Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 2) | Page 95

Practice Issues
the various aspects of the service design. While it may be difficult to impart
or teach individuals social empathy which comes from deeper or day to day
experiences, there is a need to factor in social empathy so that social welfare
policies can be developed to be more attuned to people’s needs.

Contribution of social work to policy making
A common challenge in social policy making is how to help people who have
no personal experience or insight into what it means to be discriminated or
to grow up in a poor or disadvantaged environment to understand what that
looks and feels like. Walking the ground or visiting agencies or communities
can be helpful but is insufficient for policy making. This is where the policy
making process draws upon the insights of social work practitioners and
taps on their deep understanding of the experiences of those with needs.
This is also where soci al workers apply their training in policy analysis to
contribute to policy making. Good policy analysis includes at least 3 areas
of impact and social workers should contribute by analysing them: 1) the
intended impact, 2) the actual impact, and 3) the follow up impact on those
who have been affected by the policy and its subsequent programmes. In
conclusion, for social welfare policies to be more attuned to the needs of
people, social policy makers have to focus on values and principles, develop
good research and cultivate social empathy.

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