3003HSV Supplementary Assessment Task (attached the assment task file) Essay Example

3003 HSV SUPPLEMENTARY ASSESSMENT TASK

MIN-JI KIM

Policy submission

There is a framework for writing good policy submissions with various elements. The elements range from identification of the best consultation to thorough research on the issue affecting the community. Additionally, there should be enough consultation and the development of the argument. The submission should be written well using the required structure and style as consideration given to tone. The framework helps in advocating the case in a straight forward as well as meaningful way. This paper will analyse the framework for writing a policy submission supported by examples.

Elements of the framework for writing a policy submission

One of the key elements is to identify the best consultation process. It can be facilitated by searching the government websites for relevant information about the terms of reference and the time frames for submission as well the areas or issues about which it is possible to make contributions. A very good example is when trying to make a policy submission about the disabled in Australia. The writer should search for support care centre which is a body of the Australian government that deals with the disabled. This will help the policy submission writer in knowing what is required and where he can make helpful contributions. After identification of the issues, there must be a thorough analysis of current or related policies related to the area of concern for the community. This constitutes the process to be taken in the making of the submission. The writer of the policy submission must research previous submissions and other related sources that will help in clarifying the argument of the submission. A good example is when writing policy submission on issues relating to the disabled. One needs to know the history of the disability care and support in Australia. This will help the writer in sourcing the relevant information to be included in the submission and it will prevent repeating what has been suggested earlier by other policy submission writers. It will also help the submission writer in understanding the body he is writing to and meet the expected requirements.

The other element is the actual consultation process. This comes after identification of the main arguments related to the issue. There must be proper consultation with the various human services or social workers who have relevant information with the regard to the issue at hand. This will help the argument to move to the next step of writing the submission and also convince the implementers. Professionals such as human services or social workers are very important because the information they have is very important to the policy makers. These are the people with relevant experience and information regarding the issue on the argument. They need to be consulted for them to provide helpful information that will help the policy submission writer to make the required insights on the issue at hand. In the example on the disabled, these professionals can provide information on how most families experience living with a family member with a disability. They also understand the difficulties faced by the disabled as well as their family members. This information will help in coming up with the best recommendations in the policy.

The next step in the process is the element of argument development. Here the writer identifies the argument of submission in form of sub-points this will make it easier for the reader to identify the argument. The reader will concentrate much on this element of the submission. It is important to have a main idea supported by other ideas. The writer must show the change he wants in this section of the policy writing process. The social policy issue at hand must be clearly evidenced here. In the example of a policy submission concerning the disabled, the impact of their disability on their lives as well as their families must be discussed and then recommendations for policy changes to improve their lives should be presented by the writer. According to Australian government (2), most families that are affected by disability in Australia don’t have the capacity to prepare for any risk or the impacts of disability.

From the development of the argument, the actual writing of the submission follows. The writing should aim at highlighting what is important from the argument. The argument becomes the starting point and the writer concentrates on giving clear information regarding the main ideas. This is an element where the writer should ensure that the main ideas in the submission should be understood by the reader in the first pages. The example of a policy submission about the disabled should show how they are underfunded and the impact of this underfunding in their lives of the disabled and their families while the submission should aim at increasing the funding. It would be also used to recommend for national schemes to support the disabled in the community. The structural element of the submission should also be put into consideration by the writer for effective communication to be realised. Despite the difference in the consultation process, most opportunities for policy submissions will have terms of reference which will cover the specific points that are being considered by the government. The structure in my example would show how the current support programs are underfunded, fragmented as well as inequitable. The structure should be clear in form of points to make the reader’s understanding easier, therefore, saving time when reading and implementing. The writing style, as well as tone, should be aimed at communicating the argument but not as an academic essay. It should be convincing to the readers in a respectful way. In the finalising step of writing a submission, the submission should be well proofread and ready to submit with the awareness of timelines.

Characteristics of an influential policy submission

A policy submission can be influential to the implementers due to some characteristics. The style, tone as well as the format used in writing the submission will make the implementers consider different decisions with regard to the submission. An influential policy submission should have a clear format with the main ideas first followed by other supportive ideas. This will save time for the concerned parties as they will be able to read the submission quickly as they are reviewing the policy submission. They will make the decisions about what the policies should contain due to what they get in the submission. If well formatted, it will easier for the readers to go through and gather the understanding about the ideas recommended by the writer. The style should also be appealing to the reader for implementation of the submission to be affected without wasting time in reading. The tone should be more convincing so that the readers of the policy submission will be totally convinced of the need for implementation of the recommendations made in the submission. The structure should be in line with the terms of reference. This will make it easier for the reader to make conclusions regarding the recommendations of the policy submission. The government agency responsible for any policy submission will consider the structure of the policy submission when receiving it. This will make the implementation follow certain criteria depending on the structure. It should also be clear for anyone reading to understand the content well. Further, the policy submission should include a good introduction and executive summary, research including statistics together with meaningful examples for it to be influential.

In conclusion, there are some major and important elements of a policy submission process including presenting a good argument and engaging in a thorough consultation. For the submission to be influential, it must be well laid down with good style, tone and format. The structure should also be well laid out according to the terms of reference.

Work cited

Australian government, Disability Care and Support, Productivity Commission Inquiry Report Overview and Recommendations (2011, July 31). Retrieved from, www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/…/disability-support/…/disability-support-overview-booklet