Writing a proposal that functions as a focus of change is a significant part of being a social worker/policy advocate. This is your opportunity to use your advocacy skills to change and improve the lives of others.

In this Assignment, you write a proposal for some form of social advocacy that will seek to change a social, organizational, or legislative policy. The proposal may also involve advocacy for the amelioration of a social problem. The purpose of this assignment is to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan how you will advocate changing a social problem or policy that is of interest to you.

The policy practice/advocacy can take whatever form you wish and can be on any level: agency, community, state, or federal. You will submit a prospectus (4 pages) that describes the problem that is being addressed and the expected advocacy activities. You are expected to carry out the activities planned in this proposal and will present your actions and outcomes in the Week 10 Final Project assignment.

• Provide a brief synopsis of your social problem and identification of a policy that you submitted in Week 3.
• Describe the social problem or policy you would like to change, and the specific action you plan take to effect change.

Be specific when describing the social problem or policy you would like to change and address the following:

• If you selected a policy, when was the policy enacted, by whom, and for what reason?
• How are you going to work to change the policy/problem (i.e., plan for social advocacy)?
• How will your efforts address the policy/social problem described?
• Is continued policy practice/advocacy needed to make a long-term impact? Why or why not?

The prospectus will need to be well researched and written using APA guidelines. Data should come from at least five sources.

PLEASE USE APA 7 FORMATTING

Analyzing Social Problems

Tolulope I. Moses

Master of Social Work, Walden University

COURSE NAME: SOCW 6361

Dr Linda Samuel

March 2021

Homicide Rates in the United States, and the Implemented Policy

How homicide is incongruent with social work values/ethics

Homicide rates in the United States are reported to have been high since 1980. There has been a

slight decline since the year 2000. However, about sixteen thousand homicides are reported to have

occurred in the United States in 2013(Sipsma et al., 2017). Some recent studies show that the United States

homicide rate is 25 times that of its peer nations. As a result of this homicide concern, a social work

perspective on identifying, preventing, and addressing this issue is greatly important. The social work

values framework applies a violence prevention approach through using multidisciplinary data to handle

this concern. Moreover, social work provides for recognizing the risks, and developing protective factors

and preventive strategies.

Background and actions taken to address homicide.

A recent study, and from Federal Bureau of Investigation data, illustrate that a higher rate of

homicide nationwide has been recorded over the past three decades. In 2015, approximately thirty-six

thousand people were reported to have died due to this homicide rate; this is about seventeen percent of all

injury-related deaths recorded in that same year. Although the homicide rates are high in the United States,

about two-thirds of these cases are estimated to be victims of firearm violence; therefore, this has created

an abiding concern on gun violence. Nonetheless, as a result of research findings, the government greatly

assisted the poor as this proved to reduce the homicide rates significantly. Much of these researches were

conducted more than twenty-five years ago. However, given the current homicide rates showing different

patterns since 1990, this prompts additional efforts to deal with the homicide rates.

How Victims of homicide changed over time

Linda Samuel
Good focus on the history and introduction of the social problem.

Some studies show that homicide mainly affects young adults aged between 15 to 24 years. These

individuals are primarily male and non-Hispanic black individuals. Moreover, the communities with high

minority, with the excellent unemployment rate and poverty, show a tendency of these high homicide

rates. Over the years, lower social capital levels and increased income inequality have been recognized as

the leading cause of increased violence.

Policy area related to Homicide.

It is evident that in 1995, the Office of Justice Programs funded a comprehensive homicide

initiative. The strategy applied in this initiative was to reduce the homicide rate in local communities

(Finucane, 2018). The policy of the comprehensive homicide initiative was designed to be executed in

two-phase. The first phase is planning, which dealt with developing a process that examines the local

homicide-related problems. The outcome of this phase was to develop a multifaceted strategy that would

address the local homicide problem. The second phase is an implementation, which was first crafted and

set in Richmond, California.

Jurisdiction of the Policy

The Comprehensive Homicide Initiative is a combination of federal, local, and state statutes. Most

importantly, it represents a restrictive state-level statute on firearms, for example, a strong background

check and bans on some of the military assault weapons. In addition, this legislature is associated more

with creating less firearm-related violence. However, the strategy developed in the Comprehensive

Homicide Initiative forges community-based non-enforcement and enforcement strategies.

Different aspects of the policy

Linda Samuel
What policy supports this initiative? List at least one of these statues (official name).

