Testa syllabus - School of Social Work - The University of North ...

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK COURSE NUMBER: COURSE TITLE: SEMESTER AND YEAR: TIMES: LOCATION: INSTRUCTOR:

OFFICE HOURS:

SOWO 739 Child Welfare Policy Practice and Advocacy Spring Semester, 2017 Tuesdays, 9:00 – 11:50 a.m. Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, Room 102 Mark Testa, Ph.D. Spears-Turner Distinguished Professor School of Social Work University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 325 Pittsboro St., Campus Box 3550 Chapel Hill, NC 25599-3550 Tel: (919) 962-6496 Fax: (919) 962-1486 [email protected] 245-E, Monday, 12:00 – 1:30 pm or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course engages students in the process of child welfare policy practice and advocacy to formulate, analyze, implement, evaluate and disseminate evidence-informed policies and interventions at all system levels.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the conclusion of this class students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate current knowledge of organizational, local, state, and federal policies and proposed legislation that affect child welfare systems at all levels. 2. Recognize the importance of historical, social, cultural, economic, organizational, environmental, and global influences on policy formulation. 3. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment to analyze child welfare policies that impact client systems, organizations, and communities. 4. Engage in research-informed policy practice to assess the strength of evidence in support of a specific policy intervention or opposed to an existing policy practice. 5. Use ethical principles to decide if existing child welfare policy policies and practices are meritorious or are in need of change. 6. Engage in policy practice to effect changes that decrease discrimination and oppression and in advocacy efforts to promote fairness and inclusion. 7. Demonstrate the analytical, theoretical, and value assessment skills to evaluate the effects of contextual history on policy formulation and implementation and choose the current context that is favorable for policy advocacy.

1

8. Decide whether to focus policy advocacy at the local, state, federal, or international level and whether to seek change in public policy or in the rules and guidelines of a non-governmental or international organization. 9. Differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate uses of electronic communications and technology in policy advocacy. 10. Develop leadership strategies for collaborating within and across systems and empowering individuals or populations excluded from or limited by aspects of a child welfare policy to advocate for the safety, family permanence, and social and emotional well-being of children and families.

EXPANDED DESCRIPTION: Child welfare, broadly conceived, refers to collective action by government and its fiduciary and contractual agents to protect, care for, and potentially decide upon the guardianship of children who have been abused or neglected by their parents. Once considered a tame problem that was readily solvable by removing maltreated children from their homes and placing them into substitute care, the problems of public child welfare have become increasingly wicked over the decades. They have become wicked because definitions of the sources of the problem oscillate between fixing the blame individually on inadequate and irresponsible parents versus locating the causes in the group inequities and toxic stresses of the broader social environment. Whatever the source, parental blame and environmental stress are both understood as interconnected to a host of other problems, such a parental drug abuse, interpersonal partner violence, and unmarried parenthood, at the individual level, and concentrated poverty, institutional racism, and ineffective social policies, at the group level. Because of the contradictory definitions and complex interconnections, there is little consensus on whether a narrow focus on child safety or a more diffuse concern with the social and emotional well-being of vulnerable children is the appropriate scope of public interest or even what metrics should be used for gauging success. This course will focus on enhancing policy practice and advocacy skills that will help to advance evidence-informed solutions to the wicked problems of child welfare in the following key areas: 1) harnessing the natural motivations of parents and kinship caregivers; 2) reversing the adverse effects of child maltreatment on brain development; 3) evaluating the causal effects of out-ofhome care; 4) sustaining family continuity after legal permanence; and 5) building credible evidence for what works in the delivery of child welfare services.

REQUIRED READINGS: Mallon, G. P. & Hess, P. M. (2014). Child welfare for the 21st century: A handbook of practices, policies, and programs, 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press.

2

Curry, L. (2007). The DeShaney case: Child abuse, Family Rights, and the dilemma of state intervention. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas Other required and supplemental readings (articles, newspaper series, and selected book chapters) will be posted on Sakai.

TEACHING METHODS Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, presentations, case scenarios, and in-class policy debates. Full engagement is essential to your learning process in the class, and will allow you to apply successfully the course material in a way that is personally and professionally meaningful.

