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Influence
4.1/Spring '00
FROM THE CHAIRPERSON
Greetings to everyone!
Influencing State Policy entered the new millennium successfully
and is pleased to be actively supporting social work faculty and students
as they prepare strategies for this spring's state legislative sessions.
Reading this issue should bring you up to date on ISP activities and
offer you, perhaps, additional ideas to increase the role of policy
in the social work educational experience.
I want to remind
everyone that ISP has set five goals for itself this year and that it
will take a conscious effort to reach them. Some progress has been made:
1) We began the year with slightly over 200 programs without an appointed
liaison; currently, we have reduced that number to under 170. Remember,
we want to get down to 100 programs by Spring, so look on the website
under About Us and Liaisons to see which programs in your state still
need to be called and convinced to appoint a Liaison.
2). ISP is promoting
student visits to state legislature this year as well. Our goal in the
year 2000 was to have 2,000 visits! To date, I have been given only
a number tallying about 300-350. Since legislatures are now in session,
let's make the contacts and email me the numbers ASAP.
3) STATE POLICY
PLUS THREE is underway across the country and the rules are listed on
the website and inside this newsletter. Our goal is to have at least
one (1) entry in each of the three categories (students, faculty, and
student/field instructor) from each of the 494 social work education
programs. The deadline is April 1, 2000. PLEASE promote this
contest among your students and faculty colleagues. On the website,
you can find examples of student projects and faculty assignments from
past contests. It not only a sound professional and educational activity,
it's fun!
4) Our website,
www.statepolicy.org, continues
to have visitors. To date, over 5, 500 persons have logged on, up from
4, 100 in September, 1999. Our goal is to reach 8,000 by the end of
the spring term. If there are 24,000 BSW students, 40,000+ full and
part-time MSW students, 2,000 Ph.D students, and over 5,000 faculty,
where are our numbers? As you know, the site leads students to valuable
resources.
5) The ISP video,
Making A Difference: Influencing State Policy, seems to be playing well
in classrooms across the country. Over 800 copies have been distributed
and requests keep coming in. We want every student in social work and
every NASW chapter to see this video and to take action based on its
premise: policy affects practice daily and directly.
ISP members are
involved in many other activities such as the BSW survey of policy content,
several presentations at the APM of CSWE in New York, policy analysis
of the Curriculum Policy Statement of CSWE's Commission on Educational
Policy, a survey of social workers who are state legislators, and pilot
projects in NY and WI. We will keep you informed of these outcomes,
be sure. If any of you have ideas for the coming year, please let me
know.
Our annual dues
drive is still underway and we have heard from over 100 members who
paid the $25 dues. This is our only source of revenue right now and
without your support, ISP cannot continue its work, the contest, publications,
newsletter, website, and research. Please pay and thanks to all of those
who did!
Finally, I leave
you with my insight of the semester. No leaders = no followers.
If faculty do not provide model behavior for students, then there will
be little if any change in the profession's attitude toward policy practice
at the state or, for that matter, the federal or local levels. When
faculty demonstrate that policy practice and influencing policy processes
are part of their own lives and teaching, we see students coming to
the same conclusion, incorporating them into their professional visions
of themselves. I exhort you to be a leader in policy issues in your
state and at your program. Then, others will follow! All the best.
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WEBSITE
The committee's
website, www.statepolicy.org/
receives visitors daily. As of February 15, 2000, there have been over
5,500 visitors to the site. It is a comprehensive resource of policy
information and education, open to faculty and students at all levels.
Linkages to social work policy and practice sites, national organizations,
job/career sites, state legislatures and agencies, contest rules, sample
student projects, examples of faculty assignments focused on state policy,
access to research organizations, and much more are available. The newsletter,
INFLUENCE, has been archived to the website including all back issues.
ISP continues to search for ways to make the website valuable to students
and faculty. Persons with interest and expertise in websites and technology
are asked to contact Bob Schneider at rschneid@saturn.vcu.edu.
New addresses
and sites:
www.welfareinfo.org/
provides access to more than 400 human services organizations and 10,000
electronic information sources. The site links students and faculty
to policy issues, research reports, state and county data, job opportunities,
think tanks, advocacy sites, grant announcements, and much more.
www.stateline.org/
provides access to state news and issues. You can click on your state
and get background and news happening today in your state.
www.webclipper.org/
provides a weekly overview of human service and policy issues garnered
from across the World Wide Web. It can be tailor made to fit your particular
interests. A trial membership is available.
Faculty are urged
to use www.statepolicy.org/
to access policy information and state legislation by posting the address
on course syllabi and requiring student to visit it at least twice.
Our goal this year is to attain 8,000 visits to the site! Keep referring!
Please send Dr. Schneider
other relevant sites.
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VIDEO
Over 800 copies
of the ISP video have been distributed nationally and additional copies
are available. This video documents how policies impact social work
clients daily and directly and inspires students, faculty and professional
social workers to become active in state legislative advocacy. It shows
how one person, one group or one coalition can make a difference. Annual
membership in ISP ($25) includes a free copy of the video and additional
copies are $15 + 2.50 shipping = $17.50. Request your copy from: Robert
Schneider, VCU School of Social Work, POB 842027, Richmond, VA. 23284-2027
or call 804.828.0452.
