p. 9)
Analyzing the Policy Environment
-Are ther e alre ad y existing policies to addr es s this issue?
-Did thes e policies succe e d or fail? How so?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Form ally recog niz e d outline of goals and how to achiev e the m. Laws and reg ul a tio n s tha t gover n social servic e s. Helps social servic e ag e n ci e s to mak e decision s abo u t alloc a tion of reso ur c e s. Social work prim a rily plays a role in social policy for mar gin aliz e d or vulner a bl e pop ula tio n s. Policy imp a c ti n g social work is ofte n at the gover n m e n t , he alt h or welfar e level. Social policies det e r mi n e wha t we do, wha t we can n o t do and the reso ur c e s availa bl e to su"s.
