Analyzing the Relevance of Social Policies in Social Work Practices

This essay delves into the crucial connection between social policy and social work practices, specifically analyzing the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children in Australia. The assignment begins by defining social policy and social work, highlighting their distinct meanings and applications. It then explores how social policies, such as the National Plan, provide a framework and guidelines for social work practitioners, influencing their actions and decisions. The essay emphasizes the significance of this policy in addressing issues like family and domestic violence, outlining its objectives, strategies, and statistical data. It further discusses how the policy sets targets, promotes gender equality, and enables social workers to assess the impact of interventions. The analysis also covers the involvement of state governments in implementing the National Plan, demonstrating its relevance across various jurisdictions. The essay concludes by asserting that social policies are indispensable for effective social work, providing a roadmap for practitioners and governments to achieve social goals and justice, and that social work practices are essential for the implementation and review of social policies.

Running Head: BUSINESS AND CORPORATION LAW 0
Social Issue and Social Policy
7/23/2019
Student’s Name

Social Issues and Social Policy
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Different kind of social issues exist in a society and to deal with those issues, the
government makes certain policies, which are known as social policies. These policies aim to
improve people’s well-being. As mentioned above, these policies are there to deal with social
issues, hence every policy address one specific issue of the society, for instance, childhood
education, family planning, poor status of woman in society and so on. Here this is to state that
social policies exist at national as well as state level. It means in Australia, social policies are
developed at state as well as at the federal level. In the presented report, the discussion will be
made upon the relevance of social policies in social work practices. The policy selected for the
purpose of this assignment is a three-year action plan that is known as the national plan to reduce
violence against women and their children.
Before understanding, the relationship of social policy and social work practices, basic
meanings of these two aspects are required to understand. Social policy has three distinct
meaning. The first one is as an output; it means a set of policies, its organization/arrangement,
and its impacts (McClelland, 2019). The second one is as a field of study or discipline and the
last one is a procedure for deeds to improve social welfare. In addition to social policy, another
term is also required to understand which Social work practice is. Here to state that social work
practices refer to the professional application of social work principles, techniques, and values to
one or more of the ends such as helping people in obtaining tangible services, taking part in
legislative processes, improving social and health services, counseling with groups, individuals
and their families and so on (Zastrow, 2009). As mentioned earlier, for different issues, different
social policies are there. These issues involve family and domestic violence, assistance with

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childcare fee and so on. These policies address the way in which societies and states respond to
migration, globalization, poverty, and other issues (Platt, 2019).
Social policies have much relevance to social work practice as it provides a guideline to
social work practitioners. These policies underpin a legal and legislative framework that provides
practitioners a clear understanding that why such policies have been developed and what they
really do. Further, the same contain positions of practitioners and determine their behavior and
decision. For instance, a national school reform agreement is a social policy that helps social
practitioners to understand the ways in which high-quality education needs to be provided to
children in Australia. The policy is applicable at Federal as well as state-level (Council of
Australian Governments, 2019). Some other policies are there that have been developed to assist
old people of the nation. These policies provide provisions related to transfer to the age pension,
management of money going into retirement and so on (Humanservices, 2019). In such a
manner, social workers need to consider these policies and provisions while helping old citizens.
This is to inform that only the development of social policies is not enough, the same is also
required to be implemented in order to achieve social goals and justice. Social workers play an
important role here as they implement these policies and help in the development of the same.
The selected policy i.e. National plan to reduce violence against women and their children firstly
highlight the need for a national plan. It states the seriousness of the issue, which further helps
social workers in their practices. If this plan/policy would not be there then there will be no
harmony is social work practices of workers in this area. At the commonwealth level, this policy
supports counseling services for the victims, respectful relationship, and training for health and
workers and nurses in rural and regional areas. This national plan has six national outcomes that
can also be considered as objectives of this policy and need to be achieved by 2022 (Hill, 2019).

