The Policy-Based Profession

by Popple, Philip R.; Leighninger, Leslie

• ISBN13: 9780205186068
• ISBN10: 0205186068
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-04-01
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon

Summary

Social work practice takes place in accordance with policies large and small, such as federal public welfare legislation, state guidelines for Medicaid reimbursements, court orders removing abused children from their homes, etc. Few novice social workers have a good grasp of how to analyze and evaluate the policies that will affect their work. This book provides a detailed foundation for policy analysis and provides information on social policy as it affects each of the major areas of social work: poverty, aging, mental health, health, and child welfare.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
PART 1 Social Welfare Policy and the Social Work Progression	1	(34)
The Policy-Based Profession	3	(20)
The Target of Social Work---The Individual and Society	4	(3)
The Social Function of Social Work	5	(1)
The Dual Targets of Social Work	6	(1)
The Dominance of Micro Practice	6	(1)
Social Work's Pursuit of Professional Status	7	(10)
Social work Grew Out of Voluntarism	8	(1)
The Status of Women in American Society	8	(1)
Professionalism as a Social Movement	8	(1)
Professionalism and the Focus of Social Work	9	(4)
The Policy-Based Profession	13	(2)
Expert Technique	15	(2)
Summary and Practice Implications	17	(3)
Policy Determines the Major Goals of Service	18	(1)
Policy Determines Characteristics of Clientele	19	(1)
Policy Determines Who Will Get Services	19	(1)
Policy Specifies, or Restricts, Certain Options for Clients	19	(1)
Policy Determines the Theoretical Focus of Services	20	(1)
Conclusions	20	(1)
Notes	20	(3)
Defining Social Welfare Policy	23	(12)
Social Welfare Policy---Basic Definition	25	(1)
Factors Complicating the Definition of Social Welfare Policy	26	(7)
Social Welfare Policy and Social Policy	26	(1)
Social Welfare Policy as an Academic Discipline and a Social Work Curriculum Area	27	(2)
Social Workers Are Interested in Social Welfare Policy in All Sectors of the Economy	29	(1)
The Multiple Layers of Social Welfare Policy	30	(3)
Social Welfare Policy---A Working Definition	33	(1)
Notes	34	(1)
PART II Analyzing Social Welfare Policies	35	(100)
Policy Analysis Outline	35	(4)
Social Welfare Policy Analysis: Basic Concepts	39	(24)
The Many Meanings of Policy Analysis	40	(3)
Types of Policy Analysis	43	(14)
Descriptive Analysis	44	(8)
Process Analysis	52	(1)
Evaluation	53	(4)
Policy Analysis Approaches as Ideal Types	57	(1)
Policy Analysis as Science, Art, and Politics	57	(3)
Conclusion	60	(1)
Notes	60	(3)
Policy Analysis from an Historical Perspective	63	(2)
Historical Context of Social Welfare Policies	64	(9)
The Role of History in Understanding Policy	66	(2)
Examples of Policy History	68	(4)
Historical Analysis of Agency Policy	72	(1)
Methods of Policy History	73	(7)
The Benton Park Crisis Center	80	(3)
Notes	83
Social/Economic Analysis	65	(44)
Delineation of the Policy Under Analysis	87	(1)
Social Problem Analysis	88	(2)
Facts Related to the Problem	90	(9)
Completness of Knowledge Related to the Problem	90	(1)
Population Affected by the Problem	91	(1)
Siocial Values Related to the Problem	91	(7)
Racism, Sexism, and Related Group Superiority Themes	98	(1)
Contradictions in the American Value System	98	(1)
Goals of the Policy Under Analysis	99	(2)
Hypotheses Underlying the Policy	101	(1)
Economic Analysis	102	(4)
Macroeconomic Analysis	103	(1)
Opportunity Cost	104	(1)
Effects on Individual Consumer Behavior	104	(2)
Conclusion	106	(1)
Notes	106	(3)
Politics and Social Welfare Policy	109	(26)
The Politics of Policy Making	115	(2)
Models of Policy Making	117	(13)
Who Makes Policy?	117	(3)
How Are Policies Made?	120	(2)
Phases in the Policy Process	122	(8)
