Social Work Policy, Advocacy & Social Justice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The concept of 'structural racism' in social work refers to:
- Individual prejudiced attitudes
- Systemic policies and institutional practices that perpetuate racial inequity (Correct answer)
- Legal segregation laws
- Interpersonal discrimination only
Correct answer: Systemic policies and institutional practices that perpetuate racial inequity
Structural racism refers to the cumulative and compounding effects of historical and contemporary policies, institutional practices, and cultural norms that produce racial inequity.
Question 2: The Social Security Act of 1935 was significant because it:
- Established universal healthcare
- Created the framework for federal social welfare programs in the US (Correct answer)
- Founded the NASW
- Outlawed child labor
Correct answer: Created the framework for federal social welfare programs in the US
The Social Security Act of 1935 established foundational social welfare programs including old-age benefits, unemployment insurance, and grants to states for public assistance.
Question 3: Advocacy in social work is best defined as:
- Providing direct therapy to clients
- Speaking up and taking action on behalf of clients or groups to achieve social justice (Correct answer)
- Completing paperwork for benefits
- Conducting program evaluations
Correct answer: Speaking up and taking action on behalf of clients or groups to achieve social justice
Advocacy involves actively representing, defending, and promoting the rights and interests of clients or populations to effect change.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'institutional oppression'?
- Personal bias held by an individual
- Systematic mistreatment of a group perpetuated by societal institutions (Correct answer)
- Cultural norms within a single community
- Interpersonal discrimination between two people
Correct answer: Systematic mistreatment of a group perpetuated by societal institutions
Institutional oppression refers to the ways in which laws, policies, and practices within social institutions systematically disadvantage marginalized groups.
Question 5: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded access to mental health services primarily by:
- Establishing new psychiatric hospitals
- Requiring mental health parity and expanding Medicaid eligibility (Correct answer)
- Creating a national social worker registry
- Eliminating prior authorization requirements
Correct answer: Requiring mental health parity and expanding Medicaid eligibility
The ACA required insurers to cover mental health and substance use services on par with physical health (parity) and expanded Medicaid to cover more low-income adults.
Question 6: In the context of social policy, 'means-tested' programs refer to benefits that are:
- Available to all citizens regardless of income
- Provided only to those who meet specific income or resource criteria (Correct answer)
- Based on employment history
- Determined by age only
Correct answer: Provided only to those who meet specific income or resource criteria
Means-tested programs, such as Medicaid and SNAP, require applicants to demonstrate financial need by falling below established income or asset thresholds.
Social Work Policy, Advocacy & Social Justice 2
The concept of 'structural racism' in social work refers to: