Social Welfare Programs and Policies II: Advanced Social Policy

in Mental HealthSpring 2007

Course No.: S44.2011

Carmen Chang-Arratia, CSW, GC-C

Lesson I: Review of the Policy Making Process

• Relationship of Policy to Social Work and Mental Health Programs

• The Policy Making Process: An overview

What is the Relationship?

• Social workers’ history of involvement with MH programs• Clinical social workers are major providers of

MH treatment

• Social workers have interdisciplinary relationships with other MH personnel

• Social work engage in advocacy for the constituents they serve

What is the Relationship?• Social workers serve at both the micro & macro

levels of practice• Interventions at the Interpersonal Level

• Case Management

• Individual Therapy

• Group practice

• Family Therapy

• Interventions at Organizational/Community Activities• Community organization

• Social planning

• Administration

• Policy development

What is the Relationship?• Social Welfare Policy is about communities trying

to achieve something as communities, even when in conflict over what its goals should be.• It may/may not express the communities’ collective

will• It defines membership or lack thereof (usually this is

where the most political & contested fights evolve)• It defines the social and economic rights, as well as

political rights of the members• It defines public interest • The policy problems are common problems

Defining Policy

• Policy is viewed as a statement of a goal, or a set of goals

• Goals is defined as the expression of a value in terms of an idealized future state of affairs• Broad, general statements that create a sense of

common purpose.

Defining Policy

• Policy statements focus on conditions or behaviors of individuals, systemic properties of communities or societies, and/or properties of an institution or organization.

• Mental Health policies usually focus on one or more goals related to these conditions.

Defining Policy

• Objectives provide operational definitions of the policy’s goals (closely related to goals)

• Four criteria• Observable condition to be attained/changed

• Finite population of which that condition is characteristic

• Amount of change which policy maker seeks to attain with respect to the observable condition

• Time period in which change is to take place

Defining Policy

• Mental Health programs consists of:• Objectives

• Set of activities to achieve objectives

• Administrative procedures which objectives will be carried out, e.g. services

Policy Making Process

• Recognition of interrelationships between policies and programs• Policy formulation

• Social program development

• Implementation of policies through social programs

• Social policy evaluation

Policy Making Process

• Framework in the Policy Making Process• Determination of goals• Needs Assessment• Specification of Objectives• Design of alternative courses of action• Estimation of consequences of alternative actions• Selection of course(s) action• Implementation• Evaluation• Feedback

What is policy analysis?

• It is a critical thinking approach to ascertaining, measuring, and evaluating the ends/means of a policy

Ask Yourself:

• Does the policy or program work?

• How does the policy or program work?

What is policy analysis?

• Evaluate the effectiveness of the policy:• Efficiency

• Effectiveness

• Feasibility

• Ethics

What is Policy Analysis?

• Dimensions of choice & benefit allocation:• The who, what, when, and how approach

• Four Dimensions of Choice• What are the bases of social allocations?

• What are the types of social provisions to be allocated?

• What are the strategies for the delivery of these provisions?

• What are the methods of financing these provisions?

What is Mental Health Policy?

• Definition: Governmental activities specifically concerned with the prevention and treatment of mental disorders as well as with the living situations of mentally ill persons

• Collection of governmental goals established to meet objectives

What is Mental Health Policy?

• Federal Level vs. State Level: Fragmentation (look at Diagram provided)

• De Jure: Policies stated in laws & mission statements

• De Facto: Policies that emerge out of actual practices

Policy Making at Federal & State Levels

• Federal Level• Agencies: SAMHSA – CSAT, CSAP, CMHS

• Block grants

• State• Single Systems Managing Entity, State Mental Health

Director

• Counties/Local• Community mental health boards, mental health

professionals

Mental Health Program

• Focus: What benefits to be offered? How are they delivered?

• Program development• How are mental health services defined?• Types of MH services

• ER, hospitalization, partial hospitalization, residential treatment, support services, CMHC, private office/clinics

• Mental Health System• National, state, local community system