In the field of social work, social policies are actions, programs or initiatives that are designed to address and improve human welfare. So, what does this look like? As a social worker, your responsibilities in policy advocacy can involve:
- Social planning
- Community development
- Fighting against poverty and social exclusion
- Challenging discrimination by race, disability, age, religion, gender and sexual orientation
- Promoting participation in decision-making to help give people more power
- Encouraging people to build skills, knowledge and confidence through taking action
- Taking action, which can range from individual self-help to lobbying and campaigning
If social workers fail to uphold a policy leadership role, there will be a diminished role of advocacy, which can cause an increase in the privatization of social welfare services, a devolution of policymaking to state and local levels as well as a cut in funding for social programs.4
Policy advocacy and leadership play a large role within social work because they directly impact the resources available to the clients and their communities. The GCU social work program was designed to incorporate specific theories, perspectives and frameworks that allow the professional social worker to engage in policymaking.
The theoretical perspective of "policy learning" has helped social workers connect the cognitive and social dynamic of policy making. Additionally, a "policy learning" perspective adjusts the understandings and beliefs related to public policy advocacy.5
If you have a desire to help guide policy and advocate for others in your community, complete the form on this page and get started on your Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or MSW today. Both programs, offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, teach you about effective advocacy strategies in social work that enable you to help make a difference for your clients.
1 National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Clients. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
2 Jansson, B. S. (2020). Social welfare policy and advocacy: Advancing social justice through eight policy sectors (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA. SAGE Publications. ISBN-13:9781506384061
3 Mosley, J. (2013). Recognizing new opportunities: Reconceptualizing policy advocacy in everyday organizational practice. Social Work, 58(3), 231–239. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
4 Bliss, D. (2015). Using the social work advocacy practice model to find our voices in service of advocacy, human service organizations: Management, leadership & governance. 39:1, 57-68, DOI: 10.1080/23303131.2014.978060
5 Moyson S., Scholten P., & Weible C. (2017). Policy learning and policy change: theorizing their relations from different perspectives. Policy and Society (36:2, pp.161 177), DOI: 10.1080/14494035.2017.1331879
Approved by faculty for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences on May 11, 2023.