Program Proposal and Evaluation Plan- Problem Statement

Program Proposal and Evaluation Plan- Problem Statement

1. Agency and Organization Description and Qualifications
2. Description of the organization

The Jane Addams Middle School in Lawndale in California is an elementary school in California that provides schooling services that have been identified in the school. It is a school serving a large population of children from the district and has a good track record in taking care of students. It is one of the largest schools in the region and serves children as well as teenagers developing the best programs that can help a child in future. The school has a good relationship with other institutions and organizations in the region thereby creating a good environment for students to develop their individual talents and skills. It is one of the most advanced schools with the individual systems that have been adopted making it the perfect environment for developing students’ skills. The organization takes care of children in the region and ensures that it communicates with the community diligently to ensure that there are proper models that are used.

2. Community within which the agency is located

The organization has been working hard with the help of the people in the district to ensure that it meets the needs of the people and elevates their individual output. The community in Lawndale district has also been supportive of the leading academic work that the organization offers. The close relationship and interaction with the country’s universities and colleges ensures that the organization gets the best opportunities for the students as they work with others to develop the institution further.

3. Organization service track record and capacity to respond to different innovative scenarios

There has been a strong interaction and modeling that has been found to be integral to the development structure used by the entity. It is these essential tools of working within the larger framework set out by the school that has made it a success. The work ethic of members of the school system has also been a critical aspect of the overall success and development of the entity. The individual measures that are developed by the agency have been critical in giving the best academic and life skills to the students within the school system. The school system works hard to ensure that its students are given the best services and a platform towards creating and ensuring that proper tools are developed. It is an institution that is founded on helping people and getting the best from each student through the set models used within the entity. The best systems are developed thereby working towards integrating and creating better and more potent tools of change for the future of the students.

4. Identification of the problem

The Problem that is faced in the environment is self-harming and infliction among students. Self-harm has been found to affect approximately 24% of students nationally in 8^th grade or lower. The onset starts to be identifiable at 7-8^th grades with approximately 28% of these cases being identified at this time. It is a major problem that has been found to affect many children in the society and has been critical in changing the mindset and models that are used by individual parents as well as institutions. The number of students who attend the Jane Addams Middle School are mostly on this age bracket and it is therefore, critical to ensure that the best models have been developed. There have been many cases reported across the US where children with elevated levels of self harm go to the extent of killing others in the school. It is these students shooting and other attributes that make it fundamental to assess the problem and make proper systems that are aimed at addressing the issue through the different public policy models.

1. Problem Statement/Unmet Service Needs of the Population
2. Description of the problem to the population

There are different terms that are used for self harm that include self injury, self mutilation and non-suicidal self harm. In most cases the individuals cut the skin that can be also identified in burning or hitting oneself as a method for inflicting self harm. There are different forms that can be identified although the best tools towards ensuring that the children are given proper care (Carlson, 2002). The problem especially onset among adolescents in the society and has been identified as critical in giving the patients proper models and methods or attending to their problems. The individuals affected by this problem are different with the number of students who face the problem ranging from different cultures and races. Gender or other attributes are also not a measure for this problem with the individual tools and attributes being critically evaluated. Research has found that there are approximately more than 15-20% adolescents who engage in self harming behaviors (Netting et al, 2004). It is a problem that has been found to affect many students and children in the society thereby elevating the need of developing the best practices needed in the society.

2. Reasons why the Problem Exists

The problem has been propelled by lack of understanding the problem and the importance of taking critical methods to control the problem in the society. There are many myths that have been advanced thereby creating problems towards tackling this aspect in the society. One of the myths is that all youths who self harm are suicidal. This is however, not the case with many children or youth harming themselves for different reasons (Harris and Franklin, 2003). Research has found that only approximately 11% of the youth who self harm are suicidal. The different reasons that have been highlighted in this case include depression, anxiety and border personality disorder. These are changes that the youth have to face and self harm is identified as one of the main methods that the students use. There is also the myth that the students or children who self harm are attention seekers. This is also untrue with students self harming to reduce tension or numbness or promote a sense of feeling alive and real (Dudley, 2014). It is the attempts of the children to develop methods that create physical pain that have been found to be critical in finding the best processes of change that are needed. The problem is further increased by the lack of understanding and awareness of these issues in the students. Although parent may find their children to be self harming, the lack of taking action and developing the best methods towards changing and developing proper models hinders these processes (Solomon, 2004). It is therefore, intricate to ensure that the best models of change have been developed to increase the level of awareness and create a proper process needed for proper controls needed. The problem will only increase unless proper changes have been identified to ensure that the problem is critically measured and attended to in the society (Dudley, 2014). As the number of students who are affected by this problem increases, it outlines the importance of assessing the methods that have been used by the institutions across the globe in attending to the problems. A stronger approach is needed while also ensuring that the best systems have been adopted widely across the system in the district.