POLICY ON CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to attend every class and come prepared to share concepts from the readings, ask questions, and respond to questions about the materials. If you should need to miss a class session for any reason, e-mail me your reasons for missing class prior to the day of the session. An unexcused class absence may result in a loss of points from your grade for active participation (see Grading Components below). Any student who foresees difficulty with fulfilling the class attendance requirements should speak with me at the beginning of the semester so that alternative forms of participation can be arranged.

POLICIES ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM: I expect that we will all be invested in creating a learning environment of respect and engagement. I welcome the use of laptops in class for taking notes or completing small group tasks. However, I ask that you use them only for relevant activities – not for checking email or surfing the Web. During class, cell phones and other devices should be silenced.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty is contrary to the ethics of the social work profession, unfair to other students, and will not be tolerated in any form. All written assignments should include the following signed pledge: “I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in preparing this written work.” Omission of a statement to this effect will result in the return of your assignment without a grade. It’s OK to receive help as long as you acknowledge the assistance in your signed pledge, e.g., “I have received editorial aid in preparing this written work.” In keeping with the UNC Honor Code, if reason exists to believe that academic dishonesty has occurred, a referral will be made to the Office of the Student Attorney General for investigation and further action as required. Please refer to the APA Style Guide for information on attribution of quotes, plagiarism, and appropriate citation.

3

ACCESSIBILITY AND RESOURCES SERVICES: The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill facilitates the implementation of reasonable accommodations, including resources and services, for students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, a temporary disability or pregnancy complications resulting in difficulties with accessing learning opportunities. All accommodations are coordinated through the Accessibility Resources and Service Office. In the first instance please visit their website http://accessibility.unc.edu, Tel:- 919-962-8300 or Email;[email protected]. A student is welcome to initiate the registration process at any time, however, the process can take time. ARS is particularly busy in the run-up to Finals and during Finals. Students submitting Self-ID forms at that time are unlikely to have accommodations set until the following semester. Please contact ARS as early in the semester as possible.

WRITING SUPPORT: Clear, cogent writing is an essential skill for social work professionals. Writing support is available to all students through the School’s Writing Support Team; they can help you strengthen your writing skills by sharing strategies for organizing information, presenting a cohesive argument, ensuring clear communication, and mastering APA style. Writing Support offers a learning opportunity for students but does not merely copy edit student papers. Writing support is available in-person, by e-mail, or by phone. E-mail a requested appointment day and time to [email protected]. In addition, see the Writing Resources and References page on the School’s website (under the Current Students tab: https://ssw.unc.edu/students/writing).

FORMAT FOR WRITTEN WORK: APA format should be used for all written assignments. Students should refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for information on APA format. A self-paced APA tutorial can be found at http://www2.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/index.html?section=apa

POLICY ON INCOMPLETES AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS: Late assignments are strongly discouraged, but may be accepted in some cases. All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day noted. You must contact me prior to a due date if you would like to request an extension, or you will lose 10% of the assignment’s points per day (including weekends and the date on which the assignment was due, if submitted after the beginning of class). Incompletes may be granted if (a) there are extreme and unforeseeable circumstances that affect your ability to complete the semester’s work, and (b) you meet with me in advance to develop a plan and timeline for completing your work.

4

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES: APA format should be used for all written assignments. Students should refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) for information on APA format. A self-paced APA tutorial can be found at http://www2.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/index.html?section=apa

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS: Descriptions of the course assignments are below. All written assignments should be submitted electronically on Sakai before midnight on the day prior to when they are due. As needed, we will discuss further guidelines and resources as we move through the semester. Assignment 1: Wicked Problems Policy Debates February 6, February 13, February 27, & March 5 Each student will participate in two policy debates and will be assigned to two-person debate teams that will advocate for and against a child welfare resolution in four 50-minute policy debates during Part A in weeks 3, 4, 6 & 7. The “affirmative” team presents a case in support of the resolution. The “negative” team argues against the resolution. A judge will be selected for each debate to assess the relative merits of the arguments and evidence put forth by the participant speakers. The judge will be responsible for gathering all notes and prepared scripts from the debaters and assembling them into a single document for submission to the instructor no later than two weeks after the debate. The resolutions will be debated in the following order:  Wicked Policy Debate I—Resolved: Co-Sleeping with Infants Should Be Outlawed as Child Maltreatment  Wicked Policy Debate II—Resolved: Child Protective Services (CPS) Should be Held Liable for Financial Damages Arising from the Death or Profound Injury of a Child Known to CPS  Wicked Policy Debate III—Resolved: Indian Child Welfare Act Guidelines Are Harmful to the Best Interests of American Indian Children  Wicked Policy Debate IV—Resolved: Adoption Should Be Ruled Out Before Relatives Are Permitted to Become Subsidized Permanent Guardians Each Team (Affirmative and Negative) is afforded two opening "constructive" arguments, and two closing "rebuttal" speeches, for a total of eight speeches per debate. The order of speeches and their time allocations for each policy debate are listed as follows: 

