Social Service Program Development
patrifl_14i6
FramingtheProblemofIncreasedTeenPregnanciesin.pptxFraming the Problem of Increased Teen Pregnancies in New York
Patrice Scope
SWK/5008
Capella University
08/20/2022
Introduction
Framing is essential for successfully implementing actions geared toward identifying and changing community aspects contributing to the development of significant problems.
There are three main framing tasks in a macro-level social approach, that is, motivational, prognostic, and diagnostic.
Diagnostic deals with identifying a problem and its analysis, prognostic aims at proposing solutions or strategies to the identified problem, and motivational rallies support to advocate for change in the community (Netting et al., 2017).
This paper focuses mainly on prognostic framing, whereby solutions are proposed regarding the approaches to tackle the issue of teen pregnancies.
A practitioner utilizes framing to identify issues plaguing a community from multiple perspectives because the issues have many causes. Through a framework for assessing societal issues from a macro level, a social worker can provide solutions for problems plaguing the community. The three main framing tasks in a macro level approach are motivational, prognostic, and diagnostic; each handling a specific element of the analysis of the societal problem. In the diagnostic task, a social worker begins by identifying the issue, analyzing it from multiple angles. In the Prognostic task, the practitioner provides solutions and strategies to tackle the issue based on their analysis during diagnosis. The motivational task involves the practitioner rallying forces and appealing to the various components of the entity to provide resources geared towards achievement of the entity’s goals (Netting et al., 2017). The paper provides strategies to solve the issue of teenage pregnancies in New York.
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Introduction Cont.
Practitioners frame issues because the problems can be viewed from various perspectives and are caused by different factors working simultaneously.
Teenage pregnancies lead to the development of other societal problems such as increased substance use, maternal mortality, and deviancy in adolescents.
Some neighborhoods in New York have recorded high rates of teen pregnancies, specifically those with residents earning below the federal poverty level.
There are multiple factors that contribute to the increase in teenage pregnancies. For example, poverty, social stigma, mental illness, peer pressure, insecurity, poor parental supervision, and lack of awareness on the dangers of early pregnancies (Kaphagawani & Kalipeni, 2017)
Teenage pregnancies increase as a result of multiple factors working simultaneously, such as substance abuse, poverty, lack of education, failure to access medical facilities, poor parenting and discrimination (Kaphagawani & Kalipeni, 2017). The factors above can be categorized into social, economic and cultural factors The neighborhoods that have recorded the highest levels of teen pregnancies are poor neighborhoods comprised of individuals earning below the federal poverty threshold, specifically ones with colored communities. The complex nature of the issue requires a multidimensional approach.
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Strategies to Tackle Teenage Pregnancies
Coordinating between the programs already developed in the communities pursuing youth health.
Working together with the school administration and teachers to educate students on dangers of early childbearing.
Lobbying for funds from private businesses, local programs, and the federal government in campaigning for safe sex (Fisher et al., 2019).
Introducing self-help resources such as mobile apps and websites to educate families.
The social worker will use the systems theory to analyze the identified community issue of teenage pregnancies. The theory studies the issue from multiple perspectives of the different members that make the entity whole. The groups within the community direct their use of resources, for example, people, knowledge, equipment, and funding; to ensure that the entity produces a system product that is in accordance with its beliefs. The different parts specialize in different areas similar to how the parts of the body function. Each member has a specific purpose that should be aligned to the entire entity’s vision. Teachers and mentors are expected to handle educating the community on the dangers of early pregnancies while private organizations are responsible for funding the community’s efforts to reduce the teen pregnancies. The federal government is expected to provide assistance to the community through setting up policies targeting the issue. The goals can only be achieved if all the members communicate openly to prevent duplication of responsibilities which wastes resources.
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Facilitating for Coordination
Incorporating and coordinating other community efforts that pursue youth health issues ensures that the program will succeed in the long term.
It will provide the program with an opportunity to learn from the failures and successes of the existing network.
The program will implement the initiatives in schools without school-based health centers.
The goal would be to ensure that health care services are availed to the students and seminars are conducted to educate teens on the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, abortions, the importance of safe sex and the negative consequences of early childbearing (Mollborn, 2010).
Already existing networks will provide insight into the issue ensuring that the practitioner provides solutions based on the community’s preferences. On the one hand, selection of novel strategies will be a waste or resources and does not guarantee the community’s acceptance. On the other, utilizing existing resources and members ensures that there is no duplication efforts and motivates the society to implement them because their opinions are considered. Also, the program will plan to advocate for sponsorship programs for the target group by coordinating with the school administration they are enrolled in, partnering with other community groups and businesses that provide mentorship to provide job shadowing opportunities to the at-risk group (Mollborn, 2010). The coordination will ensure that healthcare services are availed to students enrolled in schools without school-based health centers and educational seminars will be provides on the consequences of early childbearing.
