Sowk 600

SOWK 600 - Policy Analysis/Brief

1. Identify a social policy issue that is currently or has been recently addressed at the state or federal level by the legislative, executive, or judicial branch of government. It may be an issue that directly or indirectly affects the clients served by your field placement, agency of employment, your community, or an agency at which you have worked.

2. Using one or more of the policy frameworks discussed in class, the examples of policy briefs on the reading list, and available research, write a 6-10 page policy brief (double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman or Courier, with 1” margins on all sides) analyzing this policy. In your analysis, address the following questions (Note: The page estimates below are recommended guidelines, not requirements): In Maryland

· How did the issue come to the attention of policymakers? Briefly describe its legislative history (~1/2 page). This part and the next part will require some background research.

· How was the issue legitimated in the eyes of policymakers and the public? Who were/are the key actors who made the issue “legitimate” and mobilized support for or against the policy? Briefly discuss the politics of the issue (~1/2 page).

· Identify the population-at-risk that is/will be addressed by the proposed policy (1 paragraph or more with supporting data).

· Summarize the research that has already been conducted on (a) the nature of the problem that policy is designed to address and (b) the impact of previous efforts to address the problem (1-2 pages).

· What policy alternatives are or have been considered regarding the policy’s focus, scope, key components, means of implementation, or cost? What differences do these alternatives reflect in their analysis of the issue, the policy’s goals, and its potential impact? (~ 1 page)

· What assumptions about problem causation underlie the proposed policy “solution(s)” to the identified problem(s)? (~1/2 page)

· Assess the alternative proposals – e.g., in terms of their comparative

· Adequacy: Horizontal and Vertical

· Equity: Individual and Social

· Inclusiveness of Coverage (~1-1.5 pages total, ~1-2 paragraphs each)

Due Date: Friday, April 21(20% of Course Grade)

Rubrics for Policy Brief

	Exemplary	Proficient	Needs Improvement	Unsatisfactory
CSWE Core Social Work Competencies for Foundation Year
Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice (Competency 4)
Use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy and service delivery (Practice Behavior 4.3)	Student is able to locate substantial research evidence about a specific policy; translate this research into an in-depth analysis of how the policy affects practice, other policies, and service delivery; and discuss how the policy could be revised to improve the outcomes it produces. The student’s analysis is well-written and well-organized; its arguments are presented clearly, and it makes frequent references to the research s/he has discovered.	Student can locate research evidence about the effects of a specific policy on practice and service delivery, can discuss these effects in some detail, and can translate this evidence into a general presentation about how the policy could be revised to improve the service outcomes it produces. The student’s analysis is clearly written and generally well-organized, and uses the research s/he has discovered to support most of his/her major points.	Student can locate some research about a specific policy, but can only apply this research to an analysis of the policy’s effects on practice in general terms. The student’s analysis often does not link the evidence s/he has discovered to the specific policy or its effects. The student’s work is not well-organized and some of the major points of his/her analysis are not clear and/or not substantiated by research evidence.	Student is unable to locate sufficient research evidence to conduct an analysis of the policy. The student’s assertions about the policy are not substantiated by any research or are contradicted by the evidence s/he found. The policy brief is Not clearly written or well-organized; it presents few or no implications about the policy’s effects, and does not discuss how the policy could be revised to improve practice and service delivery.