Example Of Social Policy Paper

Burger (2018b) describes social policy as “guidelines, principles, legislation, and activities that affect the living conditions condusive to human welfare” (p. 273). Services workers use social policy to help people meet their needs. It addresses populations, choices, actions, and problems. Examples of social policies that are funded by government subsidies include food stamps, welfare, health care, and social security benefits. Social policies also include job training. Since the government funds most policies with limited funds, society choses which populations to help. The service worker must determine needs and may need to research a problem to prove a need and to gain community support. He or she may need to obtain data to provide evidence that the problem exists (Burger, 2018b). The goal of prevention in social policy is to stop a problem from occurring. Throughout history, people have attempted to prevent issues such as sickness, poverty, and starvation. For example, during the Middle Ages, the Church intervened in starvation by supplying nourishment to the sick and poor (Burger, 2018a). Starting in the 1960s, government preventive health programs for medical illnesses

A worker may conduct research to show evidence that a target population is experiencing higher than normal rates of lung cancer. Then, the worker may design a program to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. For example, a community center may train volunteers to inform parents about the effects of secondhand smoke. The volunteers may distribute educational brochures at the local community center, offer a free public workshop, or sponsor a radio service announcement. A strong policy based on facts and supported with good funding may prevent or decrease the rate of cancers. Local health care lobbying groups could explain the research findings to the local legislators and request