Policy Problem for Which a Proposed Solution

¶ … policy problem for which a proposed solution will be developed. The policy problem is the difficulty that single mothers face when they attempt to re-enter the job market, but have no funds to use to negotiate the pre-employment maze of requirements, meetings, and other demands on their time and resources -- all of which occur well before the women receive their first paycheck.

One of the primary problems that these single mothers must solve is how to provide safe and adequate child care so that they can focus on the immediate pre-employment demands. Identify the recipient of the report. The Representative of the voter district and state of [name the state you live in] is the target audience for this report. The proposal covered by this report functions to created awareness of a socio-economic problem for which there is a reasonable solution.

Further the report requests a meeting with the Representative to discuss the options, such as the introduction of a bill to the state Legislature. Identify the topic of the report.

This report will outline the need for a drop-in child care center for single, working mothers of low income, low-middle income, or in the category of "the working poor." Further the report will provide sufficient information to the State Legislator to determine the feasibility of the proposed program and the rationale for preparing a bill that will designate funding to the program. Identify the purpose of the report. One of the most pressing issues for working mothers is adequate child care.

It is difficult enough to arrange for child care on a regular basis, say, before and after school. For many mothers, the circumstances that lead up to obtaining a job are even more difficult to navigate. For example, when interviews are scheduled, the time selected is typically not negotiable. Candidates are offered an available time slot and dare not ask for a change, if they are desperate for a job.

If there are permits or licenses to obtain, such as food handlers permits or special class driving licenses, the sessions and classes usually take place before the prospective employee is receiving wages. This can mean that the soon-to-be-employed single mother does not have money to pay for child care at this juncture. The outcome of these situations is that children are often left with people who should not be watching children or with any available, willing acquaintance who will agree to care for the children for a short time.

Recall the scene in Erin Brokovitch when the protagonist's children are left with the neighbor George who she has just barely met. The upshot is that many single mothers will be sufficiently discouraged by their circumstances that they will not apply for jobs, that they will miss scheduled interviews, that they will not obtain the necessary permits or licenses need for their chosen position, field, or job requirement. Identify potential resources that will be needed for support. A number of social service agencies implement programs that support single, working mothers.

This report will need to show how the proposed program is distinct from extant programs, and at the same time, articulates with those programs in a meaningful way. In order to do this well, the proposed report must provide facts and figures that are easily understood and integrate well with the social problem that is being addressed.

For example, it would be good if the data provided in the report could also be included in an infographic format that isolates key data points, making the primary issues both salient and interpretable. Identify methods to be used to gather information. I brief e-mail survey that produces quantitative results, which are easily analyzed, will be sent to program heads and representatives of social service programs in the region and in the state that are known to be related to the policy problem.

This data will be analyzed in order to provide defensible rationale for the proposed program and to provide significant data points for the infographic. The basis for this data collection plan is that this author believes that social workers will have intimate knowledge about the barriers and challenges that single, working mothers with limited income face when entering or re-entering the job market.

By grounding a pre-report study in the contexts in which the policy problem flourishes, there is a greater possibility that the solutions crafted by authors of the House Bill will generate real solutions -- ideas that could actually work in the environments that single, working mothers inhabit. Identify criteria to be used to evaluate the information collected. Data collected must be from reliable sources, such as individuals who are charged with data collection and analysis in their.