Conclusion	130	(1)
Notes	131	(4)
PART III The framework Applied	135	(218)
Welfare Reform	141	(38)
Historical Analysis	144	(8)
Recent Welfare Reform Efforts	150	(2)
Social Analysis	152	(12)
Problem Description	152	(1)
Population	153	(1)
Size	153	(1)
Cost	153	(7)
Relevant Research	160	(2)
Values and Welfare Reform	162	(2)
Economic Analysis	164	(6)
Macroeconomic Issues	164	(4)
Microeconomic Analysis	168	(2)
Evaluation	170	(3)
Conclusion	173	(2)
The Welfare System Is Not a Giant Failure	173	(1)
Welfare Is Not the Problem, Poverty Is and Problem	173	(1)
Realistic Welfare Reform is Possible, but not Likely	174	(1)
Public Assistance is a Social Condition, Not a Social Problem	175	(1)
Notes	175	(4)
Aging: Social Security as an Entitlement	179	(30)
The Problem that Social Security Was Developed to Solve	181	(1)
The Social Security Act of 1935	182	(2)
Historical Development of Social Security Programs in the United States	184	(8)
Precedents of the Social Security Act	184	(1)
Creation of the Social Security Act	185	(5)
Changres in Social Security	190	(2)
Contemporary Analysis of Social Security	192	(10)
Social Analysis	192	(5)
Political Analysis	197	(1)
Economic Analysis and Proposals for Reform	198	(4)
Conclusion	202	(2)
Notes	204	(5)
Mental Health: Managed Care	209	(40)
The Problem that Managed Mental Health Care Was Developed to Solve	212	(2)
The Costs of Mental Health Care	212	(1)
Incidence and Treatment of Mental Health Problems	213	(1)
managed Mental health Care	214	(11)
How Does Managed Mental Health Care Work?	218	(3)
Managed Care in an Agency Setting	221	(2)
Managed Mental Health Care in the Public Sector	223	(2)
The History of Managed Care	225	(3)
The Economics of Managed Care	228	(3)
Social Analysis of Managed Care	231	(3)
The Political Context of Managed Care	234	(3)
social Workers and Managed Care	237	(5)
Conducting PreAuthorization Reviews	238	(4)
Influencing the System	242	(1)
Interview with an Advocate	242	(1)
Coinclusion	243	(1)
Notes	244	(5)
Health: Medicaid and Medicare Changes	249	(24)
The Problem that Medicare and Medicaid Were Developed to Solve	251	(1)
The Health Needs of Poor and Older Americans	251	(1)
The Medicare and Medicaid Legislation of 1965	252	(1)
The Provisions of Medicare	252	(1)
The Provisions of Medicaid	252	(1)
The History of Medicare and Medicaid	253	(4)
Social Analysis of Medicare and Medicaid	257	(1)
Economic Analysis of Medicare and Medicaid	258	(2)
Political Analysis of Medicare and Medicaid	260	(7)
Proposald for Reform	267	(2)
Conclusion	269	(1)
Notes	270	(3)
Child Welfare: Family Preservation	273	(36)
Historical Analysis	277	(12)
The Child Rescue Movement	278	(1)
Social Work Takes Over	279	(2)
Child Abuse Becomes the Dominant Theme	281	(2)
Foster Care---From Solution to Problem	283	(4)
The Emergence of Family Preservation	287	(2)
Social Analysis	289	(1)
Problem Description	289	(6)
Politiczal Analysis	295	(2)
Economic Analysis	297	(1)
Policy/Program Evaluation	298	(3)
Current Proposals for Policy Reform	301	(1)
Conclusion	302	(2)
Notes	304	(5)
Conclusions: Lessons from Policy Analysis	309	(44)
The Bottom Line is the Bottom Line	310	(1)
Compassion and Protection: Dual Motivations for Social Welfare Policy	311	(1)
Ideology Drives Out Data in Social Welfare Policy Making	311	(1)
Policymakers Are Generally More Sophisticated Than They Appear	312	(1)
Our Expectations for Social Welfare Policy Are Unrealistic	313	(1)
Lower Your Expectations---Expect Change to Cost Much More Than Predicted	313	(2)
Creaming Is Ok	314	(1)
Don't Expect to Scrape the Bottom of the Barrel	314	(1)
Don't Allow the Best to Defeat the Good	314	(1)
Be Multi-Faceted But Not Holistic	315	(1)
Notes	315	(2)
Appendixes
A Library Research for Practitioner Policy Analysis by Lynn Tobola, M.L.S., Social Work Librarian, University of Alabama	317	(30)
B Historical Policy Analysis Research	347	(6)
Index	353