Research Paper Assignment
Social Problems and Social Services 5-7 pages. Attach a separate reference page. Please review APA Manual or Purdue University OWL site for how to structure your reference page using the appropriate APA format.
Minimum of 4 references not including your book.
Topic:
• Prevention of Dating Violence
Current legislation on topics that NASW is monitoring or advocating for are listed at the NASW MI web site.
Use the questions and guidelines below to present your research. Apply the headings provided here to organize and structure your paper.
Introduction
• What is the social problem you have selected that deserves our society's attention for action and improvement? Explain it in a few sentences including using a scholarly definition of the problem with a citation from a professional source--not a dictionary.
• Tell the reader what the paper is about.
Populations Affected by [Your Social Problem Topic]
• Describe how the social problem exists today in terms of the populations that are primarily/most directly affected by this problem. E.g. social economic class, gender, age, race/ethnicity, regional, etc.
• Provide statistics about whom and how many people are affected by this problem today.
Consequences of [Your Social Problem Topic]
• How it is harmful and disempowering to people directly affected by the problem?
• What are the consequences to the caregivers/friends and family of affected persons, and the kinds of social and economic costs to the community and society at large (indirect consequences)?
Historical Perspectives on [Your Social Problem Topic]
• When were the first efforts that identified the social problem for the attention of the public and/or policy makers?
• What were the first organized social service responses to this problem to try to ameliorate or prevent it? When and how did the social work profession get involved?
• What social welfare policies have been created since the public identification of the problem to prevent or reduce the problem for individuals, families, groups, and communities? Make a list of them with brief sentences to describe what these policies were intended to accomplish for whom.
• Where are we now? What has been the cumulative level of success of these policies' approach to the problem so far, and its impact on the social problem? Is the problem adequately addressed by present social welfare policies and programs? Why or why not?
Current Social Welfare Policy Issues
• What are the current conflicting social values and beliefs concerning how the problem is defined, perceived, and/or understood (e.g. conservatives vs. liberal)
• What are some of the leading international, national, state, and/or local advocacy organizations that are working to end this problem now?
• What specific policies are they advocating should be proposed, revised, or possibly eliminated that will influence the ways social workers can address the social problem in the future? (Be as specific as possible regarding pending, proposed or actual legislation to address the social problem)
Summarize your most important insights and discoveries regarding needed improvements in social welfare policies to better resolve the social problem in the future.
• What priorities should be pursued?
• What action steps need to be taken by social workers of the proposed social changes for social justice with regard to this social problem?
Conclusion
• What did you discover in your research than you found promising or hopeful for clients who are affected by this problem and need quality services?
• What did you discover in your research that was disappointing about prospects for social workers helping more clients with effective services, sooner rather than later?
• What directions do social workers need to pursue in the near future to improve the quality and nature of the delivery services for this social problem?