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DID YOU KNOW....
The state with
the highest number of elected African-American officials is Mississippi.
Income earnings
for the poorest fifth of American families rose less than 1 percent
between 1988 and 1998, but jumped 15 percent for the richest fifth.
www.cbpp.org/
Steve Scanlin,
a social worker, lawyer, and former state legislator in Idaho, helped
citizen Frank Olander file a complaint which led to a determination
that the use of unlicensed social work designees in Idaho's skilled
nursing facilities violated both federal and state law. Dr. Lois Cowles
of Idaho State University also provided testimony, using NASW's Standards
for Nursing Homes.
The demand for
emergency food was up 18% in 1999, according to the Second Harvest's
Annual Report. www.secondharvest.
org
Income gaps between
high and low-income families widened in 46 states since the late 1970s,
according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. www.cbpp.org/
There are now 313
social work programs nationwide that have an ISP Liaison. Out of a total
of 494, this represents near two-thirds of all programs. [There are
339 BSW programs, 47 MSW programs stand-alone, and 108 combined BSW
and MSW programs].
There are now 361
Liaisons representing ISP in social work programs across the country.
Several programs have more than one Liaison and ISP recommends that
all programs expand this role among their colleagues.
Teen birth rates
fell again for the seventh straight year (1991-1998) and decreased in
all 50 states in 1997. Yet, U.S. teen pregnancy rates are still at least
twice as high as in other industrialized countries. www.childtrends.org/
& www.brookings.org/views/articles/sawhill/winter2000.htm.
The National Survey
of Families of the Urban Institute has 33,703 children in its data base.
AL, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY,TX,WA and WI can be examined
as well as national data. www.
urban.org/nsaf/
What was the 20th
century's first democracy? I.e., the first country to have full suffrage
and competitive, multiparty elections? Finland in 1906! The United States
and Britain were not far behind. Today, 119 countries fit this definition.
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CALENDAR
January 1, 2000.
Annual $25 dues renewal date. Payable to ISP. Includes free copy of
the video, Making A Difference: Influencing State Policy.
February 26,
2000, Saturday. Noon til 1:00 PM. Luncheon planning session for
ISP members. Annual Meeting of CSWE in New York City. Location: John's
Pizzeria, 260 W. 44th St. Around corner from the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Call or email Schneider for reservation: 804.828.0452 or rschneid@saturn.vcu.edu/
February 27,
2000, Sunday. 5:50-6:45 PM. Annual ISP Membership Meeting
at Annual Meeting of CSWE in New York City. Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Carnegie Room. Special Speaker: Ruth Messinger, MSW, former
President of the Manhattan Borough and 1997 Democratic New York City
Mayoral candidate. Topic: "Why It is Important for Social Workers to
Advocate at State and Local Levels of Government." Open to all conference
participants.
February 27-29,
2000. Daily from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. Influencing State
Policy Exhibit Booth in the Exhibit Hall of the New York Marriott
Marquis, Broadway Ballroom, 5th floor. Staffed by volunteers. Video,
buttons, newsletter, brochures, bibliography, contest flyers, etc. available.
March 15-17,
2000. The National Black Family Summit. Embassy Suites, Kingston
Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC. Sponsored by the College of Social Work, University
of South Carolina. Contact: 803.777.4309.
March 27-29,
2000. National Low-Income Housing Coalition Annual Policy Conference
and Lobby Day. Washington, DC. www.nlihc.org/conference.htm
April 1, 2000.
Deadline for entries to national contest, State Policy Plus THREE. Remember
our goal: 1 entry from each of 494 social work programs.
April 17, 2000.
Deadline for APM proposals for 2001 CSWE Conference in Dallas, TX, March
8-11, 2001. Submit your research related to state policy!
June 23-25,
2000. Social Welfare Action Alliance annual conference in East Lansing,
MI. (Formerly, the Bertha Capen Reynolds Society). Contact: jmfilipovich@hotmail.com
or swaa@hotmail.com
June/July, 2000.
Presentations of ISP Awards to winners of State Policy Plus THREE at
a national social work conference (TBA).
August/September,
2000. Beginning of the 2000-01 academic year. New goals for ISP.
November 1-4,
2000. NASW's Meeting of the Profession: Social Work 2000. Baltimore.
www.naswdc/org/ConfCred/meetlist/
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STATE POLICY PLUS THREE: DEADLINE APRIL 1, 2000
Most state
legislatures are meeting this spring, 2000, allowing students and faculty
opportunities to participate actively during these sessions. All BSW,
MSW, Ph.D. students, faculty, and field instructors are eligible (see
flyer inside this newsletter or check the website for the contest rules
and awards.). This year's contest introduces a new category: students
and field instructors working together to influence state policy!
If you want to review the 1999 winning entries, visit Student Projects
and Faculty Assignments on the ISP website (www.statepolicy.org).
The $150 cash awards and 8 plaques will be awarded to the winners at a
national conference in spring/summer, 2000. ISP members know that making
this project a required assignment or giving extra credit increases student
participation (sic)! Please encourage other faculty, students, and field
instructors to enter by April 1, 2000. Go for the cash and commitment!
Our goal this year is to have at least one entry from every social
work education program (494).
