MSW6102 Social Work Practice with Marginalized Populations
Week 6 Assignment:
Apply an Advocacy Strategy to Engage in Policy Practice with Homeless Veterans
Instructions
Social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and they actively engage in policy practice to effect change within those settings. Social workers also understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values, including social, economic, political, and cultural exclusions, may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power. Social workers understand methods of identifying, analyzing and implementing evidence-informed interventions to achieve client and constituency goals. This week, imagine you are completing your advanced practicum at a local homeless shelter. You have been assigned to complete intakes for new clients who seek assistance from the shelter. Over the course of your practicum, you notice a trend that an increasing number of veterans (of all ages and gender identifications) are seeking assistance from the shelter. You have also observed that their needs are unique when compared to other homeless clients.
You have observed that the shelter offers no specialized assessment or strategies of intervention for veteran clients. You ask your practicum supervisor if you can develop a proposal for meeting the unique needs of homeless veterans. Your supervisor likes your initiative and the way it is aligned with how social workers understand their role in policy development and implementation within their practice settings at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. She supports your interest in actively engaging in policy practice to effect change within those settings and requests that you do the following:
Write a formal proposal that can be presented to shelter leadership.
Explain the unique needs of homeless veterans
Determine effective strategies of advocacy for this population.
Recommend additional community resources that may be of benefit to shelter caseworkers who work with this population.
Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages.
Support your assignment with at least three scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.
Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.
