Advanced Social Policy - Substance Use

Catalog description

Advanced Social Policy courses examine social problems from the perspective of their impact on individuals, families and communities, focusing on at-risk populations in the context of an urban environment. The course builds on the policy content offered in MSWPF-GS 2003 and links policy to practice and research skills that have been developed. Emphasis is placed on the link between social and economic justice and issues relating to diversity. This course critically examines federal, state, and international policies for regulating substances, the social forces that drive the formulation of these policies, and the impact of these policies on the general population and disadvantaged populations. The course provides knowledge and skills to understand how addiction services and programs are organized, resourced and delivered, and emphasizes the need for collaboration and coordination between substance use and other behavioral health and primary care systems. The first part of the course is an examination of the policy making cycle, inclusive of social problem definition, policy formulation, implementation and critical analysis of policy. A detailed section on evaluation of policies as they affect societal structures, communities, agencies, clients and practitioners is then discussed. Finally, a major section of the course presents strategies for practitioners to influence policies and promote change at the client level, the agency level, the community level and the broader society.