Week 10: Troubleshooting Policies

There are many factors that are starting points to policy implementation. This week you explore those factors. There are also many factors that lead to failure of policy implementation. You will examine those factors as well. According to Jansson (2010), policy implementation is a “critically important part of policy advocacy because many meritorious policies are inadequately implemented” (6th ed., p. 485). Why might this be so?

This week, you are guided through the process of assessing policy advocacy strategies during the implementation phase, which is called troubleshooting. Troubleshooting is vital to ensuring a successful outcome for an implemented policy.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze policy implementation challenges
• Analyze social workers’ ethical issues of policy implementation
• Apply policy implementation practices
• Prepare a final report and presentation on a social change project

Learning Resources

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.

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 13, “Troubleshooting the Implementation of Policies in Task 7” (pp. 460-487)

Lane, S. R., & Humphreys, N. A. (2011). Social workers in politics: A national survey of social work candidates and elected officials. Journal of Policy Practice, 10(3), 225–244.

Optional Resources

MSW home page
Use this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

Discussion: Policy Implementation Challenges

Implementation never occurs in a vacuum.
—Bruce S. Jansson, Becoming an Effective Policy Advocate: From Policy Practice to Social Justice (8th ed.)

When a policy is launched, its success is dependent on a variety of stakeholders. As the politics of decision makers, executives, staff, clients, and social workers begin to influence the implementation process, their beliefs—and subsequent actions—determine the fate of the policy.

Often a social worker must step out of the comfort of his or her social service world and may find himself or herself making difficult decisions about ethical issues and/or may find himself or herself involved in implementing policies that he or she feels is against his or her social work values. How does a social worker handle the intricacies and challenges of policy implementation on both a personal and professional level?

In this Discussion, you explore policy implementation and the challenges faced by social workers during policy implementation.

By Day 3

Post your thoughts on whether social workers might try to undermine the implementation of specific policies. What ethical issues might they confront? Discuss how social workers can implement policies that they feel may be against their social work values. Discuss a specific policy’s impact that you would try to mitigate in the implementation phase. Provide an experience you have had with a policy you had difficulty implementing or a policy you are aware of that you would have serious qualms about implementing.

Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week’s resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.

Response

 Shawndra Campos RE: Discussion – Week 10COLLAPSE

Post your thoughts on whether social workers might try to undermine the implementation of specific policies.

Social workers might try to undermine the implementation of specific policies if they feel that their client deserves services but do not 100% qualify for them, it could be tempting to skim on the truth so that they receive better services.

 (Jansson, 2018).

What ethical issues might they confront?

Social workers are supposed to be honest when working with clients and coworkers. In some cases, social workers may get tempted to twist the truth if they believe it is necessary to help a client (Jansson, 2018).

Discuss how social workers can implement policies that they feel may be against their social work values.

 After the policy/ies have been implemented, they can try to encourage and fight for necessary changes by activating an outside advocacy group that demands actions to be corrected; multidisciplinary teams can help with this significantly (Jansson, 2018).

Discuss a specific policy’s impact that you would try to mitigate in the implementation phase.

Helping addicts to get out of living in homelessness by joining organizations to change the dynamics that will give individuals and their families opportunities, skills, knowledge, and the resources they need to solve their homelessness (Jansson, 2018).

Provide an experience you have had with a policy you had difficulty implementing or a policy you are aware of that you would have serious qualms about implementing.

The managers at the mental health facility where I work were severely lagging on taking precautionary measures against their staff or patients from contracting or spreading Covid-19. Staff that works with the patients between 12-16 hours a day were starting to voice their grave concerns about their safety. When one of my supervisors asked me if I had any questions or concerns, I gave him a thorough list. The next day I got called into the Head Directors office and was yelled at for 40 min because I was “rebel rousing” and “trying to start a coup.”. I tried to explain that the safety of the workers, as well as the patients, were at risk.  Management stated that they were never going to make the patients wear masks and that the staff was not allowed to wear them either because it would be offputting to the patients. The real turning point for me was when they tried to use Fabuloso as a disinfectant to clean the facility with; which does not disinfect anything. I had to fight to get those policies changed; it took me about three weeks to convince them to improve their irresponsible ways. Unfortunately, by then, many staff quit or have undertaken a leave of absence. I had such severe problems implementing these policies that I risked my job to make sure that the right precautions were put in place.

Reference

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.

By Day 5

Respond to a colleague by offering your thoughts on how multiple factors contribute to the failure of people to implement specific policies. In your opinion, do you think frontline social workers are perceived as people who cause specific policies to not be implemented?

Project: Social Change Project: Final Report and Presentation

Is social change ever easy? What barriers did you experience during your advocacy? What successes did you experience?

Over the past several weeks, you have analyzed a policy related to a social problem and have advocated for change. This week you submit your final report and present on your experience and the outcomes of your Social Change Project.

To Prepare

• Write up a final report of your Social Change Project.
  • The final report should include your compiled response to assignments from Weeks 3, 6, 8, and 9. You are expected to update and revise the papers based on your instructor’s feedback. Please include a title page, headings, and a reference page.
• Create a 5-7 minute PowerPoint presentation to present your Social Change project. Within this presentation:
  • Provide a brief synopsis of social problem and policy you identified.
  • Discuss what was accomplished over the past term and the change you made through your social change project.
  • Reflect on your experience. What did you learn? What would you do differently?
  • Explain how policy relates to clinical practice?
  • How will you apply skills advocacy skills as a clinical social worker?
• Record presentation using Personal Capture (record audio, video, and screen)
  • See resources in Kaltura Media Uploader in left-hand navigation menu of classroom.
• Create a Transcript of the presentation and/or edit closed-captioning of the recording to ensure your presentation is accessible to colleagues of differing abilities.