First Affirmative Constructive (1AC): 8 min Builds the case in support of the resolution. The 1AC introduces the issues and tells the audience and judge where your side is going. The case, which your team should

5

prepare in advance of the policy debate, should consist of three stock issues: need for the change stated in the resolution, plan for effecting the change, and benefits of making the change. In turn, each issue requires specific arguments backed by evidence. By framing the introductory issues and establishing the need for change in the 1AC speech, a solid foundation is laid for the Affirmative Team's case.



First Negative Constructive (1NC): 8 min.

Corrects the Affirmative Team's definitions and background information, refutes the 1AC speaker’s points, summarizes the Negative Team's position, and begins the Negative Team's case. The 1NC speaker seeks to undermine the foundation of what was presented by the 1AC speaker.



Second Affirmative Constructive (2AC): 8 min Builds upon the foundation laid by the 1AC speaker by refuting the 1NC speaker’s arguments and bolstering the Affirmative Team’s case by offering supplementary arguments in support of the need for the change, the plan for effecting the change, and the benefits of making the change.



Second Negative Constructive (2NC): 8 min. Refutes the arguments of the 2AC speaker and reinforces the 1NC speaker’s arguments against the need to adopt the proposition. The 2NC introduces new arguments and evidence against the Affirmative Team's plan and its benefits.



First Negative Rebuttal (1NR): 4 min.

Responds to the arguments not covered by the 2NC speaker. The 1NR speaker can also take up arguments that the 2NC speaker did not finish answering.



First Affirmative Rebuttal (1AR): 4 min. Responds to the entirety of the Negative Team’s case. The 1AR rebuttal serves as a shadow speech for the 2AR.



Second Negative Rebuttal (2NR): 4 min. Makes the final case to the audience and judge that the Negative Team’s position is superior to the Affirmative Team’s. Demonstrates that the Affirmative Team has failed to carry the burden of proof. Summarizes the debate and asks for the audience to agree with the Negative Team’s position.



Second Affirmative Rebuttal (2AR): 4 min. Responds to the final 2NR arguments. Summarizes the debate by demonstrating how the Affirmative Team’s position is superior and how the Affirmative Team succeeded in carrying the burden of proof. Summarizes the debate and asks for the audience to agree with the Affirmative Team’s position

Assignment 2: Advocacy Exercise Due Midnight February19/February 20 before class For this assignment, you will develop a 200- 800 word (½ to 1¾ pages, single spaced) advocacy statement addressing a program or policy issue relevant to child welfare policy practice and advocacy. You can format your statement as a 200-250 word letter to the editor, a 300-500 word letter to an elected official, or a 600 -800 word OP-ED submission to a newspaper. In any case, you should clearly convey the issue of concern, cite relevant data (e.g. 6

demographic, economic), identify issues of discrimination or social injustice, and propose a viable and ethical solution. You can focus on the local, state, or national level, as desired. Prior to preparing your advocacy statement, outline in a theoretical note the following: a) The value orientation(s) of the official, newspaper, or audience you want to reach; b) the social construction of the vulnerable target population on whose behalf you are advocating; c) the type of benefit you hope to increase or burden you hope to decrease; and d) the rational and non-rational components of the claims you intend to make to bolster your arguments. Attach your theoretical note as an appendix to your advocacy statement. The note should draw from the lecture and the required and supplemental readings from Week 2. Regardless of format, your statement will be graded according to the following criteria:  Mechanics (grammar, spelling, style, typing)  Organization and logic of arguments  Content (e.g. data, evidence, policy analysis, implications)  Ability to summarize and draw conclusions  Congruence with theoretical note

SUMMARY OF COURSE EVALUATION COMPONENTS AND GRADING SCALE: Grades will be assigned based on the following components and weights: Policy Debate 1 30 Advocacy Statement 30 Policy Debate 2 30 Active Participation 10 Total 100 94 – 100 = H

80 - 93 = P

70 – 79 = L