1. Analysis of Relevant Policy
2. Existing public policy

In California, the public policy on record is for the provision of the right and relevant counseling for the youth who are faced with these challenges. The policy outlines that each school needs to have a counselor who should help the students as they look to develop the best systems and approach towards ensuring that they have been given proper care in the society. The policy outlines the importance of a counselor in every school and how the underlying elements need to be articulated and handled by the counselor while attending to the students (Brausch and Gutierrez, 2010). This has been adopted and the Jane Addams Middle School where there is a school counselor who helps the children. Although most students do not like the counseling sessions, it has been found to be critical towards developing a controlled approach for self harming cases. It is these attributes that make it critical to ensure that an aggregate effort is employed by everyone within the system. The individual traits need to be observed while articulating the best methods and measures of change that are needed within every setting.

3. Effectiveness of the policy in meeting its goals

The public policy has been critical in addressing the problem in schools across California. Every entity that applies these models is sufficiently monitored thereby creating a strong approach and process that is needed for schools. The counseling service helps students who are committed to change and all the processes of counseling. However, since self harming students or individuals are not always identified, it raises problems in the application and development of counseling (Dudley, 2014). It is an important role that is mapped through the individual systems that are needed and creates a strong approach of change that is mapped by every structure. The system or policies that are adopted need to be founded on a strong basis that incorporates all the major stakeholders in a student’s development.

4. Addressing the Problem in the population

The main method that needs to be adopted is creating an environment where all people are given an opportunity towards ensuring change and creating a stronger basis of observing behaviors. Any behavioral change that is monitored by the teachers or parents needs to be reported to the counselor or appropriate actions are taken to ensure that the children are given a proper basis and conditioning (Hawton et al, 2012). It is imperative for the community to cumulatively take action on the individual issues that affect the children and ensure that the best basis is developed. There needs to be a policy that looks to sensitize everyone on these aspects and ensuring that as an organization proper actions are taken when these problems are identified (Dudley, 2014). Creating a good premise towards helping the students needs to be fundamentally developed thereby articulating the main attributes and measures of change needed. It is therefore, fundamental for the best tools and methods to be adopted towards changing the position that is observed which essentially develops the best policies and controls needed. As an organization, using policy guidelines to educate the parents and the community at large is therefore essential towards creating a strong approach of change needed in the system.

References

Brausch, A. M., & Gutierrez, P. M. (2010). Differences in non-suicidal self-injury and suicide attempts in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(3), 233-242.

Carlson, M. (2002). Introduction: An overview of the grant-seeking process. In Winning grants step by step (2nd ed., pp. 1-6). New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.

Dudley, J. R. (2014). Crafting goals and objectives. In Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (2nd ed., pp. 144-164). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, Inc.

Dudley, J. R. (2014). Needs assessments. In Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (2nd ed., pp. 109-142). Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, Inc.

Harris, M.B. & Franklin, C.G. (2003). Effects of a cognitive-behavioral, school-based, group intervention with Mexican American pregnant and parenting adolescents. Social Work Research, 27, 71-83.

Hawton, K., Saunders, K. E., & O’Connor, R. C. (2012). Self-harm and suicide in adolescents. The Lancet, 379(9834), 2373-2382.

Netting, F. L., Kettner, P. M., &McCurtry, S. (2004). Understanding problems and opportunities.In Social work macro practice (3rd ed., pp. 82-100). New York, NY: Longman.

Solomon, B. (2002). Accountability in public child welfare: Linking program theory, program specification and program evaluation. Children and Youth Services Review, 24(6/7), 385-407.