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FEATURE INTERVIEWS
Influencing
State Policy (ISP) interviewed four authors of widely-used Human Behavior
and the Social Environment texts in order to explore the relationship
between policy and this area of social work knowledge. Below are their
names, their current texts, and some very cogent comments:
Elizabeth D. Hutchison.
(1999). Dimensions of Human Behavior: Person and Environment
(Vol. I) and Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course
(Vol. II). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
John Longres. (2000).
Human Behavior in the Social Environment (3rd ed.). Itasca, IL:
F. E. Peacock Publishers, Inc.
Joe Shriver. (1998).
Human Behavior and the Social Environment: Shifting Paradigms in
Essential Knowledge for Social Work Practice, 2nd Ed., Boston: Allyn
and Bacon.
Charles Zastrow
& Karen K. Kirst-Ashman. (1997). Understanding Human Behavior and
the Social Environment (4th ed.). Chicago: Nelson-Hall. (The 5th
edition of Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman's text will be available in Fall,
2000.)
ISP: How
do HBSE theories and policy issues complement each other?
Hutchison:
First, I would expand your question to include HBSE research as well
as theory--in other words, to look at how HBSE knowledge complements
policy issues. The purpose of the HBSE curriculum is to develop an
understanding of human behavior that reflects the best available behavioral
science knowledge. With this knowledge, social workers can evaluate
whether social policies and social policy proposals reflect our contemporary
understanding of human behavior. A good HBSE course will also give
students conceptual tools for understanding policy making activities
as human behavior, and consequently, conceptual tools for influencing
policy.
Longres: I see these as links in a chain among social problems
and issues, research, theories to explain them, and policies as a
form of intervention that are ideally rooted in the findings of research,
that is, theories. Policy evaluation becomes a means to test theories
through more research. Perhaps the chain is circular: problem, research,
theory, intervention, evaluation, problem, research, etc.
Shriver: In my opinion, HBSE theories and policy issues not
only complement each other, they are integrally interrelated. All
too often this interrelatedness has not been recognized sufficiently
in the teaching of either HBSE or policy in the social work curriculum.
For example, there is significant data indicating the interrelatedness
of socio-economic status, race/ethnicity, and gender with health and
developmental outcomes for individuals. In HBSE, we need to be clearly
linking such policy-related issues as wages and income, health, institutional
racism, oppression, and sexism with theories of individual human behavior
and development. In policy, we need to be linking theories of human
behavior and development with social policies (or the lack thereof)
in areas such as poverty, racism, and sexism. As feminist scholars
have pointed out for some time, "the personal is political."
Zastrow: HBSE theories focus on how internal and external forces
impact humans. In analyzing social policy, it is imperative to have
an understanding of: a) how current policies affect the well-being
of individuals and groups, and b) how proposed changes in policies
will affect individuals and groups. HBSE theories provide theoretical
frameworks for predicting how proposed changes in policies will impact
people. It is essential that policy analysts and policy developers
have an in-depth knowledge of HBSE theories in order to improve social
policy.
ISP: What content
would you suggest for a new faculty person for the SE (social environment)
content in HBSE?
Hutchison:
First, and foremost, I would want new faculty to recognize that the
environment (both physical and social) is multidimensional, involving
many configurations. I would want them to become well-grounded in
current trends in the major social institutions, including the political,
economic, religious, family and kinship, educational, and health and
social welfare institutions. I would want them to understand contemporary
communities and formal organizations. Given social work's historical
and current commitment to social justice, I also think it is essential
for social work faculty and students to tap into the emerging literature
on social movements.
Longres: I believe we are in need of theories of the environment.
For all our attempts to put the "social" back in social work, we continue
to draw too heavily from psychology. We talk of "person in environment,"
but it is the person's perception of environment that attracts us.
We need theories of society, communities, groups, and families--to
understand these units as units in their own social (and physical)
environments. Our present fascination with culture is good, but we
need theories of culture that recognize that cultural capital is both
a risk and protective factor and that culture oppresses as much as
it enhances human behavior.
Shriver: I believe the "SE" component of HBSE is woefully underaddressed
in the ways we have traditionally delivered HBSE content. In a recent
paper on HBSE and Multiculturalism in the 21st century, I argued that
we should literally rename the HBSE sequence SEHB. In my opinion,
we need to begin with and make central theories related to the social
environment. Among these SE theories, we must include theories of
culture, society, and community. These theories must be addressed
in such a way that diverse worldviews about culture, society, and
community are given voice. I try to do this through inclusion of traditional
and alternative perspectives/paradigms about culture, society, and
community. In addition, I believe we must link these social environmental
basics to such policy initiatives and economic theories as assets
development, community renewal, social development, and social capital.
Zastrow: The social environment consists of all the influences,
conditions, and natural surroundings that affect the growth and development
of humans and other living things. A comprehensive assessment of content
that a new faculty person teaching a HBSE course should include is
beyond the scope of this space; however, I would suggest that the
course cover bio-psycho-social influences; culture; effects of racism
and sexism and other "isms;" knowledge of effects of groups, families,
organizations, and communities on human behavior; effects of housing
patterns; impacts of differing political philosophies; effects of
education, spirituality, and religion; and so on.
ISP: Is it beneficial
for social work educators to continue to distinguish between "individual"
change in behavior and "policy/macro" change in communities, states,
and societies? Why or why not?
