Social Problem & Social Welfare Response
For your Major Course Project, you will select one social problem or population discussed (or will be discussed) in this course and examine the issue from a broader social welfare perspective.
Rather than developing a service plan for an individual client, you will investigate:
The nature and scope of the social problem
Populations affected
Factors contributing to the problem
How society has responded to the problem
Social welfare programs and policies
An actual agency or organization addressing the issue
Barriers and gaps within the current response
The role of the social work profession
Changes that could improve the response
The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of the relationship between social problems, social welfare, social services, and social work.
Step 1: Select Your Topic
Choose one social problem or population related to material covered in the course.
Possible topics include:
Poverty
Homelessness
Food insecurity
Mental health
Substance use
Child abuse and neglect
Family violence
Juvenile delinquency
Crime and incarceration
Reentry after incarceration
Problems within education
School dropout
Unemployment
Workplace problems
Older adults and aging
Caregiver needs
Healthcare access
Individuals with disabilities
LGBTQIA+ individuals
Your topic should be specific enough that you can identify actual programs, policies, services, and organizations responding to the issue.
Part I – Understanding the Social Problem
Introduce your selected social problem.
Address the following:
1. Clearly define the social problem.
2. Who is most affected by the problem?
3. Identify at least three factors that contribute to the problem.
4. How does the problem affect individuals and families?
5. How does the problem affect communities or society?
6. Identify one common misconception or stereotype associated with the issue or population.
7. Explain why that misconception may be inaccurate or incomplete.
Your goal is to help someone unfamiliar with the issue understand why it is considered a social problem.
Part II – Scope of the Problem
Use current and credible information to demonstrate the scope of the issue.
Include:
1. At least three current statistics related to your topic.
2. At least one statistic should represent the United States as a whole.
3. At least one statistic should represent North Carolina or your local community, when information is available.
4. Identify one current trend related to the issue.
For example:
Is the problem increasing or decreasing?
Are certain populations affected more than others?
Has demand for services changed?
Are communities responding differently than they did previously?
Do not simply list statistics. Briefly explain what the information tells us about the problem.
Part III – How Has Society Responded?
Social welfare responses change over time.
Briefly examine how society’s response to your selected issue has developed.
Address:
1. How was this issue viewed or addressed in the past?
2. Identify one significant change in how society responds to the issue today.
3. What contributed to this change?
4. Has the change improved services or outcomes? Explain.
You are not required to provide an extensive historical timeline. Focus on changes that help explain the current social welfare response.
Part IV – Social Welfare Response
Identify how the current social welfare system responds to your selected problem.
Identify at least three programs, policies, services, or publicly funded initiatives related to the issue.
For each, explain:
Name of the program, policy, or service
Purpose
Population it is designed to help
Type of assistance or support provided
How it is funded or supported, when this information is available
How individuals or communities benefit
Remember what we discussed at the beginning of the semester:
Social welfare is much broader than DSS and traditional public assistance.
Consider federal, state, and local government programs as well as publicly supported community systems.
Part V – Agency Spotlight
Identify one actual agency or organization responding to your selected social problem.
Whenever possible, select an organization that serves your local community, region, or North Carolina.
Include:
Agency/organization name
Location
Mission or purpose
Population served
Major services provided
Geographic area served
How the organization is funded, if available
How individuals access its services
One strength of the organization
One limitation or challenge facing the organization
Important
Do not simply copy information from the agency’s website.
Explain how the organization fits into the larger social welfare response to your selected problem.
Part VI – Barriers and Gaps
Even when programs and services exist, people may still have difficulty receiving assistance.
Identify at least three barriers or gaps associated with the current response to your social problem.
Examples may include:
Transportation
Cost
Eligibility requirements
Lack of funding
Staffing shortages
Waiting lists
Rural access
Limited hours
Lack of available programs
Stigma
Language barriers
Lack of public awareness
Technology barriers
Policy restrictions
For each barrier:
1. Explain the barrier.
2. Identify who may be affected.
3. Explain how the barrier limits access to services or support.
Part VII – The Role of Social Work
Explain how the social work profession is involved in addressing your selected social problem.
