Social Welfare Final Exam Quizlet

What is the mandate of policy practice in social work?

Policy practice in social work is based on the understanding that politics shapes who receives services, funding, and rights, so social workers engage in policy because it directly affects client access and outcomes.

What is Social (Welfare) Policy?

Social welfare policy refers to the laws, rules, and programs that structure how resources, services, and rights are distributed in society.

What is Policy Advocacy?

Policy advocacy is the process of changing laws, policies, or systems in order to improve conditions for vulnerable populations and promote social justice.

What are the 6 types of policy practice in macro social work?

1. Policy Analysis, 2. Legislative Advocacy, 3. Administrative Advocacy, 4. Coalition Building, 5. Public Education & Media Advocacy, 6. Institutional/Organizational Change

What is Policy Analysis?

Policy analysis is the process of conducting research on policies, evaluating their effectiveness, and assessing their impacts on individuals, communities, and systems.

What is Legislative Advocacy?

Legislative advocacy is the process of working with elected officials and policymakers to influence legislation through meetings, testimony, and coalition-based efforts.

What is Administrative Advocacy?

Administrative advocacy is the process of influencing how government agencies interpret, implement, and enforce policies in order to ensure more equitable program delivery.

What is Coalition Building?

Coalition building is the process of bringing together organizations, stakeholders, and affected communities to coordinate efforts and increase collective power toward shared policy goals.

What is Public Education & Media Advocacy?

Public education and media advocacy involve shaping public understanding and discourse through strategic messaging, campaigns, and media engagement in order to build support for policy change.

What is Institutional/Organizational Change?

Institutional or organizational change refers to efforts to improve practices within institutions such as schools, hospitals, or agencies in order to better serve communities, even when formal laws remain unchanged.

What are the 7 principles of policy advocacy (Kymberlyn Leary)?

1. Passion, 2. Perseverance, 3. Policies, 4. Partners, 5. Politics, 6. Patience, 7. Plan

What does Passion mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Deep personal commitment sustains advocacy through challenges.

What does Perseverance mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Policy change requires sustained effort over time.

What does Policies mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Master technical details and legislative mechanisms.

What does Partners mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Build coalitions—no one succeeds alone.

What does Politics mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Navigate power structures and understand stakeholder interests.

What does Patience mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Play the long game with realistic expectations.

What does Plan mean in the 7 principles of policy advocacy?

Strategic action beats reactive responses.

What are the strategic steps to support change (Conley & Jaffe, 2013)?

1. Identify the Problem, 2. Research the Issue, 3. Map Stakeholders, 4. Form a Coalition, 5. Create Fact Sheets, 6. Brand the Issue, 7. Launch Media Campaign, 8. Approach Officials, 9. Make Noise, 10. Monitor Progress

What does Identify the Problem mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Clearly define the issue affecting your community.

What does Research the Issue mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Gather data, precedents, and evidence.

What does Map Stakeholders mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Identify supporters and detractors.

What does Form a Coalition mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Include clients and affected communities.

What does Create Fact Sheets mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Develop clear, compelling materials.

What does Brand the Issue mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Craft memorable framing and messaging.

What does Launch Media Campaign mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Utilize traditional and social media strategically.

What does Approach Officials mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Meet with elected representatives and staff.

What does Make Noise mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Mobilize grassroots action and public pressure.

What does Monitor Progress mean in the strategic steps to support change?

Track outcomes and maintain accountability.

What are the 4 ways power shapes outcomes in policy advocacy?

Voice — not all voices are heard equally in policymaking

Institutions — committees, agencies, courts, and budgets shape what is possible

Resources — money, media access, expertise, and organized constituencies matter

Ideas — framing, narratives, and assumptions about deservingness influence support

What are the 4 ethical questions for social workers in policy advocacy?

1. Who is speaking, and for whom? Avoid speaking over directly affected communities. 2. How are stories being used? Protect confidentiality and avoid exploitation or tokenization. 3. What are the tradeoffs? Policies can help some groups while excluding or harming others. 4. What is our responsibility? Advocacy should align with social work values.

