Assignment: Final Project Milestone 3: Social Advocacy Proposal

Writing a proposal that functions as a focus of change is a significant part of being a social worker and policy advocate. The proposal is your opportunity to use your advocacy skills to change and improve the lives of others by influencing decision makers.

For this Assignment, you write a proposal for some form of social advocacy that will seek to change a social, organizational, or legislative policy. The proposal may also involve advocacy for the amelioration of a social problem. The purpose of this assignment is to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan how you will advocate for changing a social problem or policy that is of interest to you. The policy and advocacy practice can take whatever form you wish and can be on one or more of the following levels: agency, community, or state.

To Prepare:

· Read Chapter 8 of the Jansson text. 

· Selected at least five sources to support your advocacy proposal. The sources may be related to specific consequences of the social problem, issues related to the policy, or steps for advocacy.   

Submit a 2- to 3-page proposal that addresses the following: 

· Provide a brief synopsis of the social problem you selected in Week 2. 

· Provide a brief synopsis of the policy you selected in Week 4. 

· Explain your selection of a policy—why, as a policy advocate, did you select this specific policy to promote change regarding the social problem?  

· Identify the person or group who enacted the policy and explain their motivation or reason for advocating for this policy. How does the reason differ from your own advocacy and change goals? 

· Describe the ways in which the policy impacts the populations and discuss the consequences—intended and unintended. Hint: Build on your answer to the following part of your Week 4 Assignment: 

· Explain how this policy affects clients you might see in a clinical setting and why, as a clinical social worker, it would be important to advocate for change.

· Describe your initial work to change the policy (i.e., plan for social advocacy).