Social Agency Policy

This text is a practical introduction to social welfare policy analysis and presentation at the local or community level. The book's focus on small-scale, locally oriented practice in human services is a unique feature in that most texts focus on grand scale and national policies, ignoring the power, reality, and necessity of policy practice at the agency, community, or inter-organization levels. Flynn also includes an integrated discussion about values and ethics.

This book provides students with the basic concepts of policy development and implementation that all social workers need to know.

Includes index

Explains how to analyze social policy and programs and how to design new programs or evaluate and improve existing ones. Analysis, evaluation and design of social policy and programs. Students of Social Work Policy or Social Work practitioners interested in learning more about the analysis, evaluation and design of social policy and programs.

Multi-agency working is a dominant characteristic of emerging policy and practice across the range of social care settings. While this challenging activity places considerable demands at both practice and policy levels, when done well, service users agree it offers enhanced service provision. When delivered ineffectively, it can be frustrating and disempowering. This stimulating introductory text explores the challenges and opportunities for social-work education and practice within the context of multi-agency working. It brings together leading experts from across a range of disciplines, including criminology, mental health, child protection, drugs and alcohol, and education, to give the reader insights into different social care settings. It includes perspectives of those using services as well as describing the relevant legal and policy context and offering an overview of key research findings and contains trigger questions and a recommended resources section within each chapter. With an emphasis on identifying learning that can inform future practice, this text will be an essential text for both qualifying and post qualifying social workers who will go on to practice in diverse and assorted settings.

Australian Social Policy and the Human Services contends that human service practitioners benefit from understanding the relationship between social policy, the human services and their own practices. In this comprehensive introduction to the subject, readers are encouraged to develop their policy literacy, or critical understanding of the development, implementation and evaluation of social policies. Part I explores the debates and organising principles of social policy and the human services. Part II focuses on the development and delivery of social policy, including its history, and a discussion of the Third Sector in Australia. Part III covers specific areas of social policy: income maintenance, employment, housing, health care, family and child care, and indigenous social policy. Emerging issues, such as globalisation and sustainability, are examined in Part IV. Each chapter features discussion points, exercises, case studies, further reading lists and links with the Australian Association of Social Workers Practice Standards (2013).

`This primer on the global politics of social policy ... is essential reading for students as well as others seriously interested in improving the human condition. Nuanced and critical, Deacon′s book offers a much needed and constructive guide to the complex supra-national debates over rights, regulation and redistribution impinging on social welfare all over the world′ - Jomo K.S., United Nations Assistant, Secretary-General for Economic Development `This book is very timely and addresses many issues that are en vogue at the moment. It relates social policy studies to other fields such as global governance and development studies and thus opens up new discussions in the subject area′ - Dr Antje Vetterlein, University of Oxford Global Social Policy and Governance offers an authoritative understanding of the way social policies at national and supra-national level are shaped in the context of globalisation. The book: " evaluates national social policies advanced by international organisations. " examines policies addressing global social redistribution, regulation and rights. " highlights the roles of global actors, including INGOs, consultants, think tanks, task forces and global policy advocacy coalitions. " explores the political obstacles to reforms in global social governance, " outlines the growing importance of global social movements. " presents arguments for more effective global and regional social policies. " is illustrated by case studies, further reading sections and a glossary. Global Social Policy and Governance will be an essential text for students of social policy, development studies and international relations. It will also be invaluable reading for those shaping social policies in international organisations and those in social movements seeking to influence them. Bob Deacon is Professor of International Social Policy at the University of Sheffield.

This text presents an action-strategy model of social change that social workers can use to impact the policy process at the agency level to benefit clients. Social workers must learn to advocate changes in policy at the agency level in order to benefit and empower consumers of social services. The action-strategy model will be useful for all social workers whether they are intervening at the agency level or at larger social systems such as regional or state levels. Value issues, ethical considerations, and diversity permeate every aspect of policy making, from formulation of the initial idea to implementation of a new policy. This book discusses values and diversity inherent in the agency policy change process, as well as how these relate to professional social work values.