Social Work SWP402 Social Policy social Inclusion Winter 2024 BRIEFING NOTE –

Social Work

SWP402 Social Policy social Inclusion

Winter 2024

BRIEFING NOTE – 30%:

Length 3 pages maximum (WITH 2 pages max. of Appendices)

BRIEFING NOTE – 30%:

Length 3 pages maximum (WITH 2 pages max. of Appendices)

BRIEFING NOTE

Writing a Briefing Note* will allow students to demonstrate their capacity to research and analyse policy relevant information about the service sector chosen, find gaps and closures in it, and advocate for expanding, changing and/or developing more inclusive policy/service provisions.

A Briefing Note is usually prepared as part of a strategy seeking to advocate and/or introduce changes or expansions to current social policies and presented in a governmental consultation process, to a political representative, to funders or to a board of directors or as a Policy Analyst. A Briefing Note is a ‘tool’ that is used in many contexts for the purpose of presenting a clear concise introduction/overview of a social problem and advocating for the best option to address the issue.

A Briefing Note should include:

Introduction to the issue and its importance for social care

Point out aspects that are not adequately addressed

Analyse and explain the impact/effects of these not working aspects

Propose recommendations to improve/correct these aspects

Briefing Note example, Housing Services Act Funding Formula July 19 Briefing note, is posted to D2L for extra guidance.

Specifications for assignment:

3 pages MAX (**plus following support doc) (title page not included)

** Two (2) pages for appendix to include relevant material that illustrates or expands upon the Briefing Note (i.e., additional statistics, charts to illustrate the problem, case example, summary of current stakeholder critiques etc.)

One (1) page of references

APA 7th edition format and referencing

Five academic references (MINIMUM) as well as web sites, newspaper, and magazine articles, Think Tank reports, community reports, etc.

Double space, 1inch margins

Subtitles for each section

Key to writing a successful briefing note is remembering that decision makers may read several notes each day, often as they multi-task. Your writing must be clear, succinct, and follow the structure outlined below.

Please follow this Briefing Note outline:

Who is the current Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing?

The current Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing is Paul Calandra . and federal government of canada

Title

[Provide an engaging and inviting title for your briefing note]

Who you are addressing:

Introduction ,Identify who the briefing note is targeted to and why [1-2 Sentences]

Issue

[In 2-3 sentences], describe the issue that your brief analyses

Executive Summary

[In a MAXIMUM of 4-5 sentences], summarise the main points of your briefing note

[Sections – i-iv – .5 page]

Background

[In one or two paragraphs], introduce the issue. Briefly describe: its importance to social policy and social care, a demographic profile of the communities that are affected, programmes or services that are currently available, etc.

Current Status

[In two or three paragraphs], outline the current state of service provision; what are the gaps or barriers that people are facing? What is not working? Why?

Key Considerations

[In three or four paragraphs], convince the reader/decision maker that change is needed. Your arguments can be based on morality/social justice, available evidence, political considerations, other geographical/international examples, social will, etc.

[Sections – v-vii – 1-1.5 pages]

Recommendation

[In no more than three to four paragraphs], make one or two strong recommendations for change or expanded service provision. Each recommendation will be a separate paragraph, with references supporting each. Place your recommendations in some kind of order – chronological, importance, best practices, etc.

TIP: Be sure to research other advocates within the sector/service or policy area, as you are joining an existing coalition and can then draw on their recommendations.

Conclusion

[In three or four sentences], summarise your arguments and recommendations. Try to convey a sense that change can happen with action

* NOTE: page/paragraph guidelines are meant to give you an idea on how to break down the sections. This can vary depending upon your topic and emphasis. These are NOT definitive page/paragraph limits. The total page limits ARE definitive.

Important Tips and Requirements

Your briefing note must offer some critical AOP analysis and/or decolonizing analysis, as well as integrate your social policy concepts and course learning.