Hutchison:
What social work needs is a framework for thinking about human behavior.
Recent developments in the behavioral sciences suggest that early
social workers, who valued perspectives on human behavior that recognized
the inseparability of person and environment, were on the right track.
Unfortunately, contemporary social workers practice in a highly specialized
world that makes a sharp distinction between occupations oriented
to personal change and occupations oriented to social change. We need
more HBSE teachers who can help students think multi-dimensionally,
even while working in specialized roles and specialized service sectors.
Social workers, so trained, can help forge new connections and new
ways of organizing change efforts.
Longres: Yes, I think it is. Both are central to social work
and equally important, but they are usually not linked together. Policy
change appears more central to concerns of justice while individual
change appears more distal. We are not as clear in explicating the
relationship between individual change and social justice, or when
we are--for example, individuals need to alter their drug use because
that is what keeps them mired in poverty--we don't like the explication.
Shriver: It might be useful to make this distinction if we
would more equally balance our attention to both individual and policy/macro
issues. More importantly, we must recognize and address the complex
interrelationships between the two arenas. To this point, I believe
we have not accomplished this essential task. In my book, for example,
the organization and community chapters are at the end of the book.
They appear after chapters on individuals, families, and groups. I
am not at all sure the order of the chapters shouldn't be reversed
with the larger system chapters (SE) presented first. Even more important
is the integration of macro/policy and individual content throughout
the "SEHB" sequence.
Zastrow: Yes. To fully understand human behavior, we have to
understand how "policy/macro" changes impact communities, states,
and societies. We also need to be aware that there are vast differences
in how individuals react to policy changes. A good example is the
enactment of the 1996 Welfare reform changes. This legislation is
producing major changes on the face of poverty in our society and
on organizations serving the poor. In addition, there are vast differences
in how former AFDC recipients are being individually affected by these
changes--the changes have been positive for some, and adverse for
others.
ISP: What practical
suggestions do you have for promoting the integration of HBSE and policy
content in social work courses?
Hutchison:
I would like to see "policy teachers" require students to analyze
the fit of existing and proposed policies with behavioral science
knowledge. And, I would like to see human behavior faculty routinely
require students to discuss the social policy implications of contemporary
theories and research. I would also like to see more conversations
between policy and human behavior faculty about the connections between
models of policy analysis and development, and theories of human behavior
in a given curriculum. Integration should not be solely the work of
the student.
Longres: The way I do it is by asking students--in their term
papers--to discuss implications for practice, programs, or policies.
However, this is unsatisfactory because most choose practice. I also
attempt to give examples of how theories of human behavior have been
used in the development of programs and policies--i.e., how educational
policies are often rooted in theories of human behavior or how group
facilitation is rooted in theories of leadership or how "Mobilization
for Youth" (a War on Poverty program) was rooted in theories of limited
opportunities.
Shriver: In order to achieve this integration, I believe we must
look beyond the social work (and the traditionally related sociology,
psychology, and anthropology) literature to such areas as public policy
and administration, global and area studies, community psychology,
women's studies, gay and lesbian studies, African and African American
Studies, Latino(a) Studies, Asian Studies, Native American Studies,
economics, business and management studies, as well as others. Many
of these disciplines are currently also searching for a balance between
understanding individual human behavior and the macro/policy issues
that so directly influence human behavior and developmental outcomes.
Zastrow: I think that HBSE courses should be a prerequisite for
at least the final social policy course. I believe that it is essential
that policy instructors have an in-depth knowledge of HBSE, so that
they can convey the connection between policy and HBSE to students.
An understanding of the integration of HBSE and policy will, in fact,
facilitate policy instructors being able to inspire social work students
to become excited about policy analysis and development.
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SPECIAL
INTERVIEW WITH MS. MARY ANDRU
Special Interview
with Ms. Mary Andrus, MSW, Director of Legislative Office of United
States Congressman.....john b donne of (I will fill in here)
ISP: If you
were to give advice to a social work student today about considering
a career in policy or politics, what would you say?
Andrus:
I believe that working in a policy position or in a political office
dealing with policy questions is a logical extension of the pursuit
of social change. I would say that this work is not "out of the field,"
but is one of the key ways that a social worker can engage in the process
of change for individuals and organizations in our communities. I would
say we need as many bright, committed, and creative social workers doing
what social workers do at the policy level as we can muster. Who better
to help define policy than people convinced that individuals and whole
communities can grow and change when given the proper attention?
ISP: What different
tasks do you do as someone involved with legislative matters on a daily
basis?
Andrus:
A good portion of my time is spent talking with constituents and organizations
about their concerns, positions on issues, or problems and relaying
them to the Congressman. These issues can range from whether abortion
should be legal or federally funded to whether Medicare should provide
prescription coverage to elderly Americans to how it would be paid for
and what role the federal government should play in public education,
just to mention a few. To be equipped to provide the best information
and to represent my boss, much of my time is invested in learning about
the issues through reading a wide range of material from all view points,
going to briefings, and meeting with organizations that seek particular
changes in legislation.
ISP: Can you
recall an incident where your social work education and skills made
a difference in your legislative work?
