Policy Practice and Policy Analysis
In this class, we will talk about
 How government policies are connected to social work
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practice.
The social worker’s responsibility for developing new
policies and promoting changes in policies that are not
beneficial to clients, communities, or the profession of
social work.
How to analyze the content of policies.
How to examine the process of policy-making.
How to influence the policy-making process through
lobbying, the use of the media, policy analysis and
report writing, and electoral politics.
Textbooks for this Class are:
 Jansson, B. (2008). Becoming an effective policy
advocate: From policy practice to social justice (5th ed).
Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
 Chambers, D., & Wedel, K. (2005). Social policy and
social programs: A method for the practical public
policy analyst (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
 The reading list also includes articles posted on the
Internet and articles in the library’s Electronic Reserve
system.
Class Assignments
 Assignment #1: Internet Exercises on Analyzing Policy
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statements and positions
Assignment #2: Tracking Legislation
Assignment #3: Content Analysis of a Policy
Assignment #4: Advocacy Action Plan
Attendance
Note: Assignments 2,3, & 4 will focus on the state budget
recently proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Attendance: Attendance will be taken during each class.
Excused absences will be granted for reasonable cause
only if the instructor is notified in advance prior to the
absence. Points will be deducted from the student’s
attendance grade for unexcused absences.
Extra Credit Assignments are listed in the
course syllabus. For extra credit you can
write letters on policy issues to newspapers
or elected officials. You can also volunteer
for election work or develop a webpage on a
policy or political issue.
Methods of Instruction Include:
 Lectures
 Class Exercises
 Videos and Films
 Demonstration of Policy Analysis Techniques Using
the Internet
 Discussion of Current Policy Issues and Political
Processes
 Analysis of the State Budget
All course material can be found at:
http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~donnah
Jansson uses the terms policy practice and policy
advocacy in the book.
 In social work, the term “policy practice” is generally
used to indicate that advocacy for policy change is an
inherent part of social work practice.
 Can you think of how government policies have
affected what you can do in your internship?
Jansson uses these two terms
differently.
 He defines policy advocacy as: “Efforts to change
policies in legislative, agency, and community settings,
whether by establishing new policies, improving
existing ones, or defeating the policy initiatives of
other people” (p. 14).
 He defines policy advocacy as “policy practice that
aims to help relatively powerless groups………to
improve their resources and opportunities “(p. 14).
Some examples of policies that
affect social work practice.
 Social work licensure rules.
 Federal child welfare policies that give preference to
adoption and kinship care.
 5 year eligibility limit for TANF.
 Immigration laws.
 The requirement that reimbursement for mental
health services be based on a diagnosis from the DSMTR
Are these policies consistent
with social work principles and
values? Should they be?
What are some of the principles
that social workers believe
should be upheld by policies?
Do all social workers believe in
these principles?
One of the principles we will be
talking about in class is distributive
justice, the principle that resources
should be distributed equitably to
all people in society. Do you think
most resources in the U.S. are
distributed equitably? Why?
We can think of policies as a stew or a “garbage can” in which a
variety of things contribute to what the final policy contains. The
composition of the stew includes:
 Individual decision-makers.
 The political affiliations, ideological perspectives, and
vested interests of the people making the decisions.
 The historical, political, and economic context in which the
decision or policy is made.
 Previous legislation or judicial decisions.
 The power, influence, and vested interests of people
influencing the change.
 Who is voted into office and the likelihood that they will be
voted out of office because of the decisions they make.
 Public opinion and societal values.
 The power and influence of the media.
Much of the course will focus on
these factors and examine:
 The content of policies.
 The policy process.
 How politics and the media influence policy decision-
making.
 How social workers can influence the policy process.