Initial Instructions:
Choose a social services agency that you are interested in learning more about and that employees professional social workers (workers with a social work degree).
Look at the agency’s website to gather information about what they do (mission statement, services, programs, etc.).
Identify the “target population” (who the services are meant for) and do some research on that population’s needs. For example, if the agency’s target population is children that have been abused or neglected, you are to find out what these children need in order to be successful. You may find research that these children need a safe permanent home and some kind of counseling support to heal from trauma.
Talk to someone that works within the agency (via email, telephone, or video call) about what a typical day of a social worker there looks like. You may have to schedule this in advanced so that they have time to talk to you. A good starting question for them may be, “What do social workers do within your agency?” You are expected to ask follow up questions based on what they say so that you could get a good understanding of what social workers do there.
Paper Instructions:
You are then to type at least a 4 full paged (not including the cover or reference pages), APA formatted, double spaced paper based on the information you found out about the agency and social workers.
You are to answer the questions below. Address each of these questions in your paper using the bolded headings. Use the bolded headings below as the headings in your paper. Be sure to proof read your paper for flow, grammatical and spelling errors. Cite your research according to American Psychological Association (APA) format. There are resources online to help you cite or you may check in with the Reading and Writing center through FCC campus for assistance with APA format. Your interview with someone from the agency could be included in which ever section you think it fits best.
Introduction: (about 2-3 paragraphs).
Introduce the name of your agency and what you will be talking about in the rest of the paper.
Agency Information: (about 1 page)
What is the program’s mission? Who do they aim to help target population? What change do they hope to create? What services are provided?
Statement of Need: (about 1 page)
Why is this program/service needed? Discuss the target population and the challenges they face that the agency is trying to address.
Social Workers within the Agency: (about 1 page)
What is the typical day in the life of a social worker within the agency? What type of roles do they use throughout the day (broker, advocate, teacher, etc.)? What is the size of staff and average caseload? What qualifications are required of staff (degrees, certifications, etc.)?
Conclusion: (about 1 page)
What are your thoughts about this agency? Would you refer clients to this agency? Would you be interested in working at this agency? What was the experience of researching an agency like for you?