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As per the first outcome of the policy, it becomes the responsibility of community
organizations, local government, and other individuals to promote the equal relationship between
men and women. In such a manner, this policy states that to reduce the level of violence against
first it is required to treat them equivalent to men. The policy outlines some strategies using
which violence level against women and children can be reduced in society. If this policy would
not have been there, no efforts can imagine being there. This plan targets family and domestic
violence as well as sexual assaults. Similar to every other social policy, this policy also includes
certain statistics. As per the data presented by this policy, in 2009 the nation used to suffer from
a cost of $13.6 billion every year because of violence against children and women (Paul, 2016).
In conjunction with this, the figures are expected to reach up to $15.6 billion every year if no
steps would be taken to prevent such violence. The policy has 5 plans and each is n three years In
this manner, the policy highlights the seriousness of the issue and awake different workgroups
and individuals to promote gender equality in the society.
This policy assists social workers that what exactly they are up to and what society and
government expect from them. In addition to this, when social workers use the policy they come
to know about loopholes of the same and can better assist government regarding modification in
current policy. This policy set out services for the smooth functioning of the society at both
federal as well as on state level. The lead task of social workers is to engage in assistance to
provide a change in the behavior of an individual and well-being. The chosen social policy has
much relevance in this area. The situation of women and children is not good in society and this
policy set certain targets to provide accommodations to homeless people. When the target is
there, it becomes easy for the practitioners to work as they have a clear picture of the scenario.

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This policy has great importance when it comes to the consideration of violence against women
and their children. In conjunction with the federal government, state governments are also
responsible to reduce this social issue. The chosen policy is applicable to all the states of
Australia as well. While this policy is there, state governments also presented their targets, For
instance, the Queensland Government developed a strategy to reduce family and domestic
violence during 2009-2014. The policy was titled Four Sons and Daughters (Cabinet, 2019).
Another state of Australia, South Australia also developed its separate policy on this topic. This
policy has significant relevance in the area of social work as it developed to focus on critical
issues such as more sensitivity level of criminal justice in relation to victims of sexual assaults
and rape (Officeforwomen, 2015).
Government of New South Wales contributed its efforts towards national agendas. Department
of human services developed a special domestic violence program namely Staying Home
Leaving Violence. The program has been developed for women over 18 years who are now
separated from their violent family or partner and wants to live in their own home. Further, this
department has also taken different efforts to provide financial assistance to women suffered
from violence. In such a situation, this is to mention that state governments are contributing
much to meet the objectives of the national plan. The policy is prescribing expectation of
commonwealth form states.
Similar to these states, other states of Australia also developed different strategies under
this national plan. All these strategies supported social work a lot. The same prescribed agendas
and stated the current as well as idol statistics. Not only states but commonwealth also launched
the Indigenous Family Safety Program (Department of Social Services, 2019). With the help of
this policy, national as well as state governments are able to monitor the progress and to consider

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the changes if required in the current working manner. Because of this social policy, people
started considering violence against women as a serious topic in Australia. In order to meet the
agenda of this national plan, different states took their steps ahead towards the reduction of this
issue. The policy does not only provide provisions of prohibition but also states provisions
related to protection.
In a conclusive way, this is to state that these policies provide a route map to social
workers as well as to government. Social work practices need assistance that these social policies
provide. In the presented essay, the focus was made on one such policy, which is a national plan
to reduce violence against women and their children. The relevance of this policy to social work
practices has been discussed. After the above-mentioned discussion, it is far clear that a social
work practice cannot be successful without the existence of the social policy. Everyone can see
the issues and know that the same should be resolved but social policies assess the risk,
situations and then outline a proper plan to resolve an issue. In conjunction with the
implementation of social work practice, a review of the same is equally important. Social work
practice summaries agenda for social work practices and prepare all the social workers and
practitioners to attain a common objective.

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References
Cabinet (2019). For our sons and daughters. Retrieved
From:https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/documents/2009/May/Domestic%20and%20Family
%20Violence%202009-14/Attachments/program-of-action.pdf
Council of Australian Governments. (2019). National School Reform Agreement. Retrieved
from:
https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/national_school_reform_agreement_
8.pdf
Department of Social Services. (2019). The national plan to reduce violence against women and
their children 2010-2022. Retrieved from:
https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2013/final_edited_report_edit.p
df
Hill, J. (2019). See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse. Australia:
Black Inc.
Humanservices. (2019). Older Australians. Retrieved from:
https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/older-australians
McClelland, A. (2019). What is social policy? Retrieved
From:http://lib.oup.com.au/he/samples/mcclelland_SPA3e_sample.pdf
Officeforwomen (2015). Social Development Committee — Inquiry into Domestic and Family
Violence. Retrieved from:

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https://officeforwomen.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/56296/FINAL-VERSION-
Submitted-SDC-Inquiry-into-Domestic-and-Family-Violence.pdf
Paul, E. (2016). Australian Political Economy of Violence and Non-Violence. Australia:
Springer.
Platt, P., L. (2019). What is social policy? International, interdisciplinary and applied. Retrieved
from: http://www.lse.ac.uk/social-policy/about-us/What-is-social-policy
Zastrow, C. (2009). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People. USA:
Cengage Learning.