Linda Samuel
At this point, be sure to clearly identify the official name of the policy.

The initiative is grouped into two broad categories, and the first category is community-based non-

enforcement strategies. This category is defined for the collaboration with the community. Moreover, the

Housing Authority was also involved as a part of the planning process of crime-reduction. This category

also provided for the establishment of computer centers in forging job skills training. In addition, it is

defined as the collaboration of the juvenile justice system. The aim was to develop a youth court.

The second category is investigative and enforcement strategies based on making homicide

prevention efforts more effective. The first step defined in this category was developing intensified team

approach in obtaining information. This information would be on the high-profile homicides (Fyfe et al.,

1997). The second step is FBI assistance on the old and unsolved homicide review. The third step defined

obtaining the Drug Enforcement Administration support, and lastly, the fourth step was improving the

technology and information sharing.

Duration of current policy has been in place.

The state government first implemented the Comprehensive Homicide Initiative in the late 1980s

and early 1990s. Richmond was the first large city to experience its implementation; this resulted in

Richmond suffering economic difficulties and a rise in drug-related violence; this was a standard issue to

most urban jurisdictions during that period.

Supporters and opposers of the policy

The initiative gained support and cooperation efforts from the Richmond Police department—

Richmond was the first city to implement the initiative. The cooperation of the police task force created a

protocol for battered women and domestic violence. The members of this partnership implemented

strategies that interrupted gun trafficking. The traditional reasoning on homicide created for the little

efforts that the police could make to combat homicide. This traditional reasoning provided that crime was

immune from the suppression efforts of the police. Hence, this resulted in opposition from some of the

police.

Changes/amendments made to the policy.

The most significant change to the Comprehensive Homicide Initiative was on the perception of

Homicide; this meant that the initiative enhanced the perception of homicide as part of a more significant

and more general issue of violence (Messner, 1982). Therefore, the initiative recognized the police and

other stakeholders how they viewed this problem was narrow. Broadening the conceptualization of this

issue influenced the recommendation developed to address this issue. Homicide was separated from other

serious but nonfatal assaults. Therefore, the view of homicide as part of a much general violence issue

created clarity to this issue, impeding an effective homicide strategy.

Effects of this policy on clients and the importance of advocating for change.

The initiative may lead to the clients being concerned with the gun safety issue. Therefore, social

workers should address safe storage practices to prevent accidental injury. An example of a safety concern

is a safe passage to school programs. The discussions of guns are considered as an intrusion of the rights of

some clients. Therefore, this might lead to resistance from the clients. The reason is that asking about the

client’s access to a gun can be mistaken as questioning if they disobey the law.

Practicing social workers offer neutral policy suggestions so as to not damage the therapeutic

alliance. A social worker needs to take a particular position on the implemented policies on gun control or

a specific interpretation of the second amendment; this is important because it may help a client from

intentional or accidental gun violence. Therefore, a clinical social worker needs to engage in such

discussions to prevent injury and safety.

Linda Samuel
You provided some great information about programs and initiatives; however, it is important to include the official name(s) of the policy and/or policies that govern and/or support the initiative.

References

Finucane, A. (2018). Social Work Practice and Gun Safety in the United States: Are We Doing Enough?

Patricia Logan-Greene Mickey Sperlich.

https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/download/21620/22277/35726

Fyfe, J. J., Goldkamp, J. S., & White, M. D. (1997). Strategies for reducing homicide: The comprehensive

homicide initiative in Richmond, California.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/app/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=168100

Messner, S. F. (1982). Poverty, inequality, and the urban homicide rate: Some unexpected findings.

Criminology; an Interdisciplinary Journal, 20(1), 103–114.

Sipsma, H. L., Canavan, M. E., Rogan, E., Taylor, L. A., Talbert-Slagle, K. M., & Bradley, E. H. (2017).

Spending on social and public health services and its association with homicide in the USA: an

ecological study. BMJ Open, 7(10), e016379.

2

Ajibola Idowu

Social Policy: Analysis and Advocacy

Title: Identification of a Social Problem and Identification of a Policy

Walden University

Instructor: Dr. RYAN SMITH

Describe a current social problem. How might this problem be incongruent with social work values/ethics?

