Every part of a social worker’s job stems from social policy. The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers specifically calls upon social workers to ensure they have a voice in social policy decisions. Even those who work in direct practice have an ethical responsibility to communicate their experiences, and the experiences of their clients, to the people who make those decisions.
This video, the first in a six-part series, Policy Affects Practice, takes students back to 1996 and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act signed into law by President Clinton. Social workers are frequently not in agreement with many of the policies that have come from this law. Indeed, decisions are frequently made by people who are not social workers and who are not on the front lines witnessing the effects of these decisions. In viewing this video, students will explore the ramifications of this law in order to highlight how important they—the social work students—can be in creating social policy.
The first section of this video explores the “new federalism” and highlights why it is so important that social workers pay attention to social policies. The second section is a primer on the legislative process and details how a student can influence it through a commitment to improving clients’ lives through legislative action.
How can the social work student be influential regarding policy? How can they advocate for their clients and make sure their voices are heard? The final section of the video is a call to action that includes a list of projects or activities that social work students, faculty, and others could initiate in order to influence state policy and legislation.