Andrus:
Our Washington, D.C. office received a call from a very irate constituent
whose father was hospitalized after surgery for a broken hip. She had
been told that Medicare would no longer pay for his care in the hospital
after a certain date, and she was outraged that this federal program
would "throw a tax payer out of the hospital" when it was very clear
he couldn't go home. I spoke with her for a long time, letting her vent
until she calmed down, and then she began to cry. Through the discussion,
she finally said that the real problem was she could not take care of
him and was afraid to tell him he needed to consider nursing home placement.
She had raised none of this with the hospital social worker, but directed
all her anger, obviously based in her fear and sadness, at our office
- the source of the Medicare program. We then were able to talk about
other community resources for home care, assistance from the hospital
social worker in talking with her father, support groups for adult care
givers, and where to get information on nursing homes in her area. She
was calmer and had an action plan when we got off the phone. The hard
thing is -- I never heard the outcome!
ISP: Why should
social work faculty and students participate regularly in the legislative
arenas?
Andrus:
Social work faculty and students are people who are engaged and active
in the field itself. They have much to share with legislators about
the needs of individuals and organizations in their communities. They
are often the ones who see where programs are not meeting the needs
of individuals or where policy decisions are not bringing about the
desired outcomes. They can shed light on how programs work or not as
the case may be. This information is invaluable to legislators who debate
programs and their funding. Because of the interest and commitment of
students and faculty, social work programs are incubators for ideas
about how the world ought to work. That is a perspective that legislators
should never overlook nor underestimate.
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FACULTY LIAISONS
Recent
ISP Liaisons-in-action: Dee Gamble, ISP Liaison, coordinated student
volunteers at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work in
response to the worst hurricane (Floyd) on record. Students helped families
sort out salvaged belongings, parceled out donated clothing and food,
and did outreach to isolated neighborhoods. Outstanding advocacy, Dee!
Influencing
State Policy is making a difference at the University of Guam. Vivian
L. Dames, ISP Liaison, has incorporated the video into classes and shown
it at a western Pacific regional conference. Due to her efforts, there
is now a field placement in the Guam Legislature, and NASW's Delegate
Assembly established a Guam NASW chapter this year. And a faculty member
is traveling to the APM of CSWE in New York City! Congratulations!
Tony Parnell,
ISP Liaison at Lubbock Christian University in Texas, has adopted "Policy
Affects Practice Daily and Directly" as the mission and purpose
statement of his course on social welfare policy. He also introduced
ISP to the NASW-TX PACE Board during the fall and got a favorable response.
Excellent work!
Karen Neuman,
ISP Liaison at Madonna University in MI, reports that NASW-MI is collaborating
with the Association of Michigan Baccalaureate Social Work Educators
in sponsoring a Legislative Day in East Lansing on March 30. Each social
work program is expected to bring a BSW student to the planning sessions,
enhancing student participation in the rally day.
ISP continues
to develop a national network of faculty liaisons who implement critical
tasks. Without this support, the mission and goals of ISP cannot be
attained. Each social work educational program (494) has been invited
to assign one or more faculty members to serve as its liaison to ISP.
Any faculty member is eligible and the committee asks only for a commitment
to the following: 1)willingness to distribute information about ISP
goals and activities to students and other faculty; 2) readiness to
respond to questions about ISP, its projects and plans from others;
and 3) agreement to respond to an annual survey regarding successes,
failures, changes, and/or planning options. To date, approximately 361
liaisons have agreed to be active links to the committee. Their universities
and liaison names are published on the committee website at www.statepolicy.org/
If there is no liaison appointed at your program, consult your Dean/Director
or call Dr. Robert Schneider, National Chairperson, 804.828.0452.
During the current
academic year, all liaisons are asked to focus their efforts on the
following strategies and goals in order to promote the mission of ISP:
Strategy #1:
Promote participation in STATE POLICY PLUS THREE.
Goals: Make
STATE POLICY PLUS THREE a course requirement. Secure a minimum of 1
entry from each of 494 educational programs. Ensure 2,000 student visits
to state legislatures. Show the video, Making A Difference: Influencing
State Policy. Distribute copies of the previous winning contest projects
and assignments to faculty and students. (See website)
Strategy #2:
Promote the visibility of ISP in your area.
Goals: Require
students to use the website, www.state policy.org/ Make presentations
at local, state and regional conferences Contact NASW chapters locally
and/or PACE committees Meet with faculty colleagues and distribute ISP
programs Ask field instruction dept. to support students in ISP activities
Distribute newsletter, INFLUENCE, widely. (Duplicate it or ask for
more copies.)
Below are listed
other TACTICS that liaisons are encouraged to try in order to promote
faculty and student participation in state-level policy-making. Experience
indicates that three main points of entry can lead to
a successful campaign to promote participation: faculty requiring
students to enter the national contest as a course requirement; clear,
expressed sanction from top school or departmental administrators; and
distribution of materials and examples to faculty that readily assist
them in course preparation, provide content on state policy, and offer
ideas to field instructors.
1. Ask your Dean
or Director to make announcements by memo or at meetings about the committee's
mission and the national contest. Their support is very crucial for
promoting participation.
2. Use the national
contest and student projects as applied ways to inject policy and macro
content into field practica and agency assignments. Such projects are
ready-made assignments for busy field instructors.