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Introduction of Self-help Resources
The initiative will implement self-help programs that provide adolescents with resources to educate them on the dangers of teen pregnancies.
The websites will be monitored daily to answer queries and take suggestions from the teens and their parents on ideas for prevention strategies that would be most effective in their neighborhoods.
Teen-friendly mobile applications with a clinic locator will be availed to NYC teens using GPS technology which directs them to locations that distribute free condoms (Spear & Lock, 2003).
The resources will ensure that teens become knowledgeable about being sexually responsible. The use of feedback from the websites ensures that the functioning of the members of the community contributing to the reduction in teenage pregnancies alter their allocation of the resources to suit the entity’s current needs. The application updates the youths on periods when clinics in their locations offer free pregnancy tests, emergency and oral contraceptives, and limited reproductive health services (Spear & Lock, 2003).
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Using Existing Network of Youth Health Care Programs
The program seeks to capitalize on the community's already established network of opportunities, coordinating between the involved service groups that are working with the target group to ensure cooperation.
The goal is to involve the community in implementing the solutions, thereby increasing compliance from the teens, parents, educators, and religious leaders.
Synchronized coordination provides flexibility and presents an opportunity to choose activities and timeframes that are realistic and interesting to the target group.
Working on an already established network is time-saving and reduces the costs needed to secure new resources.
The program will honor and build upon the available links in the community and introduce several allies and resources to streamline the network, bridging the gap and fulfilling unmet needs. Use of already existing network of organizations and groups ensures that the practitioner learns from their successes and failures; saving time and resources. It also ensures that strategies adopted can be based on SMART goals as the results can be analyzed anytime. The only programs that will be included are those that contribute to a reduction in the rate or show promise of achieving the objectives.
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Lobbying for Funds from Private Businesses and the Federal Government
The program management also seeks to lobby for funds from private donors and private charity organizations.
The program will work closely with the NYC Health Department’s Bureau of Maternal, Infant, and Reproductive Health and Office of School Health.
The program will work closely with other programs that tackle other risk factors contributing to juvenile delinquency and deviance, such as substance abuse (Basch, 2011).
The program will also collaborate with community projects supporting individuals suffering from mental health issues in poor neighborhoods.
The program seeks federal funding to conduct campaigns that support initiatives advocating for youth health care (Basch, 2011). The private organizations that are involved in reducing the teen pregnancies will do so by providing scholarships to girls in the community unable to attend school because of financial challenges. The federal government will provide medical services at affordable prices to the communities affected especially in schools without healthcare facilities to reduce maternal mortality (Fisher et al., 2019). The program will also work hand in hand with other organizations that focus on the factors influencing the issue such as ones dealing with adolescents struggling with substance abuse
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Conclusion
Teen pregnancies in New York are high among communities with large numbers of Hispanic, Black, and Asian individuals, especially those living in poor neighborhoods.
A one-dimensional approach to societal problems would be counterproductive as it would limit the effectiveness of implementing an all-inclusive approach of solving the problem.
The goal is to be achieved by availing resources to ensure that sexually active teenagers can access family planning care. Also, the program will plan to advocate for sponsorship programs for the target group by coordinating with the school administration they are enrolled in, partnering with other community groups and businesses that provide mentorship to provide job shadowing opportunities to the at-risk group
Social workers should be open-minded when framing societal issues to gain in-depth knowledge that will enable them to implement effective strategies.
Colored communities with individuals earning below the federal poverty threshold are the neighborhoods that record the highest levels of teen pregnancies. Social workers need to adopt multiple perspectives because the factors contributing to the increase in teen pregnancies are numerous. Synchronized coordination provides flexibility and presents an opportunity to choose activities and timeframes that are realistic and interesting to the target group. The practitioner should be open-minded and ought to consider the perspectives of the community if the strategies are to be implemented with minimal resistance. The community will be provided for with sponsorship programs, free medical services for individuals fitting the selected demographic, and resources will be given to collect data on the progress of the solutions implemented in real-time.
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Reference
Basch, C. E. (2011). Teen pregnancy and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 614-618. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00635.x
Fisher, R., Danza, P., McCarthy, J., & Tiezzi, L. (2019). Provision of contraception in New York City school‐based health centers: Impact on teenage pregnancy and avoided costs, 2008–2017. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 51(4), 201-209. https://doi.org/10.1363/psrh.12126
Kaphagawani, N. C., & Kalipeni, E. (2017). Sociocultural factors contributing to teenage pregnancy in Zomba district, Malawi. Global public health, 12(6), 694-710. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2016.1229354
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References Cont.
Mollborn, S. (2010). Predictors and consequences of adolescents' norms against teenage pregnancy. The Sociological Quarterly, 51(2), 303-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.2010.01173.x
Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social work macro practice (6th ed). Pearson.
Spear, H. J., & Lock, S. (2003). Qualitative research on adolescent pregnancy: a descriptive review and analysis. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 18(6), 397-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0882-5963(03)00160-X
