Social Welfare Policy for a Sustainable Future

Unique in its use of a sustainability frameworkSocial Welfare Policy for a Sustainable Future goes beyond U.S. borders to examine U.S. government policies—including child welfare, social services, health care, and criminal justice—within a global context. Guided by the belief that forces from the global market and globalization affect all social workers in their practice, the book addresses a wide range of relevant topics, including the refugee journey, the impact of new technologies, war trauma, global policy instruments, and restorative justice. A sustainability policy analysis model and an ecosystems framework for trauma-informed care are also presented in this timely text.

Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Foundations of Social Welfare Policy
1. Social Work and Social Policy: A Sustainability Framework
Definitions and Standards
The Welfare State in the Face of Challenges
Challenges to Social Welfare: Power, Exploitation, and Unintended Consequences
Social Welfare Policy and Social Work
2. Historical Foundations of Social Welfare Policy
Feudalism and the Rise of Capitalism
The American Experience: “Exceptionalism” and Its Discontents
The Civil War and Its Aftermath
The Progressive Era (1900 to World War I)
The Mid-20th Century: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and Beyond
The Backlash: Late 20th Century and the Modern Era
3. Purpose and Structure of Social Welfare Policy
The Religious Underpinnings of Social Welfare
The Practical Application of Values
American Exceptionalism and the Corporation
4. Environmental Sustainability and the Social Work Profession
A Brief Eco History
The Planet in Crisis: The Scope of Environmental Loss and Damage
Food, Water, and Population Growth
Modern Agriculture and the Loss of Biodiversity
The Promise of Social Work
Social Welfare Policy Considerations
5. Poverty and Inequality by Suzanne McDevitt
Poverty and Inequality in the 21st Century
Defining and Measuring Poverty
6. Minority Groups and the Impact of Oppression
Oppression
Systemic Examples of Oppression
Progress and Backlash
Culturally Competent Social Work Practice
Part II. Policies to Meet Human Needs
7. Child Welfare
The Convention on the Rights of the Child
The CRC in Practice
8. Sustainable Health Care Policies
History of U.S. Health Care Reform
The Affordable Care Act
Disability Policy
Global Perspectives on Health Policy
9. Mental Health Care Policy
Mental Health Issues: Definitions and Challenges
Historical Views of Mental Health and Illness
Social Aspects of Mental Illness
Social Programs for Better Mental Health
Trauma and the Social Work Response
10. Sustainable Policy for Older Adults by Christina L. Erickson
Aging Worldwide: An Overview
The Development of Programs for Older Americans
Older Adults in Society
Housing and Long-Term Care
Sustainable Policy for Older Adults: An Intergenerational Approach
11. Human Rights
Immediate Threats to Human Rights: War and Guns
The United Nations and Universal Human Rights
The Role of Social Work in Human Rights
12. Sustainability Policy Analysis and Policy Practice
Defining Policy Analysis
How Are Social Policies Made?
Sustainability and Policy
Progressive Policy Analysis for a Sustainable Future
From Policy Analysis to Policy Practice
Ethical Issues Relevant to Social Change Efforts
Drawing on Our Social Work Imagination
Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Appendix B: Relevant Internet Sites
Index
About the Authors
About the Contributors