What does effective macro practice require?

Effective macro practice requires both political strategy and ethical accountability.

What is the welfare state?

A framework of public programs and institutions designed by the state to protect citizens from social risks and ensure the conditions necessary for a dignified life.

What are the core social risks addressed by the welfare state?

Poverty, Unemployment, Illness & Disability, Old Age, Food Insecurity, Housing Insecurity, Family Caregiving Burdens

What are the types of programs that make up the U.S. welfare state?

Social Insurance (Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance), Means-Tested Assistance (SSI, TANF, SNAP, WIC, Medicaid), Housing Support (Public housing, Section 8 vouchers, homelessness services), Family & Child Supports (Child welfare, child care subsidies, Head Start), Tax-Based Benefits (EITC, Child Tax Credit), Labor Market Protections (Minimum wage, workplace safety), Emergency/Disaster Relief (FEMA assistance, Disaster SNAP)

How is the U.S. welfare state structured?

The U.S. welfare state is fragmented across federal, state, and local levels and delivered through a mix of public (government) and private (civil sector, business) institutions.

What are the key features of the U.S. welfare state?

Uneven and fragmented rather than unified, mixes cash, services, tax credits, and regulation, some programs are universal-ish while others are means-tested, and access often depends on work history, income, age, disability, or family status.

What are the key tensions and questions of the U.S. welfare state?

Who is seen as "deserving"? Why are some needs publicly supported and others privatized? Why are some benefits visible while others are hidden in the tax code? Where do gaps remain?

What does understanding the welfare state mean for social workers?

For social workers, understanding the welfare state means understanding how society organizes care, risk, inequality, and public responsibility.

What are the 5 steps of the case study advocacy framework?

1. Identify, 2. Understand, 3. Stakeholders, 4. Position, 5. Advocate

What must you research before approaching a legislator?

Before approaching a legislator, advocates should research their voting history, campaign donors, constituent base, publicly stated priorities, and previous positions on the relevant issue.

What is a "hook" in policy advocacy?

The specific framing or argument tailored to the values and concerns of your target audience to motivate them to support your position.

What are the three lenses through which a policy can be framed?

Fairness, Fiscal Responsibility, Deservingness

What are the three elements of building a compelling argument?

A compelling policy argument combines strong data, appeals to core values, and human stories that illustrate the real-world impact of the issue.

What does Harness Human Stories mean in building a compelling argument?

Tell a story that puts a face to the statistics. Anecdotes don't replace data—they legitimate and humanize it.

What are the 5 key takeaways of macro practice and policy advocacy?

1. Policy is Integral, 2. Plan Strategically, 3. Know Your Audience, 4. Combine Data & Stories, 5. Persevere & Adapt

What does Policy is Integral mean as a key takeaway?

Social work is intrinsically linked to policy, which shapes resource distribution and justice outcomes.

What does Plan Strategically mean as a key takeaway?

Successful advocacy demands thorough research, stakeholder mapping, and building strong coalitions.

What does Know Your Audience mean as a key takeaway?

Tailor your arguments and "hooks" to align with the values and political landscape of your target audience.

What does Combine Data & Stories mean as a key takeaway?

Powerful advocacy blends compelling, evidence-based data with authentic human narratives to legitimate and humanize issues.

What does Persevere & Adapt mean as a key takeaway?

Policy change is a marathon, not a sprint—it requires patience, sustained effort, and continuous monitoring.What is the social work mission? Social work's stated purpose is to enhance human well-being and empower those who are vulnerable, oppressed, or living in poverty.

What is the reality of social work practice in terms of power?

In practice, social workers often hold significant statutory power over clients' lives, including the authority to remove children from homes, involuntarily commit individuals to psychiatric hospitals, and approve or deny critical benefits that families depend on for survival.

What is the goal of recognizing power and privilege in social work?

To recognize our power and privilege, and to give it away whenever possible through genuine empowerment—as a practice of redistributing decision-making authority to clients.

What is the Cycle of Socialization?