3. Announce by
email or memo to your colleagues and students that you are the LIAISON
for the committee at your school or department.
4. Make extra copies
of the newsletter, INFLUENCE, and distribute to all faculty and students.
5. With a computer/projector,
invite faculty and students to a presentation of our website. This meeting
will introduce participants to the Committee's mission and you can illustrate
the number of resources available to them. [www.statepolicy.org]
6. Show the video,
Making a Difference: Influencing State Policy, to faculty, students,
community social workers, recruitment efforts, etc.
7. Distribute a
sheet of sample student projects to class sections. See the website.
8. Invite a selected
group of faculty to a special meeting in order to ask for their ideas
and recommendations about incorporating the contest or state policy
content into courses. This will increase a sense of ownership on their
part.
9. Identify faculty
representing all or many areas of the curriculum to a meeting in order
to show them how state policy can be a part of their instruction. E.g.,
HBSE, research, direct or clinical practice, social justice, macro practice,
field instruction.
10. Sponsor a local
school version of the national contest among students. If a group of
students can discuss ideas and see others involved in a project, it
may increase overall participation.
11. Meet with the
leaders of student associations to explain the contest. Ask to attend
a general meeting of the association to provide more details.
12. Attempt to
incorporate the contest and state policy content into existing events,
structures, assignments and program activities. Rallies, retreats, forums,
panels, guest speakers, alumni gatherings, school newsletters, field
agency fairs, etc.
13. Distribute
national contest flyers to each faculty member or at faculty meetings.
14. Send in a copy
of the contest flyer to your local or state chapter of NASW.
15. In your program's
curriculum committee, build support for a review of course content on
state policy in course syllabi.
16. Distribute
the Committee's Rationale handout to faculty and students in
order to provide them with the significance of the projects and content.
17. Identify local
agencies that are involved in lobbying or influencing state policy and
explore the development of field placements for students with them.
These may be new agencies for the program to consider for practica.
State chapters of NASW are excellent opportunities as well as other
organizations such as NAMI state chapters.
18. Recommend to
students that they volunteer to work in an upcoming political campaign.
19. Using former
graduates of your program, plan a seminar for students and faculty that
focuses on the impact of social policy on social work practice.
20. Distribute
individual copies of the national contest flyer to students by giving
colleagues sufficient copies to pass out in their class sections.
21. With other
social work educational programs in the state, plan a rally day for
social workers at the state capitol or during the state legislative
session.
22. Invite state
legislators who are social workers or who support human service
priorities to your program for an opportunity to speak formally or informally
with them and to recognize them for their efforts.
23. Offer to speak
briefly in colleagues' classes about the projects, contest, or committee.
24. Share newspaper
or journal articles with colleagues on issues about state policies.
25. Invite students
to a brown bag lunch session in order to talk with them (BSW, MSW, Ph.D.)
about the contest or projects in which they may be interested.
26. Be sure to
give to faculty the address to the committee's website and suggest that
they include it on their course syllabi each semester. [www.statepolicy.org]
27. Design a state
policy project or initiative that includes the field instructor and
the student.
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FACULTY ASSIGNMENTS
Dr. Ron Green from
Winthrop University in South Carolina gave us permission to feature
three parts of an assignment that he uses successfully with his students
prior to the spring legislative session: a BSW policy analysis and position
paper assignment; meetings with General Assembly Members; and a follow-up
letter & memo. [Course text: Segal, E.A. and Brzuzy, S. (1998). Social
welfare policy, programs, and practice. Itasca, IL: Peacock Press.]
Policy
Analysis & Position Paper
Overview:
The major writing assignment is drafting a formal social welfare policy
analysis and position paper (10-12 pp.) related to a bill affecting
social policy currently before the General Assembly or a proposal for
new legislation. This can include such areas as, but not limited to,
abortion, affirmative action, child abuse, corrections, domestic violence,
food stamps, foster care, juvenile justice, or mental health. It is
expected that the student will review the NASW position on the policy
issue as articulated in Social Work Speaks.
The
paper should use the following outline and section headings:
Status
of the legislation: If you are dealing with a current bill:
Give the bill
title and number
Identify the chief sponsor and any co-sponsors
Outline recent legislative action & the bill's current status.
If you are suggesting new legislation:
Identify where this new law should be placed in state statute(s).
Address the following
by using the Segal and Brzuzy (1998) text on p. 66:
The social problem
The goals driving the policy response
The policy/legislation proposed
What implementation is expected
What populations are affected
What is the intended impact
Position Statement:
using the Segal and Brzuzy (1998) text on p. 255:
Present your
position on this policy.
Present data and arguments supporting your position.
Meeting
with General Assembly Members
Directions:
Determine if there are others in the class who have the same state representative
or senator and try to coordinate your meeting time with them. Then,
email or phone your state representative or senator and make an appointment
to meet with him/her. As soon as you have an appointment, inform the
instructor in writing. When you meet with your representative, share
with him/her the material from your position paper and leave a copy.
Follow-up
Letter & Memo
Directions:
Prepare and send a letter to your representative thanking them for
their time and addressing any issues raised about the legislation analyzed
in your position paper. Submit a copy to the instructor. Provide also
a memo to the instructor indicating whom you met and what their general
position on the legislation was.
