Understanding the policy landscape is critical to social work practice—but there is no definitive, one-stop guide to policy. To meet this need, you will create your own Policy Quick Guide throughout the remainder of the course, resulting in a practical tool for policies you may encounter.
In practice, social workers engage with many programs drawn from federal polices to serve their clients. Those policies then have state or local variations that affect program delivery. At your agency, you may need to make referrals to a governmental agency or a service in your community.
In this Assignment, you begin to compile a Policy Quick Guide to reference in your future field experiences and your practice. You also consider one unique characteristic or perspective in each Policy Quick Guide. This week, you identify one opportunity for change related to a policy of focus.