You can review the following online resources to see helpful ideas and guidelines for writing a briefing note, these are very helpful resources and tips that public sector professionals developed and use.

https://www.publicsectorwriting.com/?page_id=6

What Is a Briefing Note? | Examples

http://www.writingforresults.net/classic.pdf

Written Work Format and Style

The assignment grade will be lowered by up to 10% when format requirements outlined below have not been followed. The work should:

not exceed the page limit for the assignment excluding references and appendices;

be written in paragraph form, that is, the content should not be provided in point form and subheadings should be used to organize your arguments;

be typed using Times New Roman font in 12 pitch and double spaced;

have one inch margins on each page (top, bottom, both sides);

have all pages numbered;

have a cover sheet which correctly identifies your student number, course, and faculty;

include a list of the references cited in the text. Citations in the text and references MUST adhere to the APA 7th edition standard required by the Ryerson School of Social Work;

maintain all direct quotes at no more than three sentences. You are encouraged to limit the number of direct quotes by summarizing the author’s thoughts in your own words;

use a minimum of FIVE references from academic peer reviewed journals and books, as well as further drawing on course readings. While you may (and should) use web sites, newspaper, and magazine articles, Think Tank reports etc., these sources cannot be included as required peer reviewed reference sources (REMEMBER you will be collecting many references and resources as you work on your WebQuests. These will be foundational to your Briefing Note)

present perspectives, positions and contentions clearly and with evidence in support of your arguments. Contentions should not be assumed to be self-evident but must be referenced to citations and supported with evidence. Avoid the use of rhetoric;

be clear and coherent. Edit sentence structure accordingly and review spelling and punctuation, (remember, presentation is critical to getting your point across) and finally

not use capital letters for nouns, as for example welfare state, federal government, social work.

NOTE, APA7th edition: “Capitalize not only the name of Indigenous groups and Nations (e.g., Crow, Seminole, Narragansett), but also most terms derived from Indigenous cultures (e.g., Oral Tradition, Elder, Traditional Knowledge, Vision Quest) Changes in the 7th Edition // Purdue Writing Lab

Here you will find a list of the Toronto City Counsellors Members of Council – City of Toronto

Here you will find a list of members of the Ontario Legislative Assembly (Members of Provincial Parliament): Home page | Legislative Assembly of Ontario (ola.org)

Here you will find a list of Federal Members of Parliament and Senators (both the government and opposition sides of the two houses), and political staff: https://lop.parl.ca/sites/ParlInfo/default/en_CA

Briefing Note Examples:

Housing Services Act Funding Formula Issue – Briefing Note 2019 (onpha.on.ca)

Brief to the Standing Committee on Health | Canadian Association of Social Workers (casw-acts.ca)

Assembly of First Nations – Post-Secondary Education – Briefing Note – Education Portal | Chiefs of Ontario (chiefs-of-ontario.org)

Canadian_Association_of_Social_Workers_-_Written_Submission_for_the_Pre-Budget_Consultations_-_August_2021.pdf (casw-acts.ca)

2018 Issue Briefing: Affordable Housing – Housing Affordability, Availability and Repair – City of Toronto

LGBTQ2S Housing Matters Project – MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance – Dalhousie University

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association for registered nurses who practice in all

Indigenous health_QPD 2019 Final Public.pdf (myrnao.ca)

https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/INAN/Brief/BR10491410/br-external/ChiefsOfOntario-e.pdf

RNAO_to_ECD_Committee_EC7.10_Sept._5_2019.pdf

Example-Information-Briefing-Note.pdf (publicsectorwriting.com)

The following are more examples to help you get started (note: some of the following are advocacy letters, but offer a good overview of structuring and positioning an argument):

ONPHA submission to Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on economic recovery

https://www.raredisorders.ca/template-letter-to-canadas-federal-health-minister/

Human Rights Commission letter to Premier Wynne on murdered and missing Aboriginal Women: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/ohrc-letter-premier-wynne-regarding-murdered-and-missing-indigenous-women

2