Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:
Poverty in Human Services

Poverty is a major social problem in our society. Nearly 1 in 5 children live in poverty in the United States, with prevalence varying by region and state. As you read in Chapter 3, the human services field has a long history and value of addressing the needs of the poor in society. Now, imagine that you are a human service professional in a community non-profit agency that provides case management services to a diverse demographic of low-income families. As a case manager, you apply ecological systems theory in your biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment and treatment planning with children and families.

After completing the reading, please respond to the following:

1.  In what ways could you advocate for children and families in poverty in this role, taking into consideration key concepts from ecological systems theory?
2.  In particular, how could you help to positively impact the child’s micro, mezzo, and macro systems to lessen the negative effects of poverty?

Please read the following chapter in your text:

Chapter 3: “The History of Advocacy in Human Services”

Chapter 3 will introduce you to the history of advocacy and social justice in the growth of the human service profession, and will illustrate how public policy and legislation influences the needs of diverse individuals and organizations through human service delivery.

Web Resources

Review the slides below for information on theories:

Overview of Human Service Theories: Review of Theories
Visit the link below for information on child poverty policies:

Children’s Defense Fund: Child Poverty. Retrieved from https://www.childrensdefense.org/policy/policy-priorities/child-poverty/
Library Resources

Read the following chapter from Social Work Theories in Action:

Chapter 1: “The Ecological Systems Metaphor in Australasia”
Read the following chapters from Social Work Perspectives On Human Behaviour:

Chapter 13: “Systems theory, ecosystems and personal-cultural-social (PCS) perspectives”
Chapter 16: “Summary: A bio-psychosocial perspective: Strengths and resilience”