human services paper
This semester, you can explore the following areas:
• policies and programs for the elderly
• policies and programs for children
• policies and programs for veterans
Within each of these areas, you will pick a specific policy and the programs that have emerged from those policies and examine its evolution in two historical periods, (1) the period when the policy was first initiated and (2) the present.
You are encouraged to narrow your topic so that your research and writing is more focused. For example, if you write about policies directed at children, you could focus, for example, on foster care, or care and protection, or after school programs, or child health, etc. You would choose one specific set of policies and examine (1) when the policies were developed and the programs that emerged at the time to implement it AND (2) the policies that guide our approach to that social welfare area IN THE PRESENT and the programs that exist today to implement them.
Your paper should be about 8 pages long and address the following:
(1) a statement about the social policy area you selected.
(2) discuss the historical time in which this policy area emerged in the U.S.
a. discuss how this policy area was identified as a “need” and which sector of society was determined to be in need of the services provided by this policy or program.
b. discuss the social perception at the time of which sectors of society are responsible for meeting these needs –the individual (or their family), the government or public sector, the private or voluntary sector (such as Church and community groups).
(3) Focusing on the policy area you chose, discuss the status of those policies in the present time. Discuss how need is determined today. Discuss also the sector of society charged with addressing these needs (for example government or private non-profits or private for-profit sectors) and if it is a government program to discuss the level of government that is responsible. When you submit your proposal, I will provide some guidance about where to find this information.
