Full Description
A perennial issue in social work is the lack of clear evidence showing how to be a successful advocate and how to create enthusiasm among students for policy practice. Researchers are now applying theory to understand better the topics of effective social work advocacy and policy practice. The results of testing conceptual models with carefully gathered evidence are beneficial, helping us to advance our knowledge more quickly than merely collecting descriptions of case studies that remain unintegrated into a larger context. Improvements in understanding how to conduct effective advocacy emerge, helping practitioners to be more successful in their advocacy efforts. Similarly, bringing evidence and data to teaching methods improves confidence in their applicability to more than one course or institution. Readers of this book will discover how to be more effective policy practitioners as well as more engaging instructors by focusing on theories and evidence which demonstrate successful advocacy and teaching. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Policy Practice.
Contents
Introduction - Princess Wants a Dog Park: Using Theory and Evidence to Understand Advocacy and Improve Policy Practice Education 1. Why Do Social Workers Become Policy Actors? 2. Leaning Out: Exploring Organizational Advocacy Activities From an Open Systems Perspective 3. Identifying Attributes of Relationship Management in Nonprofit Policy Advocacy 4. Advocacy Tactics and Policy Outcomes of Sex Offender Rights Organizations 5. NASW Involvement in Legislative Advocacy 6. Human Rights and the Social Work Curriculum: Integrating Human Rights into Skill-Based Education Regarding Policy Practice Behaviors 7. Civic Engagement and Civic Literacy Among Social Work Students: Where Do We Stand? 8. Solving Current Social Challenges: Engaging Undergraduates in Policy Practice 9. Embracing Applied Policy Practice: A Case Study From a Robust BSW Program
