Policy Briefing

Rationale of the task: A policy briefing tests your ability to identify and describe concisely the key issues, existing policy options, identify the gaps and make recommendations on the best option. The skills you acquire are: capacity for summarising complex social problems in a concise fashion, to review and evaluate complex policy options and recommendations.

Details of task: This task requires students to write a policy brief on any ONE chosen social issue. The format will be an abridged version (to allow for appropriate word count) of the social policy briefings prepared by the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. Extensive examples are available at the following website: https://www.rch.org.au/ccch/policybrief/

The policy briefing will draw on current research and evidence-informed practice and explore:

• Brief introduction (100 words)
• Why the issue is important (200 words)
• What the research tells us (500 words)
• What the implications of the research are (200 words)
• Considerations for policy and practice. (200 words)

Word limit: 1200 words (A variation of 10+/- %)

Value: 35%

Assessment Criteria:

The course coordinator or tutor will assess this task. Students are to submit this task via Moodle.  Students will receive written feedback via Moodle. The criteria and weighting are as follows:

·         Capacity to situate the policy area in a broader relevant context (through the brief introduction) and articulate why the issue is important (reflecting understanding of current research literature on the topic) (20%)

·         Capacity to analyse and present four key themes within the research literature (40%)

·         Capacity to articulate the implications of the research in relation to the policy topic (20%)

·         Capacity to identify and articulate consideration for policy and programs, showing strong relation to the broader context and research literature (20%)

·         Please note: The marking of each criteria will reflect clarity of written expression, relevance and strength of arguments, cohesiveness across assessment task as a whole, and strict adherence to APA referencing.