For
additional Faculty Assignments and State Policy Plus contest winning
entries, visit the ISP website at www.statepolicy.org/
and click on Faculty
Assignments.
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STATE POLICY DIFFERENCES
Listed below
are examples furnished by ISP liaisons and friends about how states
are establishing their own priorities and shaping social policies to
fit them.
Illinois low-income
families continue to live in poverty despite the TANF program. These
results came from a state-wide survey, a collaboration among the Chicago
Urban League, the Work, Welfare, and Families Coalition, and the University
of IL Center for Urban Economic Development. http://news.excite.com:80/news/pr/000117/IL-work-welfare-survey.
In Pennsylvania,
a state superior court ruled the right to child support belongs to the
child alone and cannot be superseded by agreements between parents meant
to let one parent avoid paying support.
Six (6) cents out
of every dollar going to the states this year and next under the national
tobacco settlement has been slated for health care. A total of $8.7
billion is coming to state coffers this year and next. A total of $206
billion will be spent ultimately. Michigan has designated about 75%
of its settlement for college scholarships. Alabama will use $50 million
to pay interest on bonds, $60 million on juvenile justice programs,
and $40 million on Medicaid health insurance. South Caroline steered
all tobacco money to the state's general fund. Virginia is spending
40% on highways. California may spend $560 million to pay the debts
of Orange county, the wealthy LA suburb that went bankrupt after speculating
in financial markets. New York City may spend $2.5 billion on new schools.
North Dakota may finance a trust fund for water projects.
Federal auditors
have discovered that states are illegally denying Medicaid benefits
to poor families being dropped from the welfare rolls. 40 states have
been investigated and names will be published next year.
In New York City,
the Guiliani administration proposes a policy that would allow officials
not only to deny shelter to homeless families who failed to meet work
requirements, but also to seek to place the children of anyone removed
from the shelters in foster care.
Governor Gray Davis
of CA announced a plan to make community service a graduation requirement
for students at the state's public universities and community colleges.
He also signed a bill to require hospitals to meet fixed nurse-to-patient
ratios in order to force higher quality care.
The Children's
Health Insurance Program of 1997 (CHIP) is intended to cover 5 million
uninsured children, but 80% of them are still uninsured. States have
used less than 25% of the money made available.
Michigan is striving
to become the first state to require urine tests of all new welfare
applicants and a random number of those receiving aid as well. Those
testing positive must enter treatment to keep receiving government checks.
NASW-CT is collaborating
with nearly every social work educational program in the state as well
as community agencies in a research study, "Who Works and What Works:
A Study of Low-Income Families in CT."
In Minnesota, the
number of parents receiving welfare benefits who are referred to education
or training programs dropped nearly 60% between March and August, 1999.
West Virginia has
about $100 million in unspent TANF funds. The state health department
is requesting some of the funds for dental care.
In Washington state,
HB 2362 has been introduced to deal with the problem that 31 out of
39 counties in the state have no insurance carriers offering coverage
to individuals.
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EXCERPTS FROM
Schneider, R. L.
and Lester, L. (pub. date: 2000). This is social work advocacy!
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole/Wadsworth. From Chapter 7: Legislative Advocacy
........Policy
briefs are one or two-page documents that provide a detailed set
of arguments on both sides of a question with supporting evidence (Richan,
1996; Segal and Brzuzy, 1998). A policy brief comprises an analysis
of existing law, clear statement of the problem, new proposals and points
of view, rationale for changing existing policy, specific recommendations,
and the likely objections to the new proposal (Jansson, 1999; Kaminski
and Walmsley, 1995). Armed with this brief, advocates can confidently
argue a case for a new proposal or effectively oppose existing laws.
Richan (1996) proposes
that a policy brief is made of a series of arguments based on the following
four questions:
1. Is there a need for a change?
2. Will the proposed plan or proposal meet the need? How will it improve
things?
3. Is the plan feasible? Cost or constitutional questions often arise
here.
4. Would the proposed benefits of the plan outweigh any harmful or unintended
consequences?
If advocates prepare policy briefs using these questions, it will take
an equally effective counter-proposal to stop it.
-Richan (1996)
suggests that advocates think of the brief as a resource paper rather
than a document to circulate among policymakers, unless one wants to
share it with friendly legislators.
-Build the policy brief from the general to the specific. Background
information should be brief and accurate.
-Put together as complete and thorough case as possible and then attack
your own case by raising objections and then rebutting them.
-The policy brief should help advocacy groups unify and present a consistent
message to legislators, based on the same facts and arguments.
Jansson, B. S.
(1999). Becoming an effective policy advocate: from policy practice
to social justice. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Kaminski, L. and
Walmsley, C. (1995). The advocacy brief: a guide for social workers.
The Social Worker, 63, 53-58.
Richan, W. C. (1996).
Lobbying for social change. NY: Haworth Press.
Segal, E. A. and
Brzuzy, S. (1998). Social welfare policy, programs and practice.
Itasca,IL: F.E. Peacock Publishers.
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PILOT PROJECTS
NASW-NC's Myrna
Miller, MSW, JD, ran a pilot program for ISP last year, connecting programs
in social work education with her efforts as the Director of Government
Relations of the state NASW chapter. These results are reported in
Influence 3, 2, p. 14. Recently Myrna organized an advocacy conference
and ISP believes that others would benefit from a brief overview of
the conference program.