Based on Bobbie Harro (2013), the Cycle of Socialization is a framework that reveals how oppression becomes normalized and reinforced across generations by examining how we internalize and perpetuate systems of power.

What are the 5 stages of the Cycle of Socialization?

1. The Beginning, 2. First Socialization, 3. Institutional Socialization, 4. Enforcements, 5. The Choice

What is The Beginning in the Cycle of Socialization?

We are born into a world with existing power structures already in place—no choice in our social identities or starting positions.

What is First Socialization in the Cycle of Socialization?

Parents and family members teach us roles, norms, and expectations based on our identities.

What is Institutional Socialization in the Cycle of Socialization?

Schools, media, religious institutions, and other systems reinforce and legitimize these power dynamics.

What is Enforcements in the Cycle of Socialization?

Society rewards those who conform to expected roles and punishes those who challenge the status quo.

What is The Choice in the Cycle of Socialization?

Do we maintain the status quo and benefit from our privilege, or do we actively interrupt the cycle?

Why must social workers examine the Cycle of Socialization?

Social workers must critically identify where they and their clients sit within this cycle to practice ethically and effectively.

What was the historical case study of social workers facilitating injustice?

Based on Park (2008), following Executive Order 9066, over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in concentration camps, and social workers played a significant role in this massive human rights violation.

What was the context of the WWII Japanese American internment case study?

Executive Order 9066 authorized the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans based solely on their ancestry.

What role did social workers play in the WWII Japanese American internment?

Social workers were heavily involved in processing families into camps, managing logistics, and providing social services within the camps.

What was the rationale social workers used during the WWII Japanese American internment?

Social workers believed they were humanizing an inevitable process and helping families adjust to their new circumstances.

What is the lesson of the WWII Japanese American internment case study?

By focusing on "adjustment" rather than resistance or advocacy, social workers facilitated a massive human rights violation. Good intentions do not erase the impact of complicity in oppressive systems.

What is Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP)?

Based on Curry-Stevens, Burke & Harrison, Anti-Oppressive Practice offers a framework for acknowledging power imbalances and actively working to reduce them. Unlike traditional approaches that position social workers as neutral experts, AOP demands ongoing self-reflection about how we use our power.

What are the 4 principles of Anti-Oppressive Practice?

1. Full Participation, 2. Egalitarian Language, 3. Alternative Healing, 4. Just Relationships

What is Full Participation in Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Service users must be positioned as full participants in all decisions, not merely recipients of our expert interventions.

What is Egalitarian Language in Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Our language must be respectful, accessible, and empowering—avoiding jargon that reinforces professional hierarchy.

What is Alternative Healing in Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Actively encourage and validate alternative healing perspectives, including cultural and spiritual approaches outside Western medical models.

What is Just Relationships in Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Move from traditional "Expert/Client" dynamics toward genuine partnerships where power is shared.

What is the lesson of Vignette #1 - The School Social Worker?

Even well-intentioned, "therapeutic" interventions can be oppressive when imposed top-down without genuine client self-determination and participation in decision-making.

What are the 3 critical power analysis questions from Vignette #1?

1. Did you ask the students if they wanted a group, or did you assume you knew what they needed? 2. Did you consider the visibility factor—does pulling students out of class publicly identify them as "victims" or "problems"? 3. Who benefited from this intervention—did it serve the students' needs or help you feel like you were "doing something"?

What is the tension illustrated in Vignette #2 - Child Welfare?

This vignette illustrates the impossible tension social workers face: we simultaneously embody both oppressive state power and protective advocacy. There is no "right" answer that eliminates this contradiction.

What are the arguments for removing the child in Vignette #2?

Protecting the child's immediate physical safety, stopping ongoing violence and trauma, fulfilling the legal mandate to prevent harm, potentially saving the child's life, and creating space for healing and intervention.

What are the arguments against removing the child in Vignette #2?

Breaking up the family unit, traumatizing the child through separation, punishing the mother for her own victimization, exercising state power over a vulnerable family, and potentially causing long-term attachment disruption.

What is Structural Competency?

Based on Chambers & Ratliff (2019), structural competency represents a shift from focusing solely on individual choices and cultural differences to examining the systemic barriers that constrain people's options and create inequality.

