Practice Brief (Social work)

Check files for instructions/example/rubric! (better formatting)

Practice Brief Paper Description

A practice brief is a short document designed to support practitioners in improving their practice by providing accessible, up-to-date research-based information on a particular topic. With that purpose in mind, a social work practice brief should:

· Integrate a focus on social justice throughout the brief***

· Focus on a specific, broadly relevant social work practice issue or problem (an example of this would be “suicide prevention with veterans”).

· Gather and integrate the most up-to-date and relevant knowledge to help the readers more fully understand the issue

· Highlight what social work practitioners can do to better address this practice issue, by providing context, actionable advice, strategies, and tools

· Include links to tools, articles, websites, and resources.

· Prompt further reflection and discussion among social workers

In 5-7 pages (excluding reference page), and citing at least 10 recent peer-reviewed journal article references using APA style, create a practice brief on a mental health practice/intervention topic of interest to you. Focus on that practice/intervention as it relates to a vulnerable population of your choice. Include each heading below, and be sure to address the points listed beneath thoroughly and succinctly.

1. Title – concise, engaging title that encapsulates the issue

2. What is the Issue? – description of the practice issue/problem/concern, including information on the population affected, prevalence, current intervention approaches, best practices if such exist, gaps in knowledge/research, and impact of the issue on individuals and society

3. Why it Matters to You? – rationale for how/why this issue is important/relevant for social workers; include content from the Code of Ethics and informational/position paper journal articles to substantiate your rationale

4. Things to Consider – summarize knowledge from research (peer-reviewed journal articles) and practice resources (examples of such include but are not limited to government centers such as SAMHSA, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, NASW, other practice resources) about the topic/issue; highlight key points/what is most important for social workers to know/understand

5. Specific Guidance – describe explicit steps/actions that social workers can take to address the issue, and include tools/resources to support such

6. Links to Related Resources – in addition to the tools/resources provided in your guidance section, include additional practice resource links here

7. Things to Reflect On – include a prompt, quote, or question related to your topic that is evocative and/or thought provoking, and will support practitioner reflection

***Social Justice Issues – in the 7 sections above, address each of the four principles of social justice, as related to your practice issue: equity (fair distribution of available resources across society), access (being able to obtain needed resources regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, income level, etc.), participation (the extent to which people have a voice and can impact decisions that affect them), and rights (protection of individual liberties). You don’t need to address all four principles in each section, rather, each of the principles needs to be addressed somewhere within your Practice Brief sections as it makes sense for your practice topic.