Address:
1. Identify at least three roles social workers may perform when addressing this issue.
Examples include:
Advocate
Case manager
Counselor
Educator
Broker
Community organizer
Program developer
Policy advocate
Administrator
Researcher
2. Explain how social workers contribute to addressing the problem beyond working with individual clients.
3. Explain why empowerment is important when working with the population affected by this issue.
Part VIII – Your Recommendation for Change
Based on everything you learned, identify one realistic change that could improve how your community, state, or the social welfare system responds to this issue.
Your recommendation could involve:
Expanding an existing service
Developing a new program
Increasing funding
Improving transportation
Increasing prevention efforts
Improving public education
Improving coordination among agencies
Changing eligibility requirements
Addressing a policy barrier
Expanding services to an underserved population
Increasing workforce capacity
Explain:
1. What do you recommend?
2. Why is the change needed?
3. Who would benefit?
4. Who would need to be involved in making the change?
5. How could the change improve the current social welfare response?
Your recommendation should be realistic and connected to the information presented in your project.
Part IX – Course Connection
In approximately 1–2 paragraphs, respond to the following:
How does your selected social problem demonstrate the relationship between social problems, social welfare, social services, and the social work profession?
Also explain one way your understanding of social welfare has changed since the beginning of the course.
Part X – Sources
Use at least five credible sources.
Your sources must include:
Zastrow & Hessenauer textbook
At least one government source
Official website of the agency/organization you selected
At least two additional credible sources
Examples of credible sources include:
Government agencies
Universities
Professional organizations
Research organizations
Peer-reviewed articles
Established nonprofit organizations
Do not rely primarily on Wikipedia, blogs, social media, or general Google search results.
Include a reference slide at the end of your presentation.
Project Format
Create a professional presentation using:
PowerPoint
Google Slides
Canva
Your presentation should contain approximately 15–18 content slides, not including the title and reference slides.
Your presentation should include:
Clear section headings
Concise information
Appropriate visuals
Current statistics
Professional formatting
Citations for information obtained from outside sources
Avoid placing large paragraphs of information on your slides.
You should be able to explain the information presented rather than simply read the slides.
Suggested Presentation Organization
Slide 1: Title
Slides 2–3: Understanding the Social Problem
Slides 4–5: Scope and Current Statistics
Slide 6: How Society’s Response Has Changed
Slides 7–9: Social Welfare Response
Slides 10–11: Agency Spotlight
Slides 12–13: Barriers and Gaps
Slide 14: Role of Social Work
Slide 15: Recommendation for Change
Slide 16: Course Connection
Slide 17+: References
This major project asks you to examine one social problem from a broad social-welfare perspective — its nature and scope, affected populations, causes, society’s response, programs and policies, a real agency, gaps, and the social-work role. It’s macro-level analysis, not an individual service plan.
Key takeaways
- Analyze a social problem at the societal level, not as an individual case.
- Cover scope, affected populations, and contributing factors.
- Examine society’s response — programs, policies, and a real agency.
- Identify barriers and gaps in the current response.
- Discuss the social-work role and improvements.
Define the problem and its scope
Select a social problem (homelessness, food insecurity, addiction, etc.) and establish its nature and scope with data — how widespread and severe it is.
Populations and causes
Identify who is affected and the factors contributing to the problem — individual, social, economic, and structural.
Society’s response
Examine how society has responded: relevant social-welfare programs and policies, and a real agency or organization addressing the issue (its services and approach).
Gaps and the social-work role
Identify barriers and gaps in the current response, the role of the social work profession, and changes that could improve outcomes — demonstrating the links between social problems, welfare, services, and social work.
Format
Use evidence throughout and cite in APA.
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