What is the difference between cultural competency and structural competency?

Cultural competency focuses on understanding individual traits and customs, while structural competency recognizes how systems create and maintain inequality.

What does reframing "Failure to Protect" mean in structural competency?

Rather than viewing a mother's inability to leave an abusive situation as a personal failing, structural competency asks whether it is the predictable result of inadequate domestic violence resources, a lack of safe emergency housing, and economic systems that trap women in dangerous situations.

What does structural competency demand in terms of intervention?

Structural competency demands we address the lack of safe housing, economic security, and community support systems—not just punish individuals through child removal.

What happens when we pathologize individual behavior without examining structural constraints?

We become agents of oppression disguised as helpers.

What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary clients in terms of power dynamics?

Voluntary clients choose to seek services but the social worker still holds "expert" power through credentials and the ability to diagnose and make recommendations. Involuntary clients are legally mandated to participate, and the social worker holds the power to report compliance and make recommendations affecting custody or freedom.

What is the risk with voluntary clients?

Assuming voluntary participation equals equal power.

What is the ethical challenge with involuntary clients?

How do we practice self-determination when the client is legally mandated to be there? Can empowerment exist within coercion?

What is positionality?

Positionality refers to our own social location and how it shapes our worldview, assumptions, and access to power. It isn't static—it shifts across different contexts and relationships.

What are the 4 components of positionality?

1. Social Identities - race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexuality, ability, citizenship status, and other identities that grant or deny privilege. 2. Professional Role - the authority embedded in your title, credentials, and institutional backing. 3. Institutional Power - the systems and structures that legitimize and enforce your decisions. 4. Relative Power - how your positionality compares to your clients' in each specific interaction.

Why is examining positionality important?

Examining positionality isn't about guilt—it's about developing the self-awareness necessary for ethical, effective practice. When we fail to examine our own power, we risk unconsciously replicating the very oppression we claim to fight against.

What is Intersectionality?

Based on Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989), intersectionality is a framework that provides a lens to understand how various forms of inequality intersect and exacerbate each other, creating unique experiences of oppression.

What is the framework of intersectionality?

Social identities such as race, class, gender, ability, and citizenship status do not exist in isolation. Instead, they overlap and interact, leading to complex, compounding modes of discrimination and privilege that shape individuals' lived realities.

What does moving past the "additive" approach mean in intersectionality?

Oppression is not simply a sum of individual biases (e.g., racism plus sexism). The intersection of multiple identities creates a distinct experience of systemic vulnerability that cannot be fully understood through single-axis analyses.

What are the implications of intersectionality for social work practice?

Assessment: Ignoring intersectionality leads to inaccurate assessments of client barriers, as identities like poverty, race, or gender are inseparable components of their experience. Blind Spots: Interventions not designed with an intersectional lens often fail to protect the most vulnerable members within marginalized groups, perpetuating inequities.

What happens when we treat identities as isolated silos?

It masks the true complexity of our clients' and our own lived experiences and limits our ability to practice genuine structural competency.

What are the 6 strategies for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

1. Transparency, 2. Shared Decision-Making, 3. Advocacy, 4. Accountability, 5. Continuous Learning, 6. Collective Action

What is Transparency as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Be explicit about your power and authority. Don't hide behind professional distance or neutral language. Name what you can and cannot do.

What is Shared Decision-Making as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Whenever possible, involve clients as equal partners in assessment, goal-setting, and intervention planning. Their expertise about their own lives matters more than your textbook knowledge.

What is Advocacy as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

When structural barriers harm your clients, use your professional platform to advocate for systemic change—not just individual coping.

What is Accountability as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Seek supervision, engage in peer consultation, and remain open to feedback—especially from those with less power than you.

What is Continuous Learning as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Stay educated about systems of oppression, historical injustices, and emerging frameworks for liberation. Your education doesn't end at graduation.

What is Collective Action as a strategy for Anti-Oppressive Practice?

Join with communities, organizing efforts, and social movements. Real change happens through collective power, not individual casework alone.