Social Policy-Social Work Social Sciences Essay Paper

Social policy is often considered as an issue that impacts people on a meso or macrosystemic level, however by focussing primarily on the community, organizational, political or global impacts of policy, legislation and agreements, the historic and intrapersonal impacts of these social constructs can easily become overlooked.
The purpose of this assignment is to create an ethical space within the course structure for the inclusion of personal narratives within the broader conversation of how social policy impacts individuals on a micro-systemic (personal) level).The intent of this assignment is to show how social policy can change lives for the better.
Students are to document a conversation with an older person whom they know personally (e.g., a relative, mentor, or friend) who is willing to share a story of how a social policy or program (e.g. health care, immigration, social housing, income security) has helped them, or could have helped them had it been in place, at an earlier stage of their life.
The story-teller could be asked to reflect on their circumstances before and after they were able to obtain the necessary help, or to imagine how their life might have improved had the necessary support been available in their time of need. For those who did receive some help or support from a social program, you could ask the person how the support in question might have been changed or improved to make it more effective.
This account will be written up in short form (no more than 750 words) and submitted on the "Assignments" feature on the course website. References to external resources (e.g., books, articles, websites) are not required for this assignment. This your representation of another human being’s story of a social policy - not an analysis of a policy itself.
Assignment 2 Grading Criteria
Representation of voice: Ability to succinctly recap the essence of the conversation in an engaging and respectful manner.(e.g., What were the circumstances? How did they feel at the time? What did this experience teach them?)
Policy identification: Clear description of the main social policy the interviewee referenced. (e.g., If it was a formal social program, what was it? Is the policy still in effect?)
Reflective thoughts: Personal reflections on the interviewee’s story. (e.g., What did you think about what s/he was saying? Was this new information to you? How does this story impact your understanding to social policy?)
Clear organization and quality of writing.