Category: Humanities : Human Services

Continue reviewing the chapters as you work on the article critique assignments for Weeks 9 and 10. A lot of material has been covered in the course and it is time to begin pulling it all together. What is important is to learn about writing a proposal, developing a research question, and completing a literature review. You cannot conduct research without a literature review to support your development and process of the study. The assignments are guiding you as you continue developing a preliminary proposal. You are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the material as you continue to learn. It is important that you are able to complete a preliminary proposal for a research study. 
 This week the focus is on learning about Qualitative studies. Qualitative studies are relative because they focus on the lived experience of the participants and offer various ways in which to collect the data necessary for the study. It focuses on the how and why of a phenomenon. Next week you will learn about quantitative studies which focuses on how many and how much looking at causative relationships using hypothesis and collecting data.
If you are proposing a qualitative study, it is important to find journal articles that to support your paper. Make sure you find articles that will work for your proposal. 
(My paper is on Child Welfare and protection. I will be using the Mixed Methods design by targeting parents, children, child welfare programs and policy makers. This will be to gather data about how children are even ending up in child welfare, what is making them at risk to be taken away from their parents. The design I choose to focus on is the quantitative method for my study, I would consider survey based research design. )
Be sure to find a peer reviewed journal article to critique for my final paper. This is all preparing me to write a final paper I will attach the last article here so you don’t use that one.
This assignment must be typed double-spaced, using well-organized paragraphs. Use a minimum of two full pages (no more that 3 full pages). Use the APA format when referencing external sources and include a reference page.

For this assignment, find ONE journal article that collects data through surveys. Develop well-organized paragraphs and respond to the following inquiries: The article should be about child welfare and protection. What is the topic being studied and what makes it appropriate for a survey method?
What is being measured by the survey (e.g. attitude, opinion, feelings, etc.)?
What type of survey is used (e.g. self-administered questionnaires, interview, telephone, online, etc.)? Be specific with an explanation for why the choice is appropriate.
Are there any ethical concerns in this research? Explain.
This assignment must be typed double-spaced, using well-organized paragraphs on one and a half pages. Use the APA format when referencing external sources and include a reference page.

Find two professional organizations that serve human services professionals. Links to two of the main human services professional organizations are provided in the resources for this module. Some organizations will include the name of the profession, human services, while others will be named after the type of field (e.g., child welfare, homelessness, mental health). Find out how much it costs to join the organization as a student and what benefits the organization offers for students (e.g., scholarships). Write one paragraph about each organization. Why would you join or not join these organizations?

Overview
Human services professionals work in a variety of settings such as hospitals, mental health centers, addiction treatment programs, child welfare, courts, probation, schools, and food banks. This course serves as your introduction to the field. In the final assignment, you will apply what you learned about the history of the human services field and about current trends, theory, ethics, the helping process, roles, and the variety of settings in which human services professionals are employed.
The project is supported by four formative milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, Five, and Six. The final submission will be due in Module Seven.
This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:
Analyze the history of the field of human services for its relationship to current trends in the field
Describe theories, values, and ethics for guiding work as a human services professional
Differentiate between the various roles human services professionals employ facilitating the helping process
Research human services employment opportunities for informing career paths
Prompt
For the final assessment, you will select an agency in which you would like to be employed. You will research the types of services this agency offers by looking at its website, visiting the agency (if possible), emailing or interviewing someone who works at the agency. Once you have gathered the information for this project, you will explain why you selected this particular agency instead of others, write about how history and current trends have influenced this agency, what theories, values, and ethical standards you would apply if you worked at the agency, and how your personal values might be challenged, what your role in the helping process might be, and what qualifications you would need to apply for a job at that agency.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed
Human Services Profession
Choose a human services agency in which you would like to be employed.
What is the agency you selected, and what was your rationale for choosing this particular agency? What other agencies did you consider, and why did you not select them? Why would you like to be employed at this agency?
Agency Description
Research the types of services this agency offers by looking at its website, visiting the agency (if possible), emailing or interviewing someone who works at the agency.
What are the main types of services offered?
Describe what main type of professionals work within this agency, and describe their roles.
History and Current Trends
Give a brief history of the development of the agency. Consider describing who established it, why it was originally established, and how it has evolved. Include the mission of the agency and any other pertinent information.
How is the history of the human services field similar to and different from the history of the agency?
Describe current trends that impact the work of the agency. How do these trends relate to the history of the human services field?
Theories, Values, and Ethics
Review the code of ethics for human service professionals and theories learned in this class.
What is the importance of having a code of ethics? How would the code of ethics impact your provision of services in this agency?
Which standards in the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals will be more and which will be less challenging to implement, and why?
What theory might you apply while working with clients in your selected agency? Describe an example of how you might apply this theory in your work at this agency.
Role in the Helping Process
Based on your research, what roles might you utilize at this agency in each stage of the helping process?
Career Opportunities
Research the careers available in the specific agency, and discuss the qualifications.
Choose an entry-level position you are interested in pursuing, and discuss the qualifications you would need to apply for the position.
Detail the qualifications you possess and which skills you are lacking to qualify for the position.
Summary of Learning
To conclude this paper, summarize what you have learned in this course that you can apply to your everyday life.
Milestones
Milestone One: Human Services Organization Identification
In Module Two, you will select one agency in which you would like to be employed and write a one-page overview describing the agency, your interest in it, and the different roles and positions the agency maintains. You will focus on this agency throughout the rest of the agency exploration assignment. 
Milestone Two: Human Services Timeline Discussion
In Module Four, you will reflect on the history of the human services field and the history of your chosen organization through a discussion. You will make a post that identifies the founding of your selected organization and highlights an important event or news story that has impacted the human services field. 
For this assignment, you will post in the Human Services Timeline Discussion. Your post should do two things. First, it should note the founding of the organization you chose for the final project and include a few sentences explaining who established it, why is was established, and the mission of the organization. Second, it should describe one event in human services history (at the state, national, or international level) that relates to your agency (e.g., a new law or policy, a historical event). This milestone is to help you to discuss similarities and differences between the history of the agency you chose and the history of the human services field.