An introduction to human services

This week’s reading discusses important policies that influence the field of human services. Choose one of the following problems: alcohol and substance abuse, child abuse and spouse abuse, elderly health and social care, issues in corrections, or poverty. Discuss the historical perspective about the issue you chose. Then, select one policy from the past 50 years (late 20th or early 21st century) and explain how it has impacted the issue you selected (good or bad) and what changes to that policy if any, would better serve those in need.  Be specific and use material from chapter two and outside research to support your position.  In your answer, tell us why you selected that particular policy. Examples include The Affordable Care Act, Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, Welfare Reform (PRWORA), the Americans with Disabilities Act, etc.

Remember to support your answer with material from the readings and outside research and include APA-style in-text citations to show where your information comes from.

Readings and Resources

Readings and ResourceseBook:Woodside, M. & McClam, T. (2019). An introduction to human services (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.Chapter 3 discusses several social policies that exist to address the problems associated with income inequality.

• Chapter 3: The History of Advocacy in Human Services

Articles, Websites, and Videos:At some point this week, take 16 minutes out of your day to watch this thought-provoking Ted Talk by Richard Wilkinson regarding his research on nations with various levels of income inequality, including the United States. As you read about the various social policies in chapter three, think about how well they address the problems discussed in this video.Watch VideoRichard Wilkinson’s TED talk – How Economic Inequality Harms SocietiesDuration: 16:55
User: APAS – Alliance for Sustainability and Prosperity – Added: 9/19/13