"People,
Policy & Practice"
January 29, 2000
Charlotte, NC
After
the usual registration and opening remarks, three workshops were open
for participants from 9:10 to 10:25 AM: 1)Getting the Media's Attention;
2)Community Solutions to Violence; and 3)Adolescent Health: Who Decides?
Following a break, three additional workshops were offered from 10:40
to 11.55 AM: 1) Mental Health Advocacy for 2000; 2)HIV/AIDS: Ethical
and Practical Advocacy; and 3)Working with Elected Officials.
A
luncheon from noon til 1:10 PM included a panel on Effective Community
Responses to Challenges Facing our Educational System.
In
the afternoon, three more workshops were conducted from 1:15 to 2:30:
1)Using Film for Social Justice; 2)Making the Most of Managed Care;
and 3) Faith and Advocacy. Following a break, three additional workshops
were offered from 2:45- 4:00 PM: 1)Building a Community Agenda for Children;
2) Connecting with Campaigns in 2000; and 3) Overcoming Stereotypes
for Effective Advocacy with Hispanic/Latino Populations.
Effective
collaboration took place and provides a model for others. UNC Charlotte
Social Work Program hosted the conference. North Carolina A & T, the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro Joint Master of Social Work
Program, and the University of North Carolina University at Chapel Hill
School of Social Work all served as sponsors.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acs, G. and Gallagher,
M. (1999). Sources of support and income inequality among America's
children. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. www.urban.org
Bell, S. H. (1999).
New federalism and research: rearranging old methods to study-new
social policies in the states. Paper 99-08. Washington, DC: Urban
Institute. www.urban.org
Burt, M. Aron,
L., Douglas, T., Valente, J., Lee, E., and Iwen, B. (1999). Homelessness:
programs and the people they serve--findings of the national survey
of homeless assistance providers and clients. Washington, DC: USD
of Housing and Urban Development.
Danziger, S.
H., Ed. (1999). Economic conditions and welfare reform. Upjohn Institute
for Employment Research. ????
Independent
Sector. (1999). Nonprofit lobbying guide, 2nd ed. www.indepsec.org/clpi/.
Johns Hopkins
School of Public Health and the Center for Health and Gender Equity.
(1999). Violence against women. www.jhuccp.org/pr/l11edsum.stm
Marsteller, J.
and Bovbjerg, R. R. (1999). Federalism and patient protection: changing
roles for state and federal government. Paper #28. Washington, DC:
Urban Institute. www.urban.org/
McAuley Institute.
(1999). Women creating social capital and social change. Order by
phoning: 301.588.8110.
Sawhill, I. (1999).
Children in cities: uncertain future. Report from the Brookings Institute.
www.brookings.org/es/urban.sawhill.pdf
Wills, G. (2000).
A necessary evil: a history of American distrust of government. NY:
Simon & Shuster.
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BOARD OF ADVISORS
- Ms. Nancy
Amidei, Senior Lecturer, University of Washington School of Social
Work
- Dr. Darlyne
Bailey, Dean and Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Mandel
School of Applied Social Sciences
- Dr. Ruth
Brandwein, Professor, State University of New York at Stony Brook
School of Social Welfare
- Ms. Alison
Campbell, Student, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Dr. Ronald
B. Dear, Professor, University of Washington School of Social
Work
- Mr. David
Dempsey, Political Affairs Associate, National Association of
Social Workers
- Dr. Diana
Dinitto, Cullen Trust Centennial Professor, University of Texas
at Austin School of Social Work
- Dr. Leon
Ginsberg, Carolina Distinguished Professor, University of South
Carolina College of Social Work
- Dr. Lorraine
Gutierrez, Professor, University of Michigan, School of Social
Work
- Dr. Karen
Haynes, President, University of Houston at Victoria
- Dr. Nancy
Hooyman, Dean and Professor, University of Washington School of
Social Work
- Dr. Bruce
S. Jansson, Professor, University of Southern California, School
of Social Work
- Dr. Alice
Johnson, Treasurer of ACOSA and Associate Professor, Case Western
Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
- Dr. Sheila
B. Kamerman, Centennial Professor for the Prevention of Children's
and Youth Problems, Columbia University School of Social Work
- Dr. F. Ellen
Netting, Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University School of
Social Work
- Dr. Jack
Sellers, University of North Alabama
- Dr. Michael
Sherraden, Professor and Director, Center for Social Development,
Washington University in St. Louis, George Warren Brown School
of Social Work
- Dr. Fernando
Torres-Gil, Professor, UCLA School of Public Policy and Social
Research
- Dr. John
Turner, Professor and Dean Emeritus, University of North Carolina
Scbool of Social Work National Chairperson,
- Dr. Robert
L. Schneider, Professor, Virginia Commonwealth Univ. School of
Social Work. 804.828.0452, Fax 804.828.6770. rschneid@saturn.vcu.edu
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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Please send your
name, address, phone number, fax number, email address and the annual
$25 membership/liaison fee payable to the: "National Committee"
to:
Dr. Robert
L. Schneider, Nat'l Chairperson
Virginia Commonwealth University
School of Social Work
P. O. Box 842027
Richmond, VA 23284-2027
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