6351 Week 11 Discussion 1 & 2 Responds

1

My initial post

Discussion 1

Change in policies

When an individual is sexually assaulted, the social worker helping them has a responsibility to tell them the procedure they should follow to report the case. There are policies that the victims should be advised to help them make decisions about the situation. In the case of Rita, there is a policy of 90 days window after the evidence is collected. When 90 days have elapsed after gathering evidence, it is destroyed even if the victim has not reported the case to the police. This policy may negatively impact since there are conflicting feelings that make a rape victim unable to make decisions. Therefore I would change this policy to a more extended period to allow victims to heal and get into a state where they can make decisions. For instance, a six-month period would enable the victim to seek therapy to have an approach to the situation (Scannell et al., 2018)I would also make it a policy for the court to provide the victim with security alongside professionals who help them emotionally. For instance, in the case of Rita, Bob threatens her to ensure she does not report the issue; probably this was a reason which contributed to her not being able to report the incident.

To evaluate the success of change in the policy, I would research how many victims have been able to report after six months compared to the 90 days. By ensuring security for the victims, I would also reach the numbers of the people coming out about being assaulted before the changes were made. If people are boldly coming out in large numbers, the policy is successful because it encourages people to speak up and report at a time appropriate to them.

References Scannell, M., Kim, T., & Guthrie, B. J. (2018). A meta-analysis of HIV postexposure prophylaxis among sexually assaulted patients in the United States. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 29(1), 60-69.

Discussion 2

Role of lobbying and campaigning in social work practice

Through lobbying in social work, practice information is provided to the lawmakers. Also, alliances can be created to oppose laws or propose better ones. In addition, the non-profit can create awareness of the effects of public policy on communities and individuals, whether positive or negative. Through lobbyists, complex procedures are broken down so that the lawmakers and legislative staff who do not have time to research these matters can have a clear picture of the impact of the policy for change. Social workers can be effective if elected officials are aware of the problems that affect their societies (Ostrander et al., 2017). They are familiar with the policies, and they understand the effect of the approaches on the people. Therefore if given office, they can change the harmful policies and are also open to new ideas about policies they strive to implement. A social worker's career focuses mainly on enhancing the well-being of people when elected to offices; they make good leaders because they are people-focused.

My colleagues have shaped my opinions and experiences powerfully. By interacting with them, I get to understand different things and also see things. The colleagues who are older in the job have impacted my career because they have more experience, and when I have a case, I can always ask for their help; therefore, they impact my understanding of cases, and I also get to understand human behavior and why clients behave in specific ways. My colleagues have also taught me to be more compassionate and patient with the clients and to put myself in their shows to understand them better.

References Ostrander, J. A., Lane, S., McClendon, J., Hayes, C., & Smith, T. R. (2017). Collective power to create political change: Increasing the political efficacy and engagement of social workers. Journal of Policy Practice, 16(3), 261-275.