social work policy areas

pregnancy discrimination act (1978) (pregnant workers fairness act (2023))

• prevents discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace

• requires employers to provide reasonable accomondations to a worker’s known limitations unless it causes undue hardship

family and medical leave act

• employers with at least 50 employees must provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave to those who have worked full time for the past year in times of

  • birth, adoption, foster placement, seriously ill close relative, active military deployment

• must return employee to equivalent job’

  • funding through payroll taxes

temporary assistance for needy families

• originally aid to dependent children to support widowed mothers so they could remain at home to care for children

• 1994 came TANF

  • shifted from fully funded federal program to federal block grant which allows for state discretion and requirements

  • limited support to those with children for up to 5 years over a lifetime and included a work requirement

• temporary aid, short-term

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (1974)

• Shaped the nationwide system of governmental CPS in place today

• Federal funds to the states to improve their response to neglect, physical, and sexual abuse

• Provided federal definitons of child abuse and neglect

Older Youths Initiatives (OYI) Program

• Begins at 16 with transition to adulthood services at 17.5 for those expected to age out

• Extends foster care until age 21 & voluntary services until age 23

• Youth Connection Program helps to identify permanent supportive adult connections

• Purpose: independent living services, personal and emotional support

Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997

• Made childrens safety a top priority

• Established strict timelines for returning children to their parents or terminating parental rights

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

• Largest federal funding source for child care

  • Provides funding to states to help them administer child care assistance programs for low-income working families

• Formula for determining funding to ensure an equitable distribution of funds based on potential need in each state

Head Start

• Educational program for 3 and4 year olds with the goal of providing equitable early education experiences for children at-risk of poor school performance due to poverty

Child Find Programs

• Identify children who may have disabilities beginning at birth

• IDEA Part C provides guidance and funding for children 0-5 and mandates that states have programs within the community and work with doctors to identify developmental disabilities and provide early intervention services

• Spots set aside in Head Start programs for children with disabilites regardless of income

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

• Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records

• Gives parent and eligible students the right to inspect and request corrections to the records

• Requires the written permission to release personally identifiable information from the records

GI Bill

• Helps pays for education and training through programs like Post 9/11 and Montgomery GI Bills

• Can cover tution and fees, provide a monthly housing allowance, and offer a stipend for books and supplies

• Can be used for a wide range of options

• Specific benefits depend on the program and the person’s service history

Higher Education Act

• Main federal law governing financial aid for higher ed

• Provides student financial assistance to students through scholarships and work study programs, low-interest federal student loans, and Federal Pell Grants

• Aimed to strengthen colleges/universities by providing federal funding & support for their resources and programs

• Includes provisions to serve low-income and minority students and offer programs to help disadvantaged students succeed

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

• Set up to investigate and resolve complaints regarding discrimination

• EEOC can refer complaints to DOJ which can sue employer/union

Job Corps

• Ages 16-24 living in poverty & from disadvantaged backgrounds

• Provided housing, food, job training, and employment skills

• Exists today and is the largest free residential education and job training porgram for young adults

Unemployment Tax

• Provides funds to states to provide time-limited financial assistance to unemployed workers in the form of cash benefits and job service programs

Americans with Disabilities Act

• Protects people from discrimination because of disability

• Ensures equal opportunity and access

Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act (IDEA)

• Federal law that guarantees eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education

• Ensures they receive the special education and related services in the least restrictive environment

• Early intervention as well as evaluations of students to see if eligible, complete an IEP

Fair Housing Act

• Under Civil Rights Act of 1968

• Prohibited discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on disability

Social Security

• Provides income for retired workers, people with disabilities, and survivors of deceased workers

• Largest anti-poverty program for older adults

• Established a federal system of retirement benefits for older adults, providing continuing income to retired workers who paid into the system through payroll taxes

• Created federal aid to states for their own programs, which offered cash assistance to needy aged individuals who were ineligible for the federal benefits (SSI)

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) 

• 1967 - protect workers 40+ from employment discrimination based on age

• Important as more older adults work beyond traditional retirement age

• Employers cannot

  • Refuse to hire or promote based on age

  • Force early retirement

  • Publish job ads that specify age preferences

  • Deny training or benefits based onage

• 1990 amendments added protections against denying benefits of pressuring older adults to waive benefit rights

Family Caregiver Support and Paid Leave

• National Family Caregiver Support Program (2000) provides respite care and training for thoes caring for older adults

• Growing momentum for paid family and medical leave which would allow adult children or relatives to care for aging family members without losing income or job security

Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

• Intended to reduce inequalities in healthcare by requiring all US citizens and legal residents to have medical insurance

• Intended to hold insurance companies accountable, lower health care costs, gurantee more choice, and enhance the quality of care for all Americans

• Created the Marketplace to purchase insurance for those not covered through employers or Medicare/Medicaid

Medicaid

• Nation’s single largest social safety net program

• Part of the 1965 expansion of Social Security Act

• Jointly funded, state discretion

• Reimbursement rates (payments that providers receive in return for services) are lower than other insurance

• Shortage of providers and gaps in services

Veteran’s Affairs Health Care

• Largest health care operation in the country

• Largest employer of social workers in the nation

• Community based outpatient clinics, community living centers, domicilaries, vet centers

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act

• Recognizes that children are fundamentally different from adults

• Encourages alternatives to formal court processing

• Reduce reliance on incarceration for offenses that wouldn’t be cries for adults and utilize community services instead

• Requires states to measure disparities and take action to address them

Drug Abuse Prevention & Control Act

• Created a link between drug use and criminal justice policy

• Controlled substances act (CSA) and establishment of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

• Defined a wide range of criminal offenses

• Imposed rules on legitmate handlers

• Nationwide enforcement model

• Funded treatment, research, and prevention

Sentencing Reform Act of 1984

• Established the U.S. Sentencing Commission to create federal sentencing guidelines

• Abolished federal parole

• Goal was to create a more consistent and fair sentencing process and to reduce disparities

Illegal Immigration Reform & Immigration Responsibility Act (1996)

• Backbone of today’s enforcement system

  • Increased enforcement, expanded deportation grounds

  • Created mandatory detenion categories

  • Introduced 3 and 10 year bans for unlawful presence

  • Fast tracked deportations

Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (2004)

• Strengthened border security

• Created new grounds for inadmissibility and deportation

• Expanded and tightened visa requirements

• Increased the number of detention beds for immigration detention

• Broadened the definition of who could be deported linking immigration to national security more than ever before

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

• Protects qualifying individuals brought to the U.S. as children from deportation

• Provides work authorization but no pathway to citizenship

• Political vulnerable