Poverty in America

Poverty can be of a temporary or long-term nature. Balloch & Jones (1990) defines poverty as lack of money, lack of resources, lack of means and opportunity, lack of making choices, and lack of control. These attributes certainly can describe the situation of many social services users that the social worker profession serves. Historically, the social work profession was established nationally and locally to combat poverty. Thus, the undeserving poor found its most consistent champion rooted in the history of the social work profession and ideology. Therefore, the modern social work profession grew from the social policy of poverty relief that grew from the earliest origin of social work, an in-church-based ministry for the poor that later evolved into a social justice movement of the present day (Balloch & Jones, 1990).

According to the NASW Code of Ethics, the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic human needs of all people with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty (NASW, 2018). Thus, social action to promote social change and social injustice is central to social work practice. Therefore, poverty’s social problem could not be incongruent to social work values, mission, and ethics.

How/when has this problem been identified historically, and what were the actions taken to address this concern?

Poverty has and continues to be a social problem in the United States and most parts of the world. Throughout its history, the United States has struggled with the paradox of poverty amidst influence. Over the past 45 years, according to research data on the American economy, poverty has steadily increased (Bitler et al., 2005). However, measuring poverty is always relative since measuring is a social production that changes both over time and from one society to another. In the United States, poverty threshold measurement was developed in 1963 – 1964 by Mollie Orshansky, an Economist at the social security administration. Also, an individual is at the poverty level if their total family pre-taxed money income in a given year is below the poverty threshold of their family size and age (Fisher, 1992).

History of Poverty in the United States

Historically, poverty has been present in the United States from colonial times. During the great depression of 1929, when many families lost their jobs, assets, and stocks, this also contributed to the poverty in the United States. However, over the years, the rise, and the decrease of poverty in the United States continued to fluctuate (Cullen, 2010). According to research on poverty and economic inequality, the United States has the highest poverty and the most significant gap between the rich and the poor of developed nations. Also, the United States, a very wealthy society, is far less committed to providing a decent life for the poor than other developed nations (Currie, 1998). Given the American exceptionalism, why do people struggle economically in a nation blessed by almost any international or historical standard with abundant opportunities? And how society can help the poor citizens? (Shihadeh et al., 1994).

In August 14, 1935, President Roosevelt passed the social security bill to help combat poverty, which provided aid to families and children. Thus, government programs such as security and Aid to Family with Dependent Children (AFDC), which was later replaced in 1996 by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), were implemented to help families experiencing poverty (Shepard, 2015). Also, in 1954, President Johnson signed into law the Economic Opportunity Act. This Act was signed in the hope of improving the income capacity of poor citizens, helping poor citizens help themselves, and breaking the chain of poverty. Thus, to combat poverty’s social problem, government policy was signed to provide public or government welfare assistance to low-income families struggling to find employment or struggling to pay for life essentials such as housing, childcare, or food.

How have the groups affected by this concern changed over time?

Poverty falls within the realms of “stigma.” It is not poor that is the stigma but the social perception of the attribute that deems it a stigma. Thus, poor people are perceived by the non-poor as having more characteristics defects than the rich (Balloch & Jones, 1990). The snapshot of current poverty in America can be found in large cities, urban America, and the country’s most rural parts. According to research, women are more likely to be poor than men, and race, ethnicity, lack of education, elderly, and disability are all strongly related to the possibility of living in poverty (Freeman, 2001).

Describe the policy area related to this social problem

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF) is a public assistance policy welfare program that targets families with children and needy adults. This program aims to help these family’s transition from welfare to employment. TANF provides cash and non-cash assistance in transportation, childcare, employment support, counseling, training subsidies, job training, housing programs to low-income families and children. This program was created in 1996 by Federal legislation, which made the program out of the former Aid to Family with Dependent Children (AFDC). There is an income criterion eligibility requirement for a citizen to receive the TANF assistance (Rainwater, 1982).

Is the policy identified by you dictated by local, state, or federal statute or a combination?

While Federal block grants fund the TANF assistance, the state is free to spend its fund without restriction. Also, states are free to define needy families’ definition and their definition of who consists of a family unit. The state brought flexibility over the use of these block grants means that a family experienced with TANF depends heavily on their state. Therefore, when states do not invest in their TANF funding on essential assistance, they harm all families facing a crisis or struggling to pay for basic needs (Rainwater, 1982).

Who supports and opposes the policy?

Public assistance in the United States has always been controversial. They are generating many strong feelings about what reforms are needed, reasons why people need public assistance, the pressure of sustaining public assistance, and benefits of the program, to name a few. Thus, means-tested programs like TANF are routinely under attack from critics like the conservative movement, republican party, republicans in congress, to name a few. These critics have argued that the program creates a culture of dependency that produces intergenerational dependency and allows women to have children and raise them without husbands, which in their view has contributed to family breakdown (Popple & Leighninger, 2019).

Contrary to the argument by the critics of social welfare that welfare disincentivizes people from working. Welfare recipient beneficiaries are often those who cannot work. Asides from an adult, social welfare can also brighten the future of poverty-stricken children by ultimately halting the cycle of poverty in families at risk. Therefore, welfare benefits are not for the lazy but for the needy. The people who support welfare benefits are the progressive, the democrats, social reform advocates, professionals in the helping profession, and people who understand the threat of potential economic difficulty befalling on any person should be protected by the majority (Popple & Leighninger, 2019).

Changes/amendments made to the policy

TANF caseload and labor market have been substantially different than when TANF was established in 1996. They also vary significantly from state to state. Unfortunately, the TANF work rate is the primary measure that the Federal government judges the state’s TANF programs. Thus, States have designed the program to maximize their success in meeting the work rate, often at the expense of actually helping the most vulnerable families find employment. Therefore, due to this stringent upfront work requirement, recipients of TANF who have the most to gain from employment assistance are quickly sanctioned and removed from TANF participation because they fall short of the expectation outlined in their work plan.

Changes due to COVID-19

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in state TANF policies include:

a) Some states opt to count the economic impact payments or the additional unemployment insurance payments as income or assets in determining TANF eligibility.

b) Some states were using or expanding their short-term benefits programs (nonrecurring benefits designed to address a specific crisis or need) for families impacted by COVID-19.

c) Some states have changed their policies to issue good cause exemptions for all or targeted groups of recipients (Shantz et al., 2020).

Explain how this policy affects clients you might see in a clinical setting and why, as a clinical social worker, it would be essential to advocate for change

Poor people lack the means and authority which so many of us take for granted. They are often passive when faced with their powerlessness regarding increasing their income. Therefore, means-tested programs like the TANF have provided resources for the poor and vulnerable in society. Our society’s story about putting ourselves out of poverty is considered both possible and praiseworthy. It is the American story of the possibility of the American dream. Thus, social worker plays a vital role in the potential of this American dream by acting on the client’s behalf and representing the client’s interest to an outside organization to fight for the right to income and also prevention of poverty through campaigning for clear, adequate, and enforceable non-means-tested entitlements. Thus, helping the poor and working to eradicate poverty by advocating for clients to obtain needed resources and providing assistance for the client at the Micro, Macro, and Mezzo levels (Balloch & Jones, 1990). Therefore, to be an effective social practitioner, the social worker needs to understand, engage with, or be influenced by a social policy in their practice because these policies impact our work with our clients. As such, social workers who value social justice and human rights have an ethical responsibility to participate in social policy advocacy (Popple & Leighninger, 2019).

References

Balloch, S., & Jones, B. J. (1990). Poverty and Anti-poverty Strategy: The Local Government Response: a Study of the Development of Anti-poverty Strategy in Metropolitan Authorities. Association of Metropolitan Authorities.

Bitler, M. P., Gelbach, J. B., & Hoynes, H. W. (2005). Welfare reform and health. Journal of human resources, 40(2), 309-334.

Cullen, F. T. (2010). Elliott Currie: In tribute to a life devoted to confronting crime. Criminology & Pub. Pol’y, 9, 19.

Fisher, G. M. (1992). The development and history of the poverty thresholds. Soc. Sec. Bull., 55, 3.

Freeman, R. B. (2001). The rising tide lifts…? (No. w8155). National Bureau of Economic Research.

National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from

https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English

Popple, P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2014). The policy-based profession: An introduction to social welfare policy analysis for social workers. Pearson.

Rainwater, L. (1982). Stigma in income-tested programs. In Income-Tested Transfer Programs (pp. 19-65). Academic Press.

Shantz, K., Hahn, H., Nelson, M., Lyons, M., & Flagg, A. (2020). Changes in State TANF Policies in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.

Shihadeh, E. S., & Steffensmeier, D. J. (1994). Economic inequality, family disruption, and urban black violence: Cities as units of stratification and social control. Social Forces, 73(2), 729-751.