Problem:
Can you help me with these? I need help on how to reply to these discussions posts below: 1. At the macrosystem, the social worker diverts their attention from the client/individual to policy practice and advocacy. The goal would be to advocate for changes in society to prevent situations like Kayley's from happening to others again.
1. Advocacy for Food Security - lobbying for state/federal legislation that mandates free breakfast/lunch in all public schools, regardless of what title school they are, the funding they have, or local resources. Economic reformation - advocating for a livable minimum wage and easier access to unemployment benefits at the state level to ensure that when people lose their jobs, they are immediately set up with a financial safety net. Housing as a right - The three basic needs are food, shelter, and water. Social workers would be advocating for accessible housing to keep families/students from living on the street or in cars. It was extremely difficult for me to focus on one area. Since I began my education in social work, empathy has been wired into my brain. Since I am also working in the school system, I immediately thought about Kayley as one of my own students, and my empathy came out. Hearing about a homeless and hungry 7-year-old is disheartening. I want to immediately jump to fix the micro issue in front of me, which is helping Kayley. Focusing on macro needs is important, but the macrosystem is the big picture, and this process is incredibly lengthy. It required a shift in my mind from being the student advocate to the policy advocate. I learned that the macrosystem is the big picture. I think about it as the ceiling. In this case, the sky is not the limit. There is no federal law that states that meals and snacks at school are free, so the school cannot provide these services, and because of that Kayley is hungry. Without changes in the macrosystem and only changing the microsystem, the social worker is only pulling students out of the water without walking down the river to see why kids are falling in.
2. Exosytem interventions advocate for students and families in a way that does not directly affect them and their environment. Using the exosystem intervention, as a school social worker, instead of directly providing financial support to the family, I would collaborate with the student's insurance to identify government assistance programs that offer food and housing assistance. By using this intervention, it would allow me to indirectly reduce the overall stress in the family. Another intervention that would be helpful is advocating for meal assistance programs in and outside of schools, which indirectly addresses the students' and families' overall physical health. I believe that these interventions would help encourage positivity and provide stability in the home. This system level was not very hard to focus on because these interventions are very powerful and does not only help improve the overall well-being of the student but of the family as well. This intervention helped me learn the importance of educating yourself as a social worker on different policies programs that could help improve the environment of students in the communities that you work in. Need Assignment Help?