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Step Six: Writing your Policy Briefing Paper
IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THE PAPER HAS CONSISTENCY WITH THE ‘the PLAN FOR THE POLICY BRIEFING PAPER’. (attach on last page)
The briefing paper MUST be set out under the following headings:
1. Executive Summary – Around 350-500 words*** [just estimates]
This part of the paper will be written last. It summarises the content of your paper. It must be written in a way that both invites the reader to continue reading, but also covers all of the key points raised in the paper (for those who don’t read on!)
2. Scope of the Briefing Paper – background, boundaries, parameters [around 500 words]
In this section you describe the purpose of the briefing paper. This will include a description of the subject of review; your organisation’s interest in the subject and should also define what is and isn’t covered by the review.
*Define your parameters/focus
*Specify population(s) of concern – who are the particular people you are writing about?
*Demographics – location, numbers, (St. George, NSW )
*Extent of issue – national, local, specific?, general?
*Currency – why is this issue important now? how does this relate to current broad government policy directions, eg. ‘social inclusion’?
*Comparative? – why might this group of people do worse than other people? (literature review required)
3. Current policy situation: important to know this (around 1,000 words)
*Research – what current policy applies (if any) – IMPORTANT not to assume there is no existing policy (if you are trying to highlight GAPS and omissions in current policies)
*At which level of government might this issue be addressed (Local Government, State, Commonwealth, International OR if a combination – why more than one level and how might this complicate things?)
*Impact of current policy on this particular group **（Asian/chinese sole parent families）
*Who wins? who loses? in relation to current policies?
4. Key Issues or Considerations: (a major focus of your paper – around 1,000 words)
*In this section you will identify the key issues that have been raised – or that you are raising
*in relation to the current policy situation. Here you explain what is wrong with the current policy situation and why it needs to change. You need to provide evidence to support your claims.
*Make sure you have a clear statement in your paper about how these issues are related to social policy principles.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations or policy change: [fine to use dot points as long as your recommendations are clearly expressed]
*Summarise what you want the reader to take-away from your research (key points)
*Your aim is to present all the details required for the reader to be informed or to make an informed decision.
*Do not introduce new information into the conclusion.
*Your recommendations should offer credible, achievable and sound advice that is consistent with your analysis of the issues
*You do not have to cost your recommendations but be aware of the limitations in creating expensive and major changes.
Bibliography:
The briefing paper must be referenced throughout (including all policy documents used). The references must appear in a bibliography at the end of the paper. Referencing style: APA.
You do not have to include the bibliography in your word count.
Notes on Layout and Style:
Try to use this as an opportunity to develop your presentation skills ?present the Briefing Paper as
professionally as possible.
*organise the material carefully;
*use headings and sub-headings where appropriate;
*write in a clear, accessible style;
*try not to use jargon;
*be circumspect, judicious and strategic: do not to resort to lengthy polemical discussion;
*always give the full form before using acronyms (eg NSW Ageing, Disability and Home Care = ADaHC]
*take care not to accidentally [or deliberately] plagiarise, or cut and paste from other briefing papers or policy submissions.
Development of a plan for the policy Briefing Paper
Long-term unemployment is a very significant issue as it relates to poverty in NSW. Single parent families who rely on social security payments are among the poorest of families in NSW and many experience severe poverty.
The ‘Welfare to work’ policy is designed to enable those welfare recipients including single parents with one child aged at least 6 years, to gain employment and participate in the labour market and not to be dependent on government income security. The welfare-to-work program is administered by local welfare agencies or their contractors. The primary goal of his program is to increase economic participation and reduce welfare payments expenditure by the government. When applying the welfare to work policy to single parent families, there is the competing issue of these parents needing to be able to fulfil their responsibilities to their children, in order to meet the demands of child rearing and child welfare expectations. This can limit their capacity to meet the activity requirements designed to improve their inclusion in economic participation.
In the policy briefing paper, I will focus on a particular group of single parent families namely Asian single parent migrant families. I have selected The ST. GEORGE MIGRANT RESOURCE CENTRE as the agency where I am based as a social worker. At this agency have a large number of clients including single parent families from Asian backgrounds. Many of these single parents have immigrated to Australia through marriage sponsorship and are women with very limited English skills and very low educational levels.
There is also the cultural issue that these parents believe that focussing on child rearing is their most important task. In their home country it is expected that extended family including relatives have a responsibility to support such a family and they are not expected to have to go to work. The welfare to work program can be harsh when applied to this group of single parents. They are amongst the most vulnerable single mothers who have complex needs and are more at risk of social exclusion. They in fact, need greater support at a level much higher than that currently on offer under the ‘work first’ model.
Poverty is an issue of human rights and social justice. There are a range of key social justice issues that may affect the well being and health of vulnerable single parent families, such as equal rights, equal access to services, equality of opportunity, discrimination, participation, respect and human dignity. Just like any other citizens, Asian single parent families should have an equal right to enjoy the social conditions that underpin human wellbeing and health. They should also have an equal right to access services and other resources to promote their wellbeing and health. They should have equality of opportunity for themselves as well as their children to learn, engage in society, work, and have a voice and be able to participate in social, economic, cultural and political activities. They have a right to have their basic needs met, and their differences should be respected and that they are able to live with dignity. These factors will BE taken into account to examine how the current welfare to work policy affects this particular group of single parent families and as it relates these social justice issues.
There are SOME references that I have explored to this point to begin my research on this topic:
1. Cox, E. & Priest, T. (2008) ‘Welfare to work: at what cost to Parenting?’ <
2. Australian Institute of Family studies / child Family community Australia
3. Blaxland, M. (2009)“Welfare to work activity agreements, or how to reduce mothers’ autonomy by requiring they do what they are already doing’.
4. Mogstad, M. & Pronzato, C. (2009) ‘Are lone Mothers Responsive to Policy Changes? Evidence from a Workfare Reform in a Generous Welfare State’ <
5. Re-Working Welfare Technical Assistance for States and Localities : A how to Guide Work First
AND MORE REFERENCES ARE NEEDED!
ALSO NEED TO FIND SOME REFERENCES SPECIFICLY ON ASIAN SOLE PARENT FAMILIES!
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