Part B, Briefing Paper
One important aspect of community work, whether in a local government
setting, a large government department or an NGO, is to ‘brief’ decision makers
on an important issue or situation. A briefing paper aims to provide a concise
and coherent explanation of the issue and it must also provide relevant
information to enable a decision to be made. Often briefing papers demonstrate
the need to change a current policy approach, to form a new policy or cease a
current policy.
Students are to submit a briefing paper that relates to a specific
policy area. It should include:
1. A clear statement of the
purpose of the policy brief
2. A concise summary of the
issue
3. Identification of the
available policy options
4. Recommendations for change, backed
up by evidence
5. A reference list
Below are some ideas to guide you in putting together your paper:
· Ensure
you build the structure around the five dot points above. They don’t need to be
sub-headings, but you should cover all these aspects in your paper. Using
headings of some sort is recommended.
· Focus
on a specific social policy issue. You might find it helpful
to design for yourself a ‘context’ and ‘audience’ for your paper. For example,
imagine you are writing a briefing paper for a ministerial advisory council on
suicide prevention in rural areas, or for a large NGO involved in advocacy with
government, advising them on the need for policy change regarding some aspect
of homelessness policy, or for a director of a government department dealing
with an aspect of policy relevant to people who’ve recently arrived in
Australia. (These are just examples, use your own experience or interest to
find your way into something you can do a good job with, or that opens up a new
field of knowledge for you).
· Make
sure you research your topic thoroughly – briefing papers are
all about condensing as much useful information as possible into an easy to
understand paper, for the benefit of the reader.
· Language
should be formal, but clear, and not too technical in a way that it is
inaccessible for someone not very familiar with the field you’re writing about.
· Recommend
a course (or courses) of action and give well thought out reasons, supported
This is not an opinion piece, but it is a document that aims to outline reasons
for why something should or shouldn’t happen, or why/how something should
change.
You may find the following link helpful: The Writing Centre. University
of Carolina at Chapel Hill (2019) Policy Brief. Retrieved
from: https://writingcenter.unc